Windows automation with routines

Automation without scripts

Most Windows tasks are chains: open a tool, wait, type something, play a sound. CYPAD turns those chains into routines that live on a deck key, so the whole sequence starts with one press and without extra windows getting in the way.

A routine holds up to 12 steps and executes them in order. If a step fails, the routine stops there: you get a clear result instead of a half-finished automation running in the background with no idea where it gave up.

What a step can do

Steps come from the same action list as a normal button, and you can mix them freely:

• Open an app, a file, a folder or a URL
• Run a PowerShell or CMD command, visible or hidden
• Send a keyboard shortcut or type text
• Wait, play a sound, control OBS or switch profile

Waits set the pace

A wait is a fixed pause between steps. It is what makes a routine reliable when something needs a moment: launch the editor, wait two seconds, then send the shortcut that opens project search, instead of typing before the window responds.

Keep waits as short as the slowest step needs. If an app takes longer on a cold start, add a couple of seconds: the wait does not check whether the window is ready, it only holds the sequence until the next step makes sense.

Commands that follow Windows rules

Command steps use the real PowerShell or CMD interpreter, not a simulated shell. Hidden commands wait for the process to finish and report failed exit codes; visible terminals confirm they opened and show later errors in that window. That keeps failures visible instead of silent.

Commands you reuse are stored in the allowed commands list and picked per button. They run with the permissions of your Windows session, and CYPAD does not elevate anything on its own, so what works by hand keeps working inside the routine.

Triggers that fit the task

A routine does not have to start with a click. Buttons support press, press and hold and push-to-talk, and Pro adds global hotkeys that work while you are in another app, without switching back to the deck. Each button stores its own trigger mode, so you can mix clicks and holds in the same profile.

Profiles can also switch by themselves: rules match a process or a window title, and a configurable cooldown stops them from flipping back and forth. That way the automation sits in the profile where you need it, not in one you have to activate by hand.

Examples you can build today

These combinations cover much of a working day and work as a starting point:

• Focus mode: mute the volume, lower the brightness and open your editor
• Dev server: run npm run dev and open http://localhost:5173
• Angular: run ng serve and open http://localhost:4200
• End of day: close your work windows and switch to your personal profile

Plans and limits

The Free plan covers 1 profile and up to 6 active buttons with the basic actions, with no time limit. Routines, global hotkeys, OBS, sounds and mobile control are part of Pro, a one-time €9 purchase that also raises the limit to 12 profiles and 48 buttons per profile.

The app installs from the Microsoft Store and runs on Windows 10 and 11. The Pro key is pasted in Settings → Account → License, and your deck, profiles and buttons stay on your machine exactly as before. The licence is a lifetime licence for the 1.x version.