Getting started.

What you need

• Mac: Apple silicon, running macOS 15 or later.
• Phone or tablet: an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or later, or an Android phone with a supported browser. Use Safari on iPhone and iPad; Chrome, Firefox and Samsung Internet are supported on Android.
• Network: both devices must be able to reach each other on your local network. A Mac connected by Ethernet can work with a phone on the same network’s Wi-Fi.

CmdPalm lives in your Mac’s menu bar. The controls open in your phone’s browser, with no phone app or account to install or create.

Install on your Mac

Use Homebrew if you already have it:

brew install --cask rahatsagor/tap/cmdpalm

Or download CmdPalm.dmg, open it, and drag CmdPalm into Applications.

CmdPalm is not currently notarized by Apple. If macOS blocks the first launch, dismiss the alert with Done or OK, then open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway under Security. Confirm the next prompt and authenticate if asked. This option appears only after you try opening the app. Only approve the copy you intentionally downloaded from the CmdPalm repository.

The illustrated installation guide walks through each step and includes a Terminal alternative if Open Anyway is unavailable.

Open CmdPalm from Applications and look for its icon in the menu bar.

Allow Accessibility

CmdPalm needs Accessibility permission to move the pointer, click and type.

1. In CmdPalm’s welcome guide, click Open System Settings. You can also use Open Settings in the menu-bar panel.
2. In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, turn on CmdPalm.
3. Return to CmdPalm. It notices the permission without needing a relaunch.

Speech Recognition is optional and is only needed for voice typing.

Pair your phone

1. Join the same local network as the Mac.
2. Click CmdPalm’s menu-bar icon and leave the panel open. If a device is already connected, click Pair Another to show the code.
3. Scan its QR code with your phone’s camera and open the link in the browser.

You can also type the address shown on the Mac into the phone’s browser and enter the six-digit PIN. If Allow devices to ask to pair is on, you can tap Ask the Mac to approve instead on the phone, then click Allow in the prompt on the Mac. Pairing methods are managed in CmdPalm Settings → Phone Setup.

Keep the pairing code private. The QR code and PIN give a device access to your Mac. Use the current code shown on your own Mac; an old screenshot may no longer work.

If Android cannot open a link ending in .local, change QR link uses → IP Address under the Mac’s QR code and scan again. See connection troubleshooting if the page still will not load.

Try the controls

On Trackpad, move one finger to point, tap to click, and move two fingers to scroll. Open Keyboard to type, Deck for action buttons, Apps to switch apps, or Media for playback and sound.

Look at the Mac’s display while using the controls. CmdPalm sends input to the Mac; there is no screen preview on the phone. Keyboard input goes to the app or text field currently focused on the Mac.

If a key or mouse button feels held down, tap the hand button labelled Release all keys and buttons.

Choose an encrypted connection

The ordinary pairing link uses HTTP. The phone shows Not encrypted, and someone able to observe the network traffic could read typing or capture a remembered device’s access token.

Use the encrypted connection guide to set up HTTPS from your own Mac. It protects the connection and enables the phone browser’s microphone and certain other browser features.

Keep CmdPalm one tap away

On iPhone or iPad, use Safari’s Share → Add to Home Screen. On Android, use the browser menu to add a shortcut; Chrome needs the encrypted connection to install the full web app.

Leave the Mac awake and CmdPalm running while you use your phone. To start it automatically next time, enable CmdPalm Settings → General → Open at login.

Turn this on from the copy installed in Applications. If you opened CmdPalm from the disk image or a temporary location, it asks you to move it to Applications and open it there before enabling Open at login.