Plexus Pad is a desk device for people who run several AI agents on several computers. Press a key to start a workflow on any machine, read each agent's status in the key's own light, and switch hosts without reconnecting anything.
Power users run Claude Code, shell automations and tool servers across a laptop, a desktop and a Mac — and lose time to alt-tabbing between them. A single-agent, single-machine deck can't fix that. This one is built around the swarm.
Each key is bound to a prompt, slash-command, shell command or named workflow in a plain-text config. Layers called Circles multiply the keys you have.
Pair once with each computer. Switching targets is a pointer move on the pad — no re-pairing, no reconnect. Broadcast a key to several hosts at once.
Each key's light shows what its agent is doing: idle, working, waiting for your confirm, done. The label comes from what the agent is actually running, not a guess.
Hardware and software are developed together. The status tag on each card says exactly how far along it is — nothing here is shipping yet.
The base deck: 14 hot-swap keys with clear relegendable caps, two machined-aluminium knobs, per-key RGB, a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W brain with an RP2040 input co-processor, two USB-C ports and an aux jack. WiFi, Bluetooth and USB-C are all first-class links to your machines.
The free local gateway that runs on each machine. Pairs the pad, runs the actions, and streams status back. A virtual pad lets you try it with no hardware.
A toolless snap-on status screen: agent name, task, elapsed time and last output line, for when a key light isn't enough.
A tiny, replaceable audio puck: mic and speaker for push-to-talk commands and hearing agent output read aloud. Speech processing runs on your computer, not in the puck.
Icon keycap sets: monoline glyphs on printable inserts under clear MX-compatible caps. A printable sheet is generated straight from your config.
Plain-text (YAML) bindings for keys, knobs and layers, per host and per profile. Keep it in git; sync it like any other dotfile.
Layers of key bindings — the target is at least six — switched with a key or a knob press, so fourteen keys become a lot more.
Over whichever link is healthy — WiFi, Bluetooth or USB-C. Each machine has an ordered list of links; if one stalls, the pad moves to the next.
Switching target machine is a pointer move, not a reconnect. Broadcast sends one key to several hosts.
Its own Grimoire maps the key to a concrete action — start Claude Code on a prompt, or run a shell command. Risky keys can require a second press.
Working, waiting for confirm, done or error — with a short human label such as "Read daemon.py".
The prototype is specified against actual catalogue parts, so the renders on this page show what the bench build will really look like.
Linux handles concurrent secure sessions, Bluetooth and voice; the RP2040 owns real-time key scanning, knobs and lights.
Milky Gateron KS-3 Yellow Pro under clear relegendable DSA caps with printed icon inserts.
Under each switch, so the glow genuinely travels up through the cap and its icon.
On Bourns PEC11R encoders with press-switch.
Parametric OpenSCAD model; FDM prototype in PLA, tooling later.
This is a pre-hardware project. Here is exactly what exists.
The base pad is targeted at $229, with a $199 first-batch price for early backers. Add-ons are sold separately so the entry price stays honest. These are targets, not offers — there is no checkout and the waitlist is not an order.
| Product | What you get | Status | Target price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plexus Pad | Base controller — keys, knobs, tri-link, 2× USB-C | Bench prototype | $229 ($199 first batch) |
| Oculus | Snap-on status screen | Specified | $49–69 |
| Vox | Audio puck — mic + speaker | Specified | $29–39 |
| Sigils | Themed icon keycap set | Art drawn | $19–29 / set |
| Aether + Grimoire | Gateway software and config format | Built (v0) | Free |
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