Normal mode

Normal is the most commonly used and easiest mode: move the pointer, scroll, click, drag, and enter the three targeting modes. Enter it from Idle with Primary+E.

By default, it intercepts only configured bindings. Unbound input still reaches the active application or tools such as AHK and Quicker. For example, if only h = "move_left" is configured, bare h moves the pointer while unconfigured Alt+H passes through intact.

[normal]
passthrough_unbound_keys = true # Set false to restore keyboard exclusivity.

Normal mode demonstrationKeyboard pointer movement, speed modifiers, scrolling, and common click operations.

Default keys

Normal default key groupsColours identify action types; blank keys are unassigned.

qwertyuiop

Capsasdfghjkl;'

Shiftzxcvbnm,.SlashRShift

CtrlPrimaryAltSpace

• Move
• Click
• Speed
• Scroll
• Hold / drag
• Application navigation
• Mode switch

Key	Action
h j k l	Move left, down, up, right
Caps Lock / Left Shift	Precision / slow movement
v or b	Fast movement
m / ,	Scroll down / up
; / ' / Right Shift	Left / right / middle click
n	Toggle held input for dragging
t / y / i / u	Send Home / End / Page Up / Page Down
g / f / Primary+F	Grid / Recursive Grid / UI Hint
Primary+S	Switch to the next display
q / Esc	Return to Idle

Pointer speed

The default precision, slow, and fast bindings are held modifiers. To use point-and-toggle behaviour, bind a key to precision_toggle, slow_toggle, or fast_toggle; press the same binding again to clear it. The active speed is shown below the mode indicator.

Speed uses pixels per second and acceleration. Smooth acceleration softens changes both when beginning and approaching top speed. Set smooth_acceleration to false for linear acceleration.

[pointer]
initial_speed = 1000.0
max_speed = 2200.0
acceleration = 3000.0
smooth_acceleration = true
tap_distance = 2.5
slow_multiplier = 0.35
precision_multiplier = 0.12
fast_multiplier = 2.0

Dragging and holding

n = "toggle" can keep any number of companions pressed in either order. Each companion follows its Normal binding: the default ;, ', and right_shift bindings hold the left, right, and middle mouse buttons rather than the physical keys. A standalone tap, returning to Normal, or entering Idle releases every held target.

Hold a key bound to a mouse button for long_press_toggle_ms to latch that mouse button down; tap n = "toggle" to release it.

Set auto_release_ms to a non-zero value to finish a modifier-assisted drag without another release key. It applies only to a direct click/double-click binding latched by long press. Once one or more physical Shift/Ctrl/Alt/Win or Command keys are held and passed through, the first real pointer movement starts the delay and every later movement restarts it. When the pointer remains still for that long, KeySteer releases that mouse button and immediately clears its held indicator without affecting the physically held modifiers. Latches created by explicit press or toggle actions do not participate.

[normal]
passthrough_unbound_keys = true
long_press_toggle_ms = 500 # Set 0 to disable.
auto_release_ms = 0        # Set 0 to keep manual release.

Custom shortcuts

[normal.bindings]
"primary+space" = "left_click"
"primary+g" = "grid"
q = "idle"

WARNING

In a targeting Mode, Grid or UI Hint labels take priority over inherited Normal bindings. Hold Primary to use Normal temporarily.

Temporary text input

\ enters Text Input from Normal. Ordinary typing passes through; all exits use standard bindings:

[normal.bindings]
'\' = "text_input"

[text_input]
inherits = []
temporary_mode = "normal"
temporary_mode_keys = ["primary"]
temporary_mode_passthrough_keys = []

[text_input.bindings]
'enter \ esc' = "normal"

# Optional: submit Enter before returning. Replace the grouped binding above:
# '\ esc' = "normal"
# enter = ["send enter", "normal"]

Default exit keys are consumed. Remove enter from the binding for multiline editing or IME candidate selection. Explicit binding tables replace defaults; add the entry to your existing Normal table.

Hold Primary to borrow Normal and release it to continue typing. Primary uses key_aliases like other modes. Direct inherits = ["normal"] is supported, with local overrides winning, but inherited bare letters intercept typing. Entry and temporary-layer release clean up gestures and latched inputs; Q does not start Quick Switch while typing.

Home-row mappings are commented examples, disabled by default: Primary+H/J/K/L sends arrows, Primary+U/I/O sends Backspace/Delete/Insert, and Primary+T/Y sends Home/End. Ctrl, Shift and Ctrl+Shift variants are also commented. Choose modifiers that do not duplicate Primary. Explicit full chords precede trigger-stripped temporary-layer bindings. Mappings retain existing Send modifier suspension/restoration and key repeat behavior.

Text Input hides its text badge by default through [mode_indicator.modes.text_input] enabled = false. Temporary Normal uses its own badge settings and receives plugin results such as screen next.

Mode badge style and position

Select Windows or macOS in the preview. On Windows, Badge display scaling calibrates placement without multiplying the configured X/Y offsets. Font size, badge dimensions, and styling continue to follow the configuration. Choose a preset or enter a percentage. macOS uses logical points, so Retina does not enlarge the badge. This preview setting is not exported to TOML; native and browser font rasterization may still differ slightly.

Usually, edit the shared [mode_indicator.ui] settings; the default file lists font, corner radius, padding, border, and placement together. In the web simulator, open Global settings → Mode badge for live editing. Each mode's Appearance tab supports optional overrides; reset a field to inherit the shared style again.

Each mode can override the shared [mode_indicator.ui] style. Merge these settings into the corresponding existing tables:

[mode_indicator.modes.normal]
enabled = true
text = "Normal"

[mode_indicator.modes.normal.ui]
position = "bottom_right"
indicator_x_offset = 12
indicator_y_offset = 18
font_size = 13
background_color = "#0A1338FF"
text_color = "#E8EEFFFF"
border_radius = 6
padding_x = 8
padding_y = 4

[mode_indicator.modes.text_input]
enabled = false

position accepts bottom_left, bottom_right, top_left, or top_right, relative to the current pointer. Offsets use signed logical pixels: positive X moves right, positive Y moves down. For example, use top_left, X = -12, Y = -18 for a gap above and left of the pointer. Adjust the offsets for any distance; placement is clamped to the display edges.

The default remains bottom_left, X = -12, Y = 18, preserving the original placement. Unspecified styles inherit global values; font_family, border_width, and border_color are also supported. To show the Text Input badge, set enabled = true and use the same style fields in [mode_indicator.modes.text_input.ui].