App Config

Config files live in ~/.config/makima/. The base config Steam Deck.toml defines the default button layout. App-specific configs override only what differs — everything else is inherited from the base config at runtime.

See Configuration for the general config setup and file locations.

Naming convention

File	When it loads
Steam Deck.toml	Always — the base config
Steam Deck::org.mozilla.firefox.toml	When Firefox is the focused window
Steam Deck::dolphin.toml	When Dolphin is the focused window

The window class comes from the focused window's resourceClass property in KWin.

Config inheritance

App-specific configs only need to declare the bindings that differ from the base config. Everything else is merged from Steam Deck.toml at runtime via merge_base(). No duplication required.

# Steam Deck::org.mozilla.firefox.toml
[remap]
BTN_TL-BTN_DPAD_LEFT  = ["KEY_LEFTALT", "KEY_LEFT"]   # L1+← → Back
BTN_TL-BTN_DPAD_RIGHT = ["KEY_LEFTALT", "KEY_RIGHT"]  # L1+→ → Forward
BTN_TL-BTN_DPAD_UP    = ["KEY_LEFTCTRL", "KEY_R"]     # L1+↑ → Reload

[settings]
CUSTOM_MODIFIERS = "BTN_TL-BTN_MODE"
GRAB_DEVICE = "false"

Only the bindings listed here are overridden. All other buttons continue to use the base config.

Event-driven window focus

Window focus changes are detected via a KWin D-Bus script (kwin_watcher), which registers org.makima.watcher on the session bus and receives a callback from workspace.windowActivated on every focus change.

This replaces the previous approach of spawning a kdotool subprocess on every button press to query the active window — eliminating CPU load and latency. No polling, no subprocess spawning, no external tool dependency.

Key config attributes

Attribute	Meaning
no_pause = true	Binding fires even when makima is paused (e.g. HUD is open)
no_off = true	Binding fires even in Off mode (implies no_pause)
CUSTOM_MODIFIERS	Defines which buttons act as modifier keys in this config
GRAB_DEVICE	Whether makima grabs exclusive access to the input device