My first PR: Automatic config reloading 🎉

[malpern]

Automatic config reloading is here!

No more manual lrld - just save your config and watch kanata reload
automatically.

Hey everyone! I've been exploring ways to hot reload/restart kanata
configs programmatically (see my earlier discussion). I
initially investigated setting up a privileged Mac helper app through
SMJobBless , but that turned out to be quite complex. So instead,
I decided to contribute directly to kanata - adding built-in support
for hot reloading config files on save!

See It In Action

# Before: manual reload cycle
vim config.kbd → save → lrld → test → repeat

# After: automatic reload
vim config.kbd → save → instant reload ✨

My First Contribution

I just submitted my first open source PR! #1707 adds a
--watch flag that automatically reloads your config when you save
changes.

Features

• ✅ Cross-platform (Linux, Windows, macOS)
• ✅ Smart 500ms debounce (handles rapid saves without spam)
• ✅ Bug fix: first keypress now uses new mapping immediately
• ✅ Zero config - just add --watch

Ready to Try?

cargo build --features watch
sudo ./target/debug/kanata --cfg your-config.kbd --watch

Found a bug or have ideas? Drop feedback in the PR this is
my first contribution and I'd love to learn!

Future Plans

This is just the start! I'm planning to add:

• TCP commands for reload control (for editor integrations)
• Support for watching included files
• Maybe even a Mac GUI down the road (I'm a Mac user myself!)

Technical Details

• Why 500ms debounce? Prevents reload spam when editors do multiple
  saves

Thanks to @jtroo for creating such an awesome tool! 🙌