Siri & Shortcuts

KeyPath works with Siri and the Shortcuts app. Ask what layer you’re on, start or stop the service, or trigger any KeyPath action — by voice or as part of an automation.

What you can do with Siri

“What layer am I on?”

Ask Siri which keyboard layer is active right now.

“Hey Siri, what layer am I on in KeyPath?”

Siri responds with the layer name (e.g., “base”, “nav”, “window”).

Start, stop, or restart

Control the KeyPath remapping service without opening the app.

“Hey Siri, start KeyPath” “Hey Siri, stop KeyPath” “Hey Siri, restart KeyPath”

Send an action

Trigger any KeyPath action through Siri.

“Hey Siri, send action to KeyPath”

Siri will ask for the action URI (e.g., keypath://launch/Obsidian).

Shortcuts app

KeyPath actions appear in the Shortcuts app under “KeyPath” in the action picker. You can combine them with any other Shortcut action.

Get Current Layer

Returns the active layer as text. Use this with an “If” action to build layer-conditional automations:

  1. Add “Get Current Layer” (KeyPath)
  2. Add “If” — set condition to “is” and type the layer name
  3. Add whatever actions you want inside the If block

Example: If the current layer is “work”, open your work apps.

Control Service

Start, stop, or restart the remapping service. Useful for scheduled automations:

  1. Add “Control KeyPath Service” (KeyPath)
  2. Choose Start, Stop, or Restart

Example: Create a Time of Day automation to stop KeyPath at 6 PM and start it at 9 AM.

Send Action

Dispatch any keypath:// action URI. This gives Shortcuts access to everything KeyPath can do:

  • keypath://launch/Terminal — launch an app
  • keypath://system/mission-control — trigger Mission Control
  • keypath://window/left — snap window to left half
  • keypath://notify?title=Done&body=Build complete — show a notification

See the Action URI Reference for the full list.

Tips

  • KeyPath must be running for Siri and Shortcuts to work. The “Get Current Layer” and “Control Service” actions connect to the running app.
  • The layer list is dynamic — it comes from your active Kanata configuration. If you add a new layer, it shows up in Shortcuts automatically.
  • You can pin KeyPath Shortcuts to your menu bar for one-click access.
  • Shortcuts automations can run KeyPath actions on a schedule, when you connect to a Wi-Fi network, when you open an app, and more.