Kernudgeon
Kern in Glyphs with an Xbox controller.
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Download and open
Unzip and drag Kernudgeon to Applications. On first launch macOS will refuse to open it—Kernudgeon isn’t notarized by Apple yet. Dismiss the dialog (don’t click Move to Trash), then open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway—macOS asks for your password to confirm. You’ll do this once per downloaded build; it disappears entirely once Kernudgeon is notarized.
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Grant Accessibility
macOS requires it before one app can type into another. Click Grant… in Kernudgeon’s status bar, then flip the switch next to Kernudgeon in the list that opens (macOS asks for your password). If Kernudgeon isn’t listed, click + and add it from Applications.
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Pair your controller
Hold the Pair button on the controller’s back edge until the Xbox button flashes quickly, then choose it in System Settings → Bluetooth. The dot in Kernudgeon’s status bar turns green when it’s live.
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Wire up sample strings
In Glyphs, open Settings → Shortcuts, search for “sample”, and assign ⌃⌥⌘↑ to “Select Previous Sample String” and ⌃⌥⌘↓ to “Select Next Sample String” (both live under Edit → Other). B then steps forward through your proofing strings and X steps back.
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Place the cursor and go
Click into Glyphs—Kernudgeon only sends keystrokes while Glyphs is the frontmost app—open your font in the Edit view, and put the text cursor on the left side of a glyph. Kernudgeon adjusts the kerning pair on that glyph’s right side: the left trigger tightens, the right trigger opens.
Bumpers kern by a fixed step · triggers kern finely (squeeze harder = faster)
Bumper Step
Units kerned per bumper press — quick fixed jumps.
Trigger Speed
Top speed — 1-unit steps per second at a full squeeze. Higher = faster, but if kerning keeps going after you release, Glyphs can’t keep up: lower this until it stops clean.
Trigger Ramp
Feel of the squeeze — 1.0 is linear; higher gives slow, fine control at a light touch that speeds up as you press harder.
Pan Speed
Top speed of the left-stick pan at full deflection — how hard the canvas moves when you pin the stick.
Zoom Speed
Top zoom rate of the right stick at full deflection — how fast the view dives when you pin it.
Master Wheel Defaults
How many masters the L3 wheel shows. Auto-set from the open Glyphs font each time you open the wheel; this is just the fallback when it can’t be read.
About
Kernudgeon is a kerning companion for Glyphs, designed by Brian Brubaker. It reads an Xbox controller and drives Glyphs with its own native shortcuts without the need for any additional plugins inside Glyphs itself.
I designed this app because I wanted kerning to feel more like a game. I was inspired by ControllerMate, which used to allow me to do some of the same things with an Xbox controller, but sadly appears to have been long-discontinued.
Kernudgeon is currently free to use. By using it you agree to the Terms of Use.