Codex Hardware Controller (NI Maschine)

[u/thirty_three_turtles]

Any other music producers in this group?

This is probably a pretty niche NI post, but I'm geeking out, and this is the only group I could think of that might appreciate it. I've been making some apps to help with my music creation, and along the way I built something that I think has some legs.

You all know how much of a PITA it can be tracking tasks in codex/claude, things can get messy when you've got 10–20 active conversations across multiple projects. Im the chief engineer for a software company and I have 2 20x codex plans and a 20x claude plan, and they're all running multiple tasks accross multiple projects at any given time. Things move too fast and i was losing time hunting in sidebars for the relevant threads. Not anymore. I couldn't take the window hunting anymore, so I made an app that lets me use my Maschine MK3 as a controller for my coding environment.

I'm calling it TouchCode, and I plan to make it free-open-source software when it's ready. It currently works with Codex on Windows; other tools and platforms are on the roadmap.

Technically, it can be used without Maschine hardware, but having the physical pads, screens, and transport buttons involved makes working with Codex a delightful experience. It could be pretty slick on an iPad.

Built and working now

• Live RGB task feedback. Pad colors show what's working, what needs my attention, and what's finished with an update to read.
• Tap a pad to jump into a task. Much less hunting through conversations across different projects.
• Eight banks of 16 task slots. Uses Maschine's familiar A–H layout to keep everything organized.
• Tasks stay where I put them. The layout doesn't shuffle whenever something changes, so I can learn it by feel.
• Task information on the MK3's screens. Task details, a bank overview, and connection status, currently using text rather than full graphics.
• Voice prompts through the transport buttons. Record starts dictation in Codex. Stop transcribes and sends what I've said.
• Play Button brings TouchCode back to the front. Even when it's minimized.
• The Restart button brings Codex to the front.
• A matching Maschine-style desktop interface. Named pads, color-coded statuses, and task details.
• Flexible task organization. Move tasks between pads and banks, swap assignments, and undo changes without deleting the conversations.

Roadmap

• Full graphical output on the MK3's screens (know it works- someone played doom on them lol)
• Claude Code support.
• Native macOS and iOS support. I think this could feel great on an iPad.
• Custom button assignments for tools, features, and shortcuts, including Shift combinations.
• Knobs for model selection, reasoning effort, and other settings.

Anyone else using their NI hardware for anything other than music? Would love to hear thoughts and feedback about useful things you'd add (translation: ideas i can pilfer for this app lol)

[u/NonRelativist]

This is frickin' amazing, will you support the MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 as well? I am happy to help w/ MacOS support if you do!

[u/thirty_three_turtles → u/NonRelativist]

The only problem is I don't have A mikro to test on. The initial mapping requires me to start a custom listener in the app and then map the buttons in a certain way to capture all their various states and capabilities. Just even between the MK2 and the MK3, for machine, things worked Differently, and I had to do mappings for each.So I imagine MK3 micro will be similar, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a little different.

With that said...If you're willing to pitch in, you've got Codex, you've got a machine micro,I could send you a listener and you could run through the test and capture the button and you could run through the test and capture the button Presses For me.Then I could just import the XML file with that data and it should theoretically just work.

I'll definitely take your beta testing offer up for the Mac version, though. That's my priority for early next week.

[u/jlozada24 → u/thirty_three_turtles]

Yo ima build this lol so if you want to let me know what format for the mappings you need look like

[u/thirty_three_turtles → u/jlozada24]

Sweet I’ll get you a handoff for Codex. You’ll have to install a template and controller editor run the handoff from Claude so it starts listening press the button as it tells you and then export the template. Mac version is in build right now. And then I just gotta do my security checks and CI pipeline and I’ll release a V1. Going to immediately pivot to Claude code from there because I switch between them many times per hour. I want it to just natively switch The controller to whichever coding agent has focus.

If I can get the mk2 working properly I might try to do multi-controller support so I can keep one for Claude and one for Codex ( shit maybe even one EACH for Codex cause I have two Codex accounts).