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code52/carnac

★ 4,513C#Audience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

Windows utility that displays your keystrokes on screen as you type, designed for presenters and screencasters so viewers can see keyboard shortcuts in real time.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Carnac))
    What it does
      Show keystrokes on screen
      Silent mode toggle
      Auto-update
    Use cases
      Live presentations
      Screencasts
      Keyboard practice
    Tech stack
      C#
      .NET
    Audience
      Presenters
      Content creators
      Developers
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Show keyboard shortcuts on screen during a live coding presentation or tech demo so viewers can follow along.

USE CASE 2

Record screencasts where every keystroke and shortcut is visible to the audience watching the video.

USE CASE 3

Toggle silent mode with Ctrl+Alt+P to hide keystrokes temporarily when typing a password during a recording.

USE CASE 4

Let the app auto-update silently in the background so you always have the latest version without manual steps.

Tech stack

C#.NET

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires .NET 4.5.2 runtime, install via Chocolatey or download the zip from the releases page and run the setup file.

In plain English

Carnac is a small Windows utility that displays your keystrokes on screen as you type them. It is designed for people doing presentations or recording screencasts who want viewers to see exactly which keyboard shortcuts or commands they are pressing. It can also serve as a personal practice aid if you want to track how you use your keyboard over time. Installing it is straightforward: you can use a Windows package manager called Chocolatey with a single command, or download a zip file from the releases page and run the included setup file. The application requires a Microsoft runtime called .NET 4.5.2, which the README links to if you do not already have it installed. Once running, Carnac updates itself automatically in the background. When a new version is available it installs quietly, and the update takes effect the next time you restart the application. No manual update steps are needed. There is a silent mode for moments when you want to stop recording keystrokes temporarily, for example when typing a password. You toggle it on and off with a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+P). The README does not describe any other configuration options beyond this. The project is written in C# and is open source. The README includes links to blog posts covering some internal refactoring of the codebase for developers interested in contributing or studying the code. Contributors are expected to clone the repository, run a build script, and submit changes through GitHub.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install Carnac on Windows using Chocolatey and set it up ready for a screencast recording session?
Prompt 2
What keyboard shortcut toggles Carnac's silent mode on and off, and how does it work?
Prompt 3
I want to show keyboard shortcuts on screen during a Zoom call presentation, how do I set up Carnac for that use case?
Prompt 4
What .NET version does Carnac require, and where can I download it if it is not already installed on my machine?
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