CmdDeck - Macro Pad for Terminal Commands

CmdDeck is an open-source, cross-platform Stream Deck-style command launcher for Windows and macOS. Build an always-on-top button macro pad that runs shell commands, scripts, and terminal shortcuts, choosing which shell runs each command (PowerShell, cmd, pwsh, Git Bash, zsh, bash) and optionally attaching a console to monitor output.

Ideal for developers or power users who want a lightweight desktop command palette / macro pad without dedicated hardware.

Features

• Compact always-on-top command grid (toggleable)
• Run short or multi-line shell commands in the background
• Run with a selected shell so PATH/environment match that shell (e.g. tools available in PowerShell but not cmd)
• Optional attached console per key to monitor output and cancel
• Button face: custom image, display name, or command text fallback
• Optional working directory per command
• Tray icon with show/hide, always-on-top, start minimised, updates
• Window bounds persistence, splash screen, single-instance, auto-updater
• Close hides to tray (Quit from tray menu)

Installation

Windows

1. Download the latest installer from Releases
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts

macOS

1. Download the .dmg from Releases and drag CmdDeck to Applications
2. macOS may say the app is “damaged” - that is Gatekeeper blocking an unsigned download, not a bad file. Go to System Preferences -> Security & Privacy, then "Open anyway".

Development

bun install
bun run start

Building

bun run release

Releasing

Bump the version in package.json and push to master. The GitHub Actions workflow builds Windows and macOS installers, uploads updater metadata, and creates a GitHub Release.

Usage

1. Click + (or the empty tile) to add a command
2. Enter a command and pick Run with (PowerShell, cmd, etc.)
3. Optionally enable Show terminal window, set a display name, image, and working directory
4. Click a button to run; click again while running to stop
5. Right-click a button for Run / Edit / Duplicate / Delete

Screenshots

Main command grid:

Macro editor:

Example macros

Think in workflows, not one-off commands: each button should replace a ritual you repeat (start the day, ship a PR, prep a meeting). Set Working directory per macro when it matters. Use Show terminal window for anything long-running or that you need to watch.

CmdDeck supports multi-line commands — paste a small script into the Command field.

Developer workflows

Boot a project (set cwd to the app; PowerShell / zsh):

git pull
composer install
npm install
php artisan migrate
docker compose up -d

Start a coding session (Laravel + Vite; enable Show terminal, or split into two buttons):

docker compose up -d
php artisan queue:work &
npm run dev

Ship check before PR (set cwd to the repo):

git status
npm run lint
npm test
gh pr checks

GitHub public repository download counts and stars (PowerShell; requires authenticated gh):

gh repo list --visibility public --limit 1000 --json nameWithOwner,stargazerCount |
  ConvertFrom-Json |
  ForEach-Object {
    $repo = $_.nameWithOwner
    $stars = $_.stargazerCount
    $downloads = 0
    gh api "repos/$repo/releases" --paginate --jq '[.[].assets[].download_count] | add // 0' 2>$null |
      ForEach-Object { $downloads += [int]$_ }
    [pscustomobject]@{
      Repo      = $repo
      Stars     = $stars
      Downloads = $downloads
    }
  } |
  Sort-Object Downloads, Stars -Descending |
  Format-Table -AutoSize

Hotfix local data:

php artisan migrate:fresh --seed
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan view:clear

Unstick a busy port, then serve (PowerShell):

Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 8000 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  ForEach-Object { Stop-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue }
php artisan serve

Unstick a busy port, then serve (zsh):

lsof -ti:8000 | xargs kill 2>/dev/null
php artisan serve

Handy single-button companions (same cwd):

Button	Command	Notes
Queue	php artisan queue:work	Show terminal
Frontend	npm run dev	Show terminal
Logs	docker compose logs -f --tail=200	Show terminal
Open in editor	code .	Instant

Everyday workflows

Start workday — open the tools you always need (Windows, PowerShell; edit URLs/apps):

Start-Process "https://mail.google.com"
Start-Process "https://calendar.google.com"
Start-Process "https://github.com/notifications"
Start-Process "slack://"
code "$env:USERPROFILE\Projects"

Start workday (macOS, zsh):

open https://mail.google.com
open https://calendar.google.com
open https://github.com/notifications
open -a Slack
code ~/Projects

Meeting prep - pull notes folder + open call link (edit paths/URL):

$notes = "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\MeetingNotes"
Start-Process explorer.exe $notes
Start-Process "https://meet.google.com/your-room"

open ~/Documents/MeetingNotes
open "https://meet.google.com/your-room"

Client delivery zip - stage today’s folder and compress (Windows, PowerShell; edit paths):

$day = Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-dd
$src = "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\Clients\Acme\Outgoing"
$dst = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\Acme-$day.zip"
Compress-Archive -Path "$src\*" -DestinationPath $dst -Force
explorer.exe /select,$dst

Weekly project backup (Windows, PowerShell):

$src = "$env:USERPROFILE\Projects"
$dst = "D:\Backups\Projects-$(Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-dd)"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $dst | Out-Null
robocopy $src $dst /MIR /R:1 /W:1 /NFL /NDL /NJH /NJS
Write-Host "Backup complete: $dst"

Tidy Downloads older than 30 days (Windows, PowerShell):

$downloads = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("UserProfile") + "\Downloads"
Get-ChildItem $downloads -File |
  Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-30) } |
  Remove-Item -Force
Write-Host "Old Downloads cleaned."

find ~/Downloads -type f -mtime +30 -delete
echo "Old Downloads cleaned."

Notes

• Detects installed shells from PATH / OS locations (powershell, pwsh, cmd, Git Bash, WSL, zsh, bash, fish, Nushell, and /etc/shells entries)
• Defaults to PowerShell 7/Windows PowerShell on Windows, or $SHELL / zsh / bash on macOS/Linux
• Commands run with a rebuilt login-like PATH (OS env + common tool bins) so GUI/IDE launches still find Herd, Scoop, Homebrew, nvm, etc.
• Button images are copied into app user data so they stay available after you move the originals

Keywords

Stream Deck alternative, command launcher, terminal shortcuts, macro pad, always-on-top command grid, Electron desktop app, Windows Terminal launcher, shell command buttons

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT