AirKeys

Your iPad is now a wireless AI keyboard.

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⌘ AirKeys — AI Wireless Keyboard for Mac

INSPIRATION Typing on a Mac while holding an iPad? Awkward. I wanted a seamless way to use my iPad as a wireless keyboard — no cables, no separate apps, no complexity. Just open a URL and start typing.

WHAT IT DOES AirKeys turns your iPad into a fully-functional wireless keyboard for your Mac. Connect via a simple one-line setup, open a URL in Safari, and type directly onto your Mac from anywhere — same WiFi, different network, across the room, or across the world via SSH tunnel.

WHAT MAKES IT SMART

  • Full QWERTY + Modifiers — Numbers, letters, shift, command, control, option, function keys (F1–F12), arrows, backspace, return
  • Voice Input — Tap the 🎤 button, speak naturally (Web Speech API)
  • Claude Haiku AI Suggestions — As you type, the server offers contextual text completions powered by Claude
  • PWA + WebSocket — Works in any browser, auto-reconnects, zero app installation
  • Single-Port Architecture — One command starts both HTTP server and WebSocket tunnel; Vercel-deployed UI preview
  • Public via SSH Tunnel — localhost.run integration means judges can test without their own Mac setup

HOW I BUILT IT Frontend: Single-file HTML5 PWA (iPad-optimized, dark theme, zero dependencies) Backend: Python asyncio server with websockets on port 8766; pyautogui for keystroke injection AI Layer: Claude Haiku API for text suggestions via server (not exposed to frontend) Deployment: Vercel static hosting (UI preview); local Python server (functional backend) Tunnel: localhost.run for public access without ngrok account or paid tier

CHALLENGES

  1. iPad + Mac Keystroke Injection — pyautogui only works on macOS, so the keyboard HAD to be iPad-to-Mac, not the reverse
  2. Single-Port Design — HTTP static files + WebSocket on same port required websockets.asyncio.server with custom process_request hook
  3. Dynamic Tunnel URLs — localhost.run generates new URLs each session; solved with client-side auto-detection (location.protocol + location.host)
  4. CORS for AI Suggestions — Claude API calls needed server-side handling to avoid browser CORS blocks
  5. PWA Reliability — iPad Safari quirks with persistent connections; added exponential backoff reconnection logic

ACCOMPLISHMENTS ✅ Built a fully-functional wireless keyboard in ~8 hours ✅ Zero external dependencies (just asyncio, websockets, pyautogui, requests) ✅ Deployed to Vercel (UI at airkeys.vercel.app) ✅ Pushed to GitHub with complete documentation (github.com/nuriygold/airkeys) ✅ Tested end-to-end: iPad → Mac typing works flawlessly ✅ AI integration working (Claude Haiku suggestions appear in real-time)

WHAT I LEARNED

  1. WebSocket + Static Files on One Port — websockets.asyncio.server's process_request hook is powerful for hybrid servers
  2. Browser-Side Tunnel Detection — location.host is more reliable than hardcoding IPs for dynamic tunnel URLs
  3. pyautogui Limitations — Keystroke injection is OS-specific; architecture must account for platform constraints early
  4. PWA Deployment Trade-offs — Vercel handles UI great, but functional features (keystroke sending) still require local server + tunnel

WHAT'S NEXT

  • Auto-Punctuation — Post-process voice input through Claude to add periods, commas, capitals automatically
  • Mic Visual Feedback — Brighter active state (done: neon green #30d158)
  • Custom Server Targeting — Let judges point to their own AirKeys instance (right now it connects to the tunnel URL)
  • iOS Native Keyboard — Currently PWA; could build native iOS app for App Store
  • Multi-Device Support — Support multiple Macs, Windows via different keystroke libraries

HOW TO TRY IT:

Option 1 — UI Preview (no setup): → Visit https://airkeys.vercel.app in your browser (shows the keyboard, red dot = no backend)

Option 2 — Full Setup (30 seconds):

  1. On your Mac, open Terminal and run: bash bash launch.sh
  2. Copy the tunnel URL from the output
  3. On your iPad, open that URL in Safari
  4. Start typing → keystrokes appear on your Mac (green dot = connected) ✅

GitHub: https://github.com/nuriygold/airkeys Tech Stack: Python · asyncio · websockets · pyautogui · Claude Haiku API · localhost.run SSH tunnel

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