Static Hands for macOS

December 10, 2025 · View on GitHub

CapsLock-based keyboard navigation. Keep hands on home row.

📺 Video Review

Static Hands Tutorial

Installation

Step 1: Prepare the Environment

Ensure Karabiner-Elements is installed and running. This tool functions as a configuration profile for Karabiner-Elements, so you must install it first.

Step 2: Install Static Hands

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

cd Advanced/  # or Basic/
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Step 3: Activate

  1. Open Karabiner-Elements.
  2. Go to the Complex Modifications tab.
  3. Click Add rule.
  4. You should see "Static Hands" in the list. Click Enable All.

Versions

Basic - Simple navigation

  • Arrows (I/K/J/L)
  • Home/End (U/O)
  • Page Up/Down (Y/N)
  • Files: 3 | Size: 25 KB

Advanced - Full power

  • Everything in Basic
  • Modifier modes (W/S/D/F)
  • Text editing (Copy/Paste/Undo)
  • Case transformation (UPPER/lower/Title)
  • Google Search
  • Files: 4 | Size: 82 KB

🖼️ Wallpaper Pack

Keep the keyboard layout always visible on your desktop!

Download 4K Wallpaper Pack (Basic) Download 4K Wallpaper Pack (Advanced)

Quick Reference

CapsLock + I/K/J/L = Arrows
CapsLock + U/O = Line Start/End
CapsLock + Y/N = Page Up/Down
CapsLock + H = Delete

Advanced Only: Modifiers

Hold CapsLock → Hold W → Press C = Copy
Hold CapsLock → Hold D → Press L = Select right
Hold CapsLock → Hold S → Press J = Jump word left

Advanced Only: Case Transform

Select text → CapsLock + 9 = UPPERCASE
Select text → CapsLock + 0 = lowercase
Select text → CapsLock + - = Title Case

Troubleshooting

Keys not working?

  1. Check Karabiner-Elements is running
  2. Verify permissions granted
  3. Open Karabiner → Complex Modifications → check rules enabled

Auto-enable didn't work?

  1. Open Karabiner-Elements
  2. Complex Modifications → Add rule
  3. Enable all "Static Hands" rules

Need to uninstall?

rm ~/.config/karabiner/assets/complex_modifications/static-hands-*.json
# Then restart Karabiner-Elements

Requirements

Docs

  • Basic/README.md - Basic key mappings
  • Advanced/README.md - Advanced features
  • Advanced/CHEATSHEET.txt - Printable reference

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