Questions
How to run a Shortcut from a controller or any button on a Mac
The Shortcuts app on a Mac can run a shortcut from a keyboard shortcut, the menu bar, the Dock or Siri. It cannot run one 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. It is free and open source.
I built InputConfig 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.
First, what macOS already gives you
If a keyboard key is all you need, you may not need another app. In the Shortcuts app, open a shortcut, open its details, and choose Add Keyboard Shortcut. You can also 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. 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, add a row, press Scan and press the button, pad or key you want to use.
- For the output, choose System Function, then Run Siri Shortcut, and pick your shortcut from the list. The list shows the shortcuts on this Mac.
- Activate the preset and press the button. The shortcut runs in the background, 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.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
What can press it
- A game controller: DualSense, Xbox, Switch Pro, 8BitDo and others. With hold and double tap, one button can run three different shortcuts, and chords give you a second layer.
- 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 ignores. 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 with a readable motion sensor. See tap your MacBook.
- A screen corner or edge the pointer moves into. See custom hot corners.
Ideas that work well
- Turn Do Not Disturb or a Focus on and off.
- Start a timer or log a glass of water.
- Run a Home scene: lights down for a film, up for work.
- Resize or convert the image selected in the Finder.
- Send a message you send every day to the same person.
- A macro that runs a shortcut, waits, then types a line of text. Shortcuts and macros can share one button.
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.
One honest limit: InputConfig does not add its own actions to the Shortcuts app, so a shortcut cannot switch InputConfig presets. Auto-switch, a key per preset, or a controller button set to Next Preset does that instead.
Open an app or a link instead
If all a shortcut does is open something, skip it. Open App takes an app name or bundle identifier and Open URL takes any link the Mac can open, including app links such as steam://. Both are in the same System Function list. See system functions.
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.
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.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.