How to run a Shortcut from a controller or any button on a Mac
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
A free app can do it. The Shortcuts app on a Mac can run a shortcut from a keyboard shortcut, the menu bar, the Dock or Siri, but not from a game controller, a MIDI pad, the side buttons on a mouse, or a knock on the MacBook. InputConfig can: its Run Siri Shortcut output fires any shortcut you have, by name, from any input it reads. I built it because my hands do not work well, and for hands like mine a big button that runs a whole shortcut is easier than a three-key chord.
On this page
Use what macOS already gives you
If a keyboard key is all you need, you may not need another app.
- A keyboard shortcut. In the Shortcuts app, open a shortcut, open its details, and choose Add Keyboard Shortcut.
- Other places to run it. Pin a shortcut to the menu bar, add it to the Dock, show it in the Services menu or as a Quick Action, or ask Siri by its name.
- Automation. The Automation tab can run a shortcut on its own when something happens, such as an app opening.
What none of these do is listen to a controller, a MIDI device, a mouse's extra buttons or a tap. That is the gap below.
Set it up in InputConfig
- Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access when it asks.
- Open a preset, click Add a new bind, press Scan and press the button, pad or key you want to use.
- In the output menu, under System, open Automation and choose Run Siri Shortcut.
- Type the shortcut's name in the field beside it, or pick it from the list next to the field, which reads the shortcuts on this Mac.
- You: Save, activate the preset and press the button.
- InputConfig: Runs the shortcut in the background.
- Check: The shortcut does its job, and the app you are in keeps focus.
The built-in Shortcuts & Apps preset has this on a controller's left bumper already. Pick your own shortcut on that row and it is ready.
Pick what presses it
- A game controller. DualSense, Xbox, Switch Pro, 8BitDo and others. With hold and double tap, one button can carry the shortcut beside its everyday job, and chords give you a second layer of buttons.
- A MIDI pad or keyboard. Every pad, key or knob press can be its own shortcut. See MIDI as input.
- Mouse side buttons. Button 4 and Button 5, which macOS otherwise leaves to each app. Tick Block the button's own action on the row and the button stops also going Back in a browser. See mouse side buttons.
- A key on your keyboard. InputConfig listens to keys but does not block them, so the key still does its normal job. Pick one that does nothing on its own, such as F13 to F19 on an extended keyboard.
- A tap on the palm rest of a MacBook. Tap the Mac was tested on M4 MacBooks; it did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing, and the calibrator's status chip tells you whether your Mac's sensor is listening. See tap your MacBook.
- A screen corner or edge. The pointer moves into it. See custom hot corners.
Try ideas that work well
- Focus. Turn Do Not Disturb or a Focus on and off.
- Small logs. Start a timer or log a glass of water.
- Home. Run a Home scene: lights down for a film, up for work.
- Files. Resize or convert the image selected in the Finder.
- Messages. Send a message you send every day to the same person.
A row can also say a word out loud or buzz the controller when it fires, both under Feedback in its Options, so you know the shortcut went.
Run different shortcuts in different apps
A button does not have to run the same shortcut everywhere. Make a preset per app and turn on per-app auto-switch: the same pad can run an export shortcut in Photos and a meeting shortcut in Zoom, and change over when you change apps. Star the presets you use most (Add to Favorites in a preset's menu) and the star at the top of the sidebar, or Favorites Only in the menu bar, shows only those.
What it cannot do
- Switch presets from a shortcut. InputConfig does not add its own actions to the Shortcuts app, so a shortcut cannot switch InputConfig presets. Auto-switch, a keyboard shortcut per preset (Add a shortcut, in the preset editor), or a controller button set to Next Preset does that instead.
- Run a shortcut mid-macro. A macro's steps are keys and clicks, so a shortcut cannot be a step in the middle of one. Give the shortcut a keyboard shortcut in the Shortcuts app if you want a macro to press it.
Open an app or a link instead
If all a shortcut does is open something, skip it. Both of these are in the same Automation menu:
- Open App. Takes an app name, a bundle identifier or a full path, or a pick from the list beside the field, and brings the app to the front.
- Open URL. Takes a web, mail or app link, such as steam://. It does not open files, Shortcuts, scripts, network shares or calls.
When you import a preset someone shares, InputConfig offers to remove any actions that open apps, websites or Shortcuts before it lands. See system functions.
The short version
- A key is enough. Add Keyboard Shortcut in the Shortcuts app.
- A controller, pad, mouse button or tap. Run Siri Shortcut in InputConfig.
- Only opening something. Open App or Open URL, no shortcut needed.
One big button can run a whole shortcut, and that is easier on some hands than any chord.
Questions
Can a game controller run Apple Shortcuts on a Mac?
Not with anything built into macOS. With InputConfig, any controller button can run a shortcut through the Run Siri Shortcut output. It is free on the Mac App Store.
Does the shortcut steal focus from the app I am in?
No. It runs in the background and the front app stays in front, unless the shortcut itself opens something.
Can I use a Stream Deck style pad for Shortcuts without a Stream Deck?
Yes. A MIDI pad or a spare controller works as a deck of shortcut buttons. The streaming deck guide has a full layout. InputConfig can also read a Stream Deck itself, as an experimental feature.
Why not just use a keyboard shortcut?
If a key combination is comfortable for you, do that. The Shortcuts app sets it up with no other software. A single large button, a pedal or a pad is easier for some hands, and it does not collide with shortcuts other apps already use.
Can a Shortcuts automation switch my controller layout?
No. InputConfig does not add actions to the Shortcuts app. Presets follow the front app on their own with per-app auto-switch.
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