Setting Up a Macropad for Gemini CLI on Linux
Built as a heavy aluminium block, EM Mini Pad has five keys and one knurled knob. A Linux device rule can isolate its inputs, giving Gemini CLI a compact navigation set.
How does Linux handle a second small keyboard?
The pad normally appears through the same input system as another keyboard. Use the keyd monitor to record the device identifier and every code it sends. Target that identifier in the configuration so matching keys on your main keyboard do not change.
Use wired USB-C for the first tests. Bluetooth and a 1000 mAh cell are listed as well, but a cable removes pairing and battery state from the input path you are debugging.
Which Gemini CLI actions fit on five keys?
Gemini CLI documents commands for confirmation, cancellation, scrolling, input history and suggestions. A sensible first layout uses previous input, next input, escape and two page-movement controls. Put submit on the main keyboard until the physical arrangement feels familiar.
Do not dedicate a key to automatic approval mode. That changes the safety boundary rather than navigating the current screen. Keep shell shortcuts and long prompt text out of the pad firmware as well.
How do you write the keyd config?
Turn the first physical input into an unused function key. After reloading keyd, confirm the result in a disposable text field before continuing. Then use Gemini CLI's user keybindings file to attach those spare inputs to named commands. This separates the Linux device layer from the application's behaviour.
Make one change per test. Keep a normal keyboard connected and read keyd's recovery instructions before enabling a broad configuration. A mistake at the input layer can affect virtual terminals as well as the desktop.
Where does hardware stop and shell aliases start?
The pad should send short, obvious key events. Gemini custom commands or shell aliases should hold reusable text and multi-step behaviour because they remain readable and versionable. Do not make one switch type an unseen shell command.
The EM Mini Pad is deliberately constrained. Five controls are enough when each maps to a documented action. Save the device identifier beside the Gemini command names so an update can be diagnosed without rebuilding the layout from memory. Review the five controls after a week and remove anything you still need to look up. A sparse layout is easier to recover, document and trust during a long terminal session. Keep the original keyd file nearby, and test the pad in a plain shell before blaming Gemini for a missing event. Record the working outputs before adding another layer.