Installation
keycmd is a command line tool, so it wants to be installed globally, once per machine — not into the virtual environment of each project you use it on. It requires Python 3.13 or newer.
Using WSL or pyenv?
Both need a slightly different approach. Skip ahead to pyenv installation, or to the WSL guide, which explains why WSL users install keycmd on the Windows side.
Global installation
The recommended way to install a Python command line tool is with uv:
uv tool install and pipx both put keycmd in an isolated environment of its own and put the executable on your PATH, which is exactly what you want for a tool that is not a dependency of anything.
Whichever you use, the keycmd executable has to end up in a folder that is on your PATH, or the command won't be available globally. If you were able to run uv or pip just now, the executable should land in the same place they did, and everything should be fine.
To verify keycmd is installed and available:
Continue with the Quick Start.
pyenv installation
If you're using pyenv, you're going to have to jump through a few hoops, since keycmd needs to be installed globally, which flies directly into the face of what pyenv is trying to accomplish.
This guide assumes you've also installed pyenv-virtualenv, in order to get you the cleanest of setups. ✨
Note
These instructions are for pyenv on Linux and macOS. If you are using pyenv-win on Windows, they are most likely not 100% compatible with your setup.
Run the following commands one by one to install keycmd into its own standalone environment:
pyenv virtualenv 3.13 keycmd
pyenv activate keycmd
pip install keycmd
pathToKeycmd=$(python -c 'import sys; from pathlib import Path; print(Path(sys.executable).parent / "keycmd")')
pyenv deactivate
mkdir -p $HOME/.local/bin
ln -s $pathToKeycmd $HOME/.local/bin/keycmd
Finally, edit your ~/.bashrc file (or whatever shell profile you use) to include ~/.local/bin in your PATH:
Note
This line may already be in place in your ~/.bashrc — for example, if you installed poetry. It's a common trick used to expose specific binaries on PATH when they live in folders that also contain binaries that should not be exposed.
To verify keycmd is installed and available, run keycmd --version.
Up- and downgrading
Install a different version the same way you installed the first one:
pyenv
Activate the virtual environment first with pyenv activate keycmd, run pip install -U keycmd, and don't forget to pyenv deactivate afterwards. The symlink in ~/.local/bin keeps working.