Stream Deck-like keyboard shortcut controller - Mobile control over local network

Local Desk transforms your mobile device (iOS/Android) into a wireless shortcut controller for your desktop computer. With a Stream Deck-like interface, you can easily trigger keyboard shortcuts for OBS, video editing, game streaming, and general productivity.

• Automatically finds devices on the network via UDP broadcast
• mDNS/Bonjour support
• No internet connection required
• Works on local network

• Pairing system on first connection
• Requires approval from desktop
• Trusted device list
• Automatic reconnection

• Uses Windows SendInput API
• C++ Native addon
• Compatible with all applications (OBS, Premiere, games, etc.)
• Detected as physical keyboard

• Colorful button grid
• Customizable icons
• Drag-and-drop editing
• Page/category support

• Changes made on desktop appear instantly on mobile
• Real-time updates via Socket.IO
• Bidirectional communication

┌─────────────────┐                  ┌─────────────────┐
│                 │                  │                 │
│  📱 Mobile App  │ ←──── WiFi ────→ │  🖥️  Desktop   │
│  React Native   │                  │    Electron     │
│                 │                  │                 │
│  • Discovery    │                  │  • HTTP Server  │
│  • Socket.IO    │                  │  • Socket.IO    │
│  • Button Grid  │                  │  • C++ Addon    │
│                 │                  │  • SendInput    │
└─────────────────┘                  └─────────────────┘

LocalDesk/
├── desktop/                # Electron desktop application
│   ├── main.js            # Electron main process
│   ├── preload.js         # IPC bridge
│   ├── server/            # Node.js backend
│   │   ├── index.js       # Socket.IO server
│   │   ├── discovery.js   # UDP + mDNS
│   │   └── keyboard-addon/ # C++ SendInput module
│   └── ui/                # HTML/CSS/JS interface
│
└── LocalDesk/             # React Native mobile app
    ├── App.jsx            # Main application
    └── src/
        ├── hooks/         # Custom hooks
        ├── components/    # UI components
        └── screens/       # Screens

Desktop:

• Node.js 20+
• Windows (for keyboard addon)
• Visual Studio Build Tools 2019+

Mobile:

• Node.js 20+
• React Native CLI
• iOS: Xcode 14+ (macOS)
• Android: Android Studio + JDK 17

cd desktop

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build C++ Addon
cd server/keyboard-addon
npm install
cd ../..

# Or directly
npm run rebuild

# Start the application
npm start

cd LocalDesk

# Install dependencies
npm install

# For iOS
cd ios && pod install && cd ..
npm run ios

# For Android
npm run android

• Open Local Desk Desktop on Windows
• UDP and mDNS services start automatically
• Device name and status appear in the top left corner

• Make sure you're on the same WiFi network
• The app automatically finds your desktop device
• Select your device from the list

• When you select a device on mobile, a pairing request is sent
• Click "Approve" on the popup that appears on desktop
• Connection is established and shortcuts are downloaded

• Stream Deck-style button grid appears on mobile screen
• Press any button to trigger the keyboard shortcut
• Desktop detects it as if real keyboard keys were pressed

• Click "➕ Add New Shortcut" in the desktop application
• Select label, keys, and color
• Save - appears instantly on mobile

{
  "label": "Start/Stop Recording",
  "keys": ["CONTROL", "ALT", "R"],
  "color": "#f44336"
}

{
  "label": "Render",
  "keys": ["CONTROL", "M"],
  "color": "#9c27b0"
}

{
  "label": "Discord Mute",
  "keys": ["CONTROL", "SHIFT", "M"],
  "color": "#5865F2"
}

{
  "label": "Screenshot",
  "keys": ["WIN", "SHIFT", "S"],
  "color": "#00C853"
}

• HTTP/Socket.IO: 3100
• UDP Discovery: 45454
• mDNS: Automatic

desktop/server/data/
├── config.json        # Device settings
├── shortcuts.json     # Shortcut list
├── trusted.json       # Trusted devices
└── icons/            # Custom icons

Desktop:

NODE_ENV=development npm start
# DevTools opens automatically

Mobile:

npm start -- --reset-cache
# Shake device > Debug

cd desktop/server/keyboard-addon
npm run rebuild

• ✅ Successful operations
• 📡 Network events
• ⌨️ Keyboard inputs
• 🔐 Pairing operations
• ❌ Errors
• ⚠️ Warnings

Request (Broadcast):

LOCALDESK_DISCOVER_REQUEST

Response:

{
  "type": "LOCALDESK_DISCOVER_RESPONSE",
  "deviceId": "desktop-uuid-here",
  "deviceName": "Desktop-PC",
  "deviceType": "desktop",
  "port": 3100,
  "timestamp": 1234567890
}

Pairing:

// Client → Server
emit('pair-request', {
  deviceId: 'mobile-xxx',
  deviceName: 'iPhone 15',
  deviceType: 'ios'
})

// Server → Client
emit('pair-response', {
  success: true,
  message: 'Pairing approved'
})

Execute Shortcut:

// Client → Server
emit('execute-shortcut', {
  shortcutId: 1,
  keys: ['CONTROL', 'ALT', 'O']
})

// Server → Client
emit('execute-result', {
  success: true,
  shortcutId: 1
})

Synchronization:

// Server → Client
emit('shortcuts-update', [
  { id: 1, label: '...', keys: [...], color: '...' }
])

• ✅ Works on local network (no internet required)
• ✅ Manual approval on first connection
• ✅ Trusted device system
• ✅ Permission check for each command
• ⚠️ SSL/TLS not used (not necessary for local network)

1. Make sure you're on the same WiFi network
2. Firewall should allow ports 3100 and 45454
3. Check that desktop application is running
4. Restart mobile application

1. If you approved pairing on desktop
2. Check if you're in the trusted devices list
3. Clear trusted devices on mobile and try again
4. Restart both applications

1. Make sure C++ Addon is built: npm run rebuild
2. Check if Windows Build Tools is installed
3. Check desktop logs
4. Make sure target application is in focus

1. Check if there's heavy traffic on the same network
2. Check WiFi signal strength
3. Don't leave mobile app in background
4. Check if other heavy processes are running on desktop

Add icons to desktop/server/data/icons/ folder:

{
  "label": "OBS",
  "icon": "obs.png",
  "keys": ["CONTROL", "ALT", "O"],
  "color": "#1F6FEB"
}

For desktop UI desktop/ui/style.css:

:root {
  --bg-primary: #1e1e1e;
  --accent-blue: #1F6FEB;
  /* ... */
}

For mobile UI LocalDesk/src/components/ButtonGrid.jsx:

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  button: {
    backgroundColor: '#252526',
    // ...
  }
});

• Macro recording system
• Multiple page/category support
• Custom icon upload interface
• Haptic feedback
• Widget support (iOS/Android)
• Theme support (light/dark)
• macOS/Linux support
• Web interface

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'feat: Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Harun Selçuk Çetin 🔗 LinkedIn • ▶️ YouTube

• Electron
• React Native
• Socket.IO
• LocalSend - Inspiration for discovery logic

⭐ If you liked the project, don't forget to give it a star!