MagShift 🪄

MagShift - Advanced Keyboard Layout Switcher with Instant Correction Engine for Linux (Wayland & X11). It fixes what you just typed without making you retype it.

Designed with NixOS Flakes in mind for reproducible and secure deployment.

Also supports other Linux distros via a simple installer script. For example:

✨ Features

• ⚡ Double Right Shift: Tap Right Shift twice to switch layout (e.g., English ↔ Ukrainian).
• 🖋️ Auto-Correction: It automatically corrects the last typed phrase when you switch.
• 🔒 Secure: Runs with dynamic permissions (via Udev ACLs), no manual group configuration required.
• ❄️ Pure Nix: Zero global dependencies. Builds cleanly from the Nix Store.

📋 Clipboard Version

Old unsecure version with clipboard dependency and extra features (like handling selected text) available in extra branch: SkySwitcher

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❄️ NixOS Installation (Flake)

Since this project exports a NixOS module, installation is clean, but requires an overlay to make the package available to the system.

1. Add to flake.nix

Add the input, import the module, and apply the overlay in your system configuration:

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-25.11";
    
    # Add MagShift input
    magshift.url = "github:OleksandrCEO/MagShift";
    # magshift.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs"; 
  };

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, magshift, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.myhostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      modules = [
        ./configuration.nix

        # 1. Import the module
        magshift.nixosModules.default

        # 2. Add Overlay (Required)
        ({ pkgs, ... }: {
          nixpkgs.overlays = [
            (final: prev: {
              magshift = magshift.packages.${prev.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}.default;
            })
          ];
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

2. Enable in configuration.nix

{ config, pkgs, ... }:

{
  # Enable MagShift
  services.magshift.enable = true;
}

Note: With the new udev-based approach, users do not need to be added to input or uinput groups. Permissions are granted dynamically to the active graphical session user.

3. Update MagShift (when script updates but Nix flake hasn't)

If you've made local changes or want to pull the latest version:

cd /etc/nixos
sudo nix flake update magshift
sudo nixos-rebuild switch

If you track your NixOS config in git:

cd /etc/nixos
sudo git add .
sudo git commit -m "Update MagShift to latest version"
sudo nixos-rebuild switch

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🐧 Installation (Ubuntu / Fedora / Arch)

For non-NixOS systems, use the provided installer script:

Quick Install

# Download the latest release
wget https://github.com/OleksandrCEO/MagShift/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
unzip master.zip
cd MagShift-master

# Run installer (requires root)
sudo ./install.sh

The installer will:

1. Install python3-evdev via your package manager (apt/dnf/pacman)
2. Copy main.py to /usr/local/bin/magshift
3. Create udev rules for dynamic device permissions
4. Reload udev to apply changes

Update

To update to the latest version, simply download and run the installer again:

wget https://github.com/OleksandrCEO/MagShift/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
unzip -o master.zip
cd MagShift-master
sudo ./install.sh

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🤖 Autostart (KDE Plasma)

Since this tool relies on the graphical session (Wayland/X11), the most reliable way to start it is via KDE settings.

1. Open System Settings (Системні параметри) -> Autostart (Автозапуск).
2. Click + Add New (+ Додати нове) -> Application... (Програма...).
   • Do not select "Login Script".
3. Type magshift in the search bar and select it.
4. (Optional) If you want to use a different layout switching hotkey, click on the added entry, then click Properties and modify the command:
   • For Alt+Shift: magshift -k alt
   • For Ctrl+Shift: magshift -k ctrl
   • For CapsLock: magshift -k caps
   • Default is Meta+Space (-k meta)
5. Click Apply (Гаразд).

That's it! MagShift will now start automatically with your user session.

Autostart (as a Systemd User Service)

To ensure MagShift runs automatically and remains stable on systems like Ubuntu, follow these steps to configure it as a systemd user service.

1. Create the Service File

Create the service configuration file in your user directory:

mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
nano ~/.config/systemd/user/magshift.service

Paste the following content into the file:

[Unit]
Description=MagShift Keyboard Layout Switcher
After=graphical-session.target

[Service]
# Ensure the path points to your installed executable
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/magshift
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

2. Enable and Start the Service

Apply the changes and activate the service:

# Reload the systemd user manager configuration
systemctl --user daemon-reload

# Enable the service to start automatically on login
systemctl --user enable magshift.service

# Start the service immediately
systemctl --user start magshift.service

3. Verify Status and Logs

To check if the service is running correctly, use:

systemctl --user status magshift.service

To view real-time logs for debugging purposes:

journalctl --user -u magshift -f

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🛠️ Manual Usage (Development)

If you want to run it manually for debugging or development:

# Enter the development shell
nix develop

# Run with verbose logging to see key events
python3 main.py --verbose

# List available input devices (keyboards)
python3 main.py --list

# Use a different layout switching hotkey
python3 main.py -k alt    # Alt+Shift (default in many Linux DEs)
python3 main.py -k meta   # Meta+Space (default, KDE-style)
python3 main.py -k ctrl   # Ctrl+Shift
python3 main.py -k caps   # CapsLock

Available hotkey styles:

• alt - Left Alt + Left Shift (common on GNOME/XFCE)
• meta - Left Meta (Windows key) + Space (default, KDE standard)
• ctrl - Left Ctrl + Left Shift
• caps - CapsLock only

📜 License

MIT License. Feel free to use and modify.