ClaudePad

"Coding never changes. But your input device just did."

Vibe-code from your couch. Connect your Xbox Wireless Controller to Claude Code via MCP. Approve with A, deny with B, interrupt with X. Execute fighting game combos to commit+push. Feel haptic feedback when Claude finishes thinking.

Install

Prerequisites

macOS + SDL2:

brew install cmake sdl2

Add to Claude Code (one-liner)

claude mcp add claudepad -- npx -y claudepad

That's it. Restart Claude Code and connect your Xbox controller via Bluetooth.

Verify controller

npx claudepad-test

Button Map

Button	Action	Description
A (green)	Approve	y + Enter
B (red)	Deny	n + Enter
X (blue)	Interrupt	Ctrl+C
Y (yellow)	Skip	Escape
LB	Scroll Up	tmux page up
RB	Scroll Down	tmux page down
D-pad	Navigate	Arrow keys
Menu	Confirm	Enter
View	Interrupt	Ctrl+C
Xbox	Voice Input	/voice + Enter
L3	Autocomplete	Tab
R3	Slash Commands	/

Combos

Fighting game input sequences trigger special actions:

Combo	Sequence	Window	Action
Hadouken	Down, Right, A	500ms	git commit + push
Shoryuken	Right, Down, Right, B	600ms	Reset conversation
Quick Approve	A, A	300ms	Double approve
Turbo Mode	LB + RB	200ms	Toggle turbo
Konami Code	Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A	3s	Rainbow rumble

Haptic Feedback

Your controller vibrates to communicate state — no need to look at the screen.

Pattern	Feel	When
success	Gentle double pulse	Task completed
error	Hard long buzz	Something broke
warning	Medium single pulse	Heads up
approval_prompt	Triple tap rhythm	Claude needs input
task_complete	Rising crescendo	Major milestone
combo_activated	Sharp snap	Combo detected
voice_start	Light click	Voice recording started
rainbow	Wave crescendo	Easter egg activated

Architecture

Xbox Controller --Bluetooth--> macOS SDL2 --> GamepadManager
                                                  |
                                        +---------+---------+
                                        |                   |
                                   ButtonMapper       ComboDetector
                                        |
                                  KeystrokeInjector
                                   (tmux / osascript)
                                        |
                                    Claude Code

MCP Tools

When running as an MCP server, Claude gains access to:

Tool	Description
gamepad_get_state	Read button/axis/connection state
gamepad_wait_button	Block until a specific button press
gamepad_get_analog	Read analog stick and trigger values
gamepad_rumble	Send haptic feedback (preset or custom)
gamepad_wait_combo	Wait for a combo input
gamepad_configure_mapping	View or update button mappings

Daemon Mode

Run standalone (no MCP, just keystrokes):

npx tsx src/daemon.ts

Or install as a persistent launchd service:

cp com.claudepad.daemon.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.claudepad.daemon.plist

Development

npm test              # Run tests
npm run test:watch    # Watch mode
npm run dev           # Dev mode with file watching

Tech Stack

TypeScript + tsx | @modelcontextprotocol/sdk | sdl2-gamecontroller (SDL2 native addon) | zod | vitest | tmux

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT