Keyboard Maestro Not Working with Stream Deck

[thatchrisharper]

I’ve had a Stream Deck for a while. I got it to switch cameras when streaming video productions from a Windows computer running vMix. But now I’ve just listened to the recent Automators episode and wanted to give the Stream Deck a try for my everyday work.

BUT, I’m having trouble getting it to talk with Keyboard Maestro. Essentially, I can’t get it to trigger KM macros and KM won’t send text or icons from actions to the Stream Deck.

Everything seems to be updated to the current versions:

• Stream Deck Software Version 4.8.2
• Stream Deck Firmware 1.0.191203
• Keyboard Maestro Version 9.0.6

In Stream Deck, I added the Keyboard Maestro action to a button (R3C3, for example). Over in Keyboard Maestro, I have created a test macro to set the title of button R3C3 to some text. That’s not working.

In Keyboard Maestro, I have also tried adding the Stream Deck as a macro trigger. But when I set the trigger to a Device Key and click in the area to set the key and push the Stream Deck button, Keyboard Maestro does not register the key press.

So in summary, it just seems like the two aren’t talking to each other. I’m hoping that I’m just not doing something right. Any ideas on what to try? It’s always hard when dealing with two different software/devices because I’m never sure who to go to first!

[thatchrisharper]

Looking at this more, I wonder if this is a firmware issue with the Stream Deck hardware. What version of the firmware is everyone else running? A quick Google search makes it seem there is no way to update it manually. I have a feeling that the older hardware is limited to the older firmware. Perhaps that’s my issue.

[Martin_Packer]

I don’t know if this would be an adequate workaround but I invoke KM macros via Applescript.

tell application “Keyboard Maestro”
    do script “Paste CSV”
end tell

[MarcMagn1]

Just install KM Link plugin and your problems should be solved.
Download from github and install the extensions into streamdeck.
The plugin will sync your macros from KM to Streamdeck so that when you go into the button configurator into the Stream Deck app, you can add KM Link as an action type, this let you pick any of all your macros and assign it to a stream deck key.
Doing that, you don’t have to bother configuring from KM side and maintaining the rows and columns positions.

[thatchrisharper]

Thanks for this tip. I do have KM Link and it does work. I was hoping to be able to send data to the Stream Deck, such as titles and images, as @Tjluoma talked about in the last episode of the show. I don’t think KM Link supports that at this time.

[Martin_Packer]

Right, but does using the AppleScript technique I mentioned preclude using the KM methods of sending data to the Stream Deck?

[sylumer]

@thatchrisharper

Looking at this more, I wonder if this is a firmware issue with the Stream Deck hardware. What version of the firmware is everyone else running?

I’m running the exact same version of the firmware. Also the same version of both sets of software.

My deck is less than a year old at this point, and if you check back to the original 2017 release, you’ll see examples of dynamically updating keys.

I do not think firmware is your issue.

I’m going to suggest that you are perhaps doing things in the wrong order.

Edit: I just re-read a point in your original post that suggests you have got the order - the below is unlikely to help, but just I’ll love it in case it is of use to others.

I’ve posted a how-to previously:

Keyboard Maestro and Stream Deck. The what, now?

In the Stream Deck app add a Keyboard Maestro action to a button. It has some IDs there. Leave them as is as you are starting out. In Keyboard Maestro add a USB trigger to your macro. When you select the option to set the trigger, press the button on the Stream Deck hardware (or mobile app) you have just set up as a Keyboard Maestro action in the Stream Deck app.

It is just a guess, but I suspect that given kmlink is working this is all it will be. You simply have to ensure that you have set up a button to talk to Keyboard Maestro in the Stream Deck app before you try and record it as the trigger in Keyboard Maestro.

Let us know if that resolves it for you, or what you see.

[Tjluoma]

@thatchrisharper

I was hoping to be able to send data to the Stream Deck, such as titles and images, as @Tjluoma talked about in the last episode of the show. I don’t think KM Link supports that at this time.

Correct. In order to do that, you have to use the official Keyboard Maestro plugin for Stream Deck, not KMLink.

Think of KMLink as “a button that you press to run a Keyboard Maestro macro”.

If you want to do anything more than that, you want to official Keyboard Maestro plugin for Stream Deck.

[Tjluoma]

@thatchrisharper

In Stream Deck, I added the Keyboard Maestro action to a button (R3C3, for example). Over in Keyboard Maestro, I have created a test macro to set the title of button R3C3 to some text. That’s not working.

In Keyboard Maestro, I have also tried adding the Stream Deck as a macro trigger. But when I set the trigger to a Device Key and click in the area to set the key and push the Stream Deck button, Keyboard Maestro does not register the key press.

The “This Device Key” should definitely show the Stream Deck key that you pressed.

If your Stream Deck is plugged in and the Streak Deck software is running, Keyboard Maestro ought to be able to sense when a button is pressed.

If it does not, I would quit the Stream Deck app and re-launch it.

Then, in Keyboard Maestro where it says “None” - click it and it should prompt you to press a button on the Stream Deck.