Builder overview & toolbar

The Builder is a full-screen, canvas-based tool for designing a keyboard from scratch — its physical layout, electrical matrix, controller, lighting, layers and key bindings — and exporting it as a buildable firmware project.

Open it from the Start Page with Create a keyboard → Open builder.

Access during development

While the builder is in alpha/beta it is free for everyone (a "{stage} · FREE" badge shows on the Start Page card). At general availability it becomes a premium feature that needs an account.

📷 Screenshot slot — docs/public/images/builder/overview.png

The whole builder shell: toolbar across the top, the Layers / Build from / Identity left panel, the keyboard on the canvas, and the inspector on the right.

The layout

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Toolbar                                                       │
├───────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬────────────────┤
│  Left panel   │                              │   Inspector     │
│  • Layers     │          Canvas              │  selected key   │
│  • Build from │      (pan / zoom keys)       │  properties     │
│  • Identity   │                              │  — or JSON —    │
├───────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴────────────────┤
│  Status bar   "12 selected"  ·  "snap ⅛U"  ·  "4×12 · 36 keys" │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Toolbar reference

Left-to-right, with the exact tooltip each button shows:

Button	Tooltip	Does
←	Back	Leave the builder.
▭	Hide panel / Show panel	Collapse/expand the left panel.
▦	Snap to grid / Free form	Switch placement mode.
⅛	Snapping on / Snapping off	Toggle ⅛U snapping while dragging.
⊞	Matrix wiring view	Overlay row/column wiring on the keys.
↶	Undo	Undo the last edit.
↷	Redo	Redo.
{ }	Edit config JSON	Swap the inspector for the live JSON editor.
▤	Keyboard library	Open saved boards.
?	Replay builder tour	Re-run the guided coachmark tour.
⚙	Settings	App settings.
⤓	Save to library	Save the current board to your library.
Editor →		Hand off to the keymap editor on a demo device.
Export & build 🚀		Open the export modal.

The zoom cluster (Zoom out / Reset view / Zoom in / Fit) shows the current zoom as a percentage (e.g. 100%).

Status bar

The bottom bar shows context:

• 12 selected — when keys are selected.
• Drag to marquee · Space/middle-drag to pan · scroll to zoom — when nothing is selected.
• The current snap mode: snap ⅛U, snap off, or free-form.
• The board summary: 4×12 · 36 keys (rows × cols, or … per half for splits).

Left panel sections

Section	What it holds
Layers	The layer list (add / duplicate / delete / rename). See Layers & bindings.
Build from	Create geometry: Presets, Import KLE, Make grid, Add key. See Building the layout.
Identity	The keyboard metadata form: name, USB ids, firmware targets, controller, matrix, lighting, firmware config. See Identity & hardware.

A reminder under the sections notes: "Geometry & matrix are shared across all layers." — only bindings differ per layer.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keys	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z · Ctrl/Cmd + Y	Redo
Ctrl/Cmd + A	Select all keys
Ctrl/Cmd + D	Duplicate selection
Backspace / Delete	Delete selection
Esc	Clear selection
Arrow keys	Nudge 0.25U
Shift + arrows	Nudge 1U

How a design flows through Remappr

Everything you do edits one in-memory JSON keymap config. From there you can Edit JSON (hand-edit the same config), hand it to the Editor, or Export & build a per-firmware project.

Next

Build the layout →