Free and open source

Remap your Mac keyboard.
No config files.

Create layers, home-row mods, and tap-hold keys through a visual editor. Powered by the Kanata engine.

View source →
mantle visual keyboard editor showing a keyboard layout with custom key mappings

Home-row mod configuration with three layers

Kanata is the best keyboard engine on macOS. Configuring it shouldn't require a text editor.

Editing .kbd files by hand means memorizing syntax, debugging mismatched parentheses, and restarting after every change. mantle gives you the same engine with a visual interface. Click a key, assign an action, apply.

Caps Lock → tap Escape, hold Control

kanata.kbd
(defsrc caps)
(deflayer base (tap-hold 200 200 esc lctl))

In mantle: click Caps Lock, set tap to Escape, hold to Control. Done.

How it works

01

Download and open

Install mantle. It runs as a native macOS app. No terminal, no dependencies.

02

Map your keys

Click any key on the visual keyboard. Assign a tap action, a hold action, or a layer switch.

03

Apply instantly

Hit Apply. Kanata picks up the change immediately. No restart, no manual reload.

Capabilities

Visual editor Click a key. Assign an action. See the result on the keyboard instantly.
Layers Multiple layouts on one keyboard. Switch with a single key.
Home-row mods Map Shift, Control, Option, and Command to your home row. No reaching.
Tap-hold Tap for a letter, hold for a modifier. Configurable timing thresholds down to the millisecond.
Import / Export Bring your existing .kbd files. Or build from scratch and export later.

Open source. Runs locally.
Your keystrokes stay yours.

mantle runs entirely on your Mac. No internet required. No telemetry. No accounts. The source is on GitHub — read every line. Built on Kanata, a high-performance Rust engine used by thousands in the keyboard community.

Questions

How is this different from Karabiner? +

Karabiner-Elements requires JSON for complex modifications. mantle uses the Kanata engine, which natively supports layers, home-row mods, and tap-hold behavior with sub-millisecond processing. Everything is configured through a visual interface.

Does it impact system performance? +

No. Kanata processes key events in under a millisecond. It's written in Rust with low-latency as a design goal. mantle adds no measurable overhead to the pipeline.

Is it secure? +

Fully open source, fully offline. Your keystrokes are never logged or transmitted. The entire codebase is auditable on GitHub.

Can I import existing Kanata configs? +

Yes. Import .kbd files directly. mantle loads your layers, mappings, and settings into the visual editor. You can also export at any time.

What about Apple Silicon? +

Native universal binary. Runs on M1, M2, M3, M4, and Intel Macs.

Do I need to know Kanata to use mantle? +

No. mantle handles the configuration for you. But if you already know Kanata, you can import your existing configs and continue where you left off.

Remap everything.

Free. Open source. No account required.

macOS 13+ · .dmg