Launching today
HyperCaps for macOS
Turn CapsLock into a Super Key & Boost Productivity
118 followers
Turn CapsLock into a Super Key & Boost Productivity
118 followers
Stop "finger gymnastics" with complex shortcuts! HyperCaps turns your wasted CapsLock key into a macOS productivity superpower. 🪄 Core Features: ✨ Hyper Key: Hold CapsLock to trigger Cmd+Opt+Ctrl+Shift. 🚀 Vim Mode: Navigate using H/J/K/L without leaving the home row. 🧠 Smart Tap: Tap for Escape or CapsLock. Native, lightweight (SwiftUI), and privacy-first (zero logging). 🎁 PH Community: Use code PHLAUNCH20 for 20% off lifetime access!
HyperCaps for macOS
Hey there!! Congrats on your launch!!
Since Hyper key is great for window managers (Rectangle, Magnet, etc.) and custom shortcuts, have you tested compatibility with heavy Karabiner users or other remappers?
Any edge cases where conflicts pop up, or tips for smooth layering?
HyperCaps for macOS
@cathcorm
Hi Catherine! Thank you so much for the congrats! ✨
You’re spot on—Hyper Key + Window Managers (like Rectangle/Magnet) is exactly the "dream combo" I had in mind while building this!
Regarding compatibility with Karabiner-Elements and other remappers:
Compatibility: HyperCaps is designed to be as "good a citizen" as possible. Since we use a hybrid approach of hidutil for the initial CapsLock-to-F19 remap and a standard CGEventTap for the logic, it generally plays well with others.
Potential Conflicts: The main "edge case" occurs if another app is also trying to remap the physical CapsLock key at the same time. If Karabiner is already capturing the raw CapsLock events before they hit our hidutil layer, one of the two apps might "win" while the other loses track.
Tips for Smooth Layering:
One Remapper for One Key: My best tip is to let HyperCaps handle the CapsLock/Hyper Key logic and use Karabiner for your other complex keyboard-wide remappings.
Check Permissions: Ensure both apps have the necessary Accessibility permissions, but try to avoid overlapping functions on the same physical keys.
We’ve tested it alongside common window managers and it’s been buttery smooth. If you’re a heavy Karabiner user, I’d love to hear how it fits into your specific setup!
Product Hunt
HyperCaps for macOS
@curiouskitty
Hi Curious Kitty! 🐱
That is a fantastic and very specific question. You’re absolutely right—reliability is the ultimate feature for a tool like this. To avoid the common pitfalls of key remapping on macOS, I made several strategic engineering choices:
Hybrid Architecture (hidutil + CGEventTap): Unlike many tools that rely solely on an Event Tap, HyperCaps uses hidutil to remap CapsLock to F19 at the HID level. This ensures that the system recognizes the modification natively, significantly reducing "stuck modifier" issues compared to pure software injection.
Active HID Reset Monitor: To handle sleep/wake glitches or the connection of external keyboards, I implemented an IOKit-based HID monitor. It listens for system wake notifications and device connection changes to re-apply the hidutil mapping automatically.
Native SwiftUI & Memory Safety: By building with SwiftUI and Swift's modern concurrency, I’ve minimized the risk of memory leaks and race conditions that often cause remappers to hang or crash after long periods of uptime.
Smart Secure Input Handling: We prioritize a "clean" event stream. By using a lightweight CGEventTap focused only on specific keys, we reduce interference with Secure Input fields, ensuring the system remains responsive even in sensitive contexts.
My goal was to build a tool that feels like a native part of the OS, not a "hack" layered on top of it. I'd love for you to give it a try and see how it holds up to your workflow!
Hi! First, congratulations on the launch, I actually purchased HyperCaps because I really like the idea and the clean design.
I wanted to share a small experience from my setup in case it helps: HyperCaps works perfectly with most apps, but with Fluent, shortcuts triggered through HyperCaps modifiers were not detected unless Fluent was the active/front app. Physical keys like Cmd+Shift+G work globally, but the same combo coming from HyperCaps doesn’t register. SuperWhisper, on the other hand, detects it fine.
After testing, it seems Fluent ignores synthetic modifier events, so I had to move my Caps-Lock Hyper setup to Karabiner-Elements to make it work system-wide.
Just sharing this as feedback from a heavy macOS automation user, maybe it helps compatibility testing in the future. I still think HyperCaps is a very nice, simple tool, especially for users who want an easy Hyper key setup without complex configuration. Thanks again for the work!
HyperCaps for macOS
@abdalmohsen_al_tulaihi
Hi there! 👋
First of all, thank you so much for purchasing HyperCaps and for the kind words about the design! I'm thrilled that the core concept resonates with you.
Secondly, I cannot thank you enough for this incredibly detailed feedback. Coming from a heavy macOS automation user, this kind of debugging insight is pure gold.
You hit the nail on the head regarding synthetic modifier events. Here is a bit of technical context on why this happens:
To keep HyperCaps as lightweight as possible and avoid forcing users to install system extensions, it uses a user-space CGEventTap combined with hidutil. While this works perfectly for 95% of apps (like SuperWhisper), some apps (like Fluent) register their global hotkeys using very low-level APIs that strictly filter for physical hardware events. Because Karabiner-Elements uses a virtual keyboard driver (DriverKit), macOS and all apps see its output as physical hardware strokes, bypassing this limitation entirely.
I am adding this specific edge case to my engineering backlog. While I want to maintain the "lightweight, no-driver" philosophy of HyperCaps, I will be researching if tweaking the CGEventSource state or event payload can trick stricter apps into accepting these synthetic modifiers globally.
I’m glad Karabiner-Elements is keeping your Fluent workflow smooth for now! Thank you again for understanding the exact goal of HyperCaps (simplicity over complex config) and for helping me map out future compatibility testing.
Happy automating! ⌨️✨