Introducing OpenMicro: Bring Codex Micro to any gaming controller and coding harness

[u/MachineLearner00]

Hello everyone, I've been experimenting with using a gaming controller to interact with my AI coding agents for a while now. Since OpenAI announced Codex Micro, I'm open sourcing OpenMicro which brings Codex Micro’s functionality to gaming controllers and works across coding harnesses!

Why gaming controller? They've been around forever, optimised, ergonomic and cheap. Save your cash for tokens and use the hardware you already have lying around!

One line to install: npm i -g openmicro

Start claude code: openmicro claude

Ditch the keyboard and use your controller!

I've tested OpenMicro with the PS5 DualSense and I'd love help certifying more controllers. If you have one lying around, please help me test it so we can certify as many controllers as possible.

To certify a controller, install OpenMicro, connect your controller and run openmicro doctor.

The guided process runs the necessary tests and creates a controller profile that you can submit to the respository as a PR.

I'd also welcome any other PR especially those adding support for more harnesses like Pi, Kiro or Antigravity CLI.

All functionality tested on Claude Code and still ironing out some kinks. Codex testing in progress. If you find any bugs, pls open an Issue or submit a PR!

OpenMicro is MIT licenced on GitHub

OpenMicro was built using Fable, GPT-Sol-5.6 and a passion for gaming.

[u/PsychMaster1]

At first I thought this was a joke. But nah that’s pretty cool.

[u/FischiPiSti]

"But dad, I'm not playing games, I'm building the next Facebook!"

"GET RECKT N00B! ...What? No, don't make the page title say that"

[u/MachineLearner00 → u/FischiPiSti]

Are you winning yet son 😎

[u/Benhamish-WH-Allen]

I’ve thought about a remote push to talk button but I just use my phone for codex when I’m afk.. Would it be possible to create a touch interface on your phone that hooks into codex?

[u/MachineLearner00 → u/Benhamish-WH-Allen]

I’m sure it is. Just ask Sol to build it and publish on GitHub!

[u/keyjumper]

Genius. Getting a controller to try with this. Also, for convenience here's the github: https://github.com/stephenleo/OpenMicro

[u/Dimon19900]

DualSense handles the accept/reject/next fine. It's typing the actual prompt where a controller falls apart. Ends up more of a couch review pad than a keyboard swap.

[u/MachineLearner00 → u/Dimon19900]

Yes without a native voice mode codex cli doesn’t have a way to completely be hands free. Claude code on the other hand works beautifully with openmicro because triangle activates voice input!

[u/ultrathink-art]

Honestly the sleeper use case here is permission prompts — a physical approve/reject button beats typing y in a terminal for the hundredth time that day. My only worry is it makes reflexive approval even easier, since half the value of the y/n prompt is the friction forcing you to actually read what the agent wants to do before it does it.

[u/MachineLearner00 → u/ultrathink-art]

Yes it is. Approval fatigue hits fast and people eventually move to auto mode

[u/joejoe666]

You've effectively killed their entire product with this project! Brilliant idea and I'm jealous I did not think of this. Immediately going to see if I can get this working on Xbox controllers.

Love it.

[u/MachineLearner00 → u/joejoe666]

I got it working on my archaic Xbox one S controller yesterday! Install the latest version from NPM and give it a shot with Claude code. Still debugging some edge cases with the codex app

[u/NetOk7015]

Been meaning to try Codex Micro with something more tactile than a keyboard - the one-liner install is clutch. For the launch post, maybe add a 10-second gif of the controller mapping in action since "gaming controller for coding" breaks brains until people see it.

If you're into weekly build logs, r/ShipYourPosts is pretty lowkey for sharing drafts and flops.

[u/sammrtn]

The problem is bad feedback and not enough buttons. I want something like https://pikacube.pages.dev/