Mac Power Users

828: Revisiting Keyboard Maestro

300 snips
Dec 21, 2025
Dive into the world of Keyboard Maestro as hosts explore its origins and how it outshines Shortcuts for serious automation. Learn about its trigger-action model, practical beginner use cases, and advanced features like clipboard management and UI scripting. They discuss integrating with Stream Deck and the pros and cons of text expansion. The show also touches on app-specific shortcuts, conflict palettes, and the vibrant community that supports users. To cap it off, they weigh in on its worth compared to alternatives like Alfred.
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ADVICE

Automate Unscriptable UI With Image Clicks

  • Use the 'Click at Found Image' action to automate UI elements that lack scriptable APIs.
  • Capture the button's image, add delays for loading, and run the macro to click repeatable UI targets reliably.
ADVICE

Use KMLink For Stream Deck Integration

  • Integrate Keyboard Maestro with Stream Deck using KMLink to map complex macros to physical buttons.
  • Duplicate buttons during setup to navigate large macro lists faster and keep frequently used macros at hand.
ADVICE

Move Text Expansion Into Keyboard Maestro

  • Replace or augment TextExpander with Keyboard Maestro text-expansion macros using typed-string triggers.
  • Add tokens to expansions to insert variables like clipboard contents or dates and play a sound to confirm expansion.
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