Elgato Stream Deck - button action examples
For a software developer

On this page I share and explain buttons I use on my Stream Deck and how YOU can use them on your Stream Deck to trigger tasks in your daily work as well.
Where do you use it for?
To control your AI agents (Claude Code, Codex, Copilot), IDEs (IntelliJ, VS Code), videocalls (Meet, Teams, Zoom)?
If you know cool and useful actions for macOS software developers yourself, Iβm always looking for new ones. Please let me know via a GitHub issue or a comment on one of my socials posts.
NOTE: All actions on this page are specific for macOS. The same solutions are probably also possible on Windows, but with different plugins.
You can directly download most of the action direct from here and import them into your own Stream Deck. Or just use them as examples for all kinds of similar button actions!
I grouped the buttons per category. Some work out-of-the-box, others need a plugin from the Elgato store, and others need to be installed manually or need extra programs or scripts as well to work correctly.
NOTE: This page will constantly be updated with new plugins and integrations.
Iβve already added placeholders for features I already have running and I will describe them in the upcoming months. Bookmark this page and come back after a while for extra possibilities.
Claude ai agent
With the Stream Deck + Claude you can start Claude, paste predefined prompts, and run different skills, all with a single click. With the Jetstream plugin you can see for which project you run an active session and which ones need attention.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
-
Start Claude
System: Text
- Title
- claude
- Text
- claude
-
Paste any prompt
System: Text
- Title
- Any prompt
- Text
- Any prompt
-
Run a skill
System: Text
- Title
- /my-skill
- Text
- /my-skill
-
Auto mode
System: Text
- Title
- /auto
- Text
- /auto
-
New session
System: Text
- Title
- /clear
- Text
- /clear
The above actions are examples of how to configure them. Check here for all possible Claude Code commands.
Stream Deck Local Plugin: Jetstream
Shows the live state of every Claude Code session/project on your keys: which project needs your input, which one is still working and which one is done, your 5h/7d usage, and keys to approve or deny an open question or stop all sessions at once.
- User input needed, visualization per project
- Still running, visualization per project
- Session done, with the time since it finished
- Approve the open question (AskUserQuestion)
- Deny the open question (AskUserQuestion)
- Usage gauge - 5h and 7d used, plus time until the limit resets
- Stop all running sessions at once
Browser
Opening favorite links in a browser can easily be managed with bookmarks, so you don't need a Stream Deck for it. The extra power comes when you want to combine it with selected text or use clipboard data in your search query.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
-
Open the Google Translate webpage with the selected text
System: Open Application
- Application
- Translate NL->EN
Requires/Remarks: click here to expand and see more details about these buttons.
- Translate NL->EN (Apple Shortcut): This Shortcut pastes the selected text into the Google Translate page.
- Go directly to a specific customer page
Chat
You can create a Stream Deck profile linked to your chat apps, containing your frequently used text and icons for apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Slack, etc.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
-
Have a nice day
System: Text
- Title
- Have a nice day
- Text
- Have a nice day
-
Thank you
System: Text
- Title
- Thank you
- Text
- Thank you
-
LOL emoji
System: Text
- Title
- π
- Text
- π
Stream Deck Market Plugin: Emoji Keys
Put ANY emoji on a key, so you can paste it with a single press.
-
Select any emoji from a big list and use that for a button.
Emoji Keys: Emoji
- Text
- π
Download these and fill your own profile/page with your own text and emojis!
Days countdown
Display the days countdown until a special day. It's fully customizable in colors and fonts.
Stream Deck Local Plugin: Final Countdown
Counts down the days to a special date for you.
-
Days countdown to ... a birthday, holiday, product launch, marriage, etc.
Final Countdown: Final Countdown
- Event Name
- Holiday
- Target Date
- 2026-08-31
-
GTA VI - launch day with all possible parameters
Final Countdown: Final Countdown
- Event Name
- GTA VI
- Target Date
- 2026-11-19
- Banner Background Color
- #5852A0
- Banner Text Color
- #EF46D1
- Banner Font
- Impact
- Banner Font Size
- 24
- Background Color
- #FCD3AA
- Text Color
- #8165A5
- Number Font
- Impact
- Number Font Size
- 48
- Label Font Size
- 20
GitHub
Stream Deck + GitHub opens your open-source repositories directly.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
Which pages on GitHub do you often use yourself?
GitLab
Use the Stream Deck to quickly navigate to different sections of your GitLab projects.
Stream Deck Market Plugin: GitLab Dashboard
Shows live GitLab counters on your keys: the number of open merge requests, your own merge requests and open TODOs.
- Open merge requests count
- My merge requests count
- Open TODO count
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
Google Mail
The Stream Deck can be used with Google Mail to quickly filter by specific labels.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
Calendar
A Stream Deck button can be used as a small display, quickly showing the minutes until your next meeting or the minutes left in the current one. The extra power of this plugin is that pressing the button directly opens the meeting link! See Google Meet for its specific controls.
Stream Deck Market Plugin: Next Meeting Countdown
Counts down to your next calendar meeting on a key. It can also show the time left in the current meeting.
-
Time left in current meeting
Next Meeting Countdown: Current Meeting
The color changes to amber and red closer to the end
-
Time to next meeting
Next Meeting Countdown: Next Meeting
The color changes to amber and red closer to the start
Requires/Remarks: click here to expand and see more details about these buttons.
-
Grant calendar access
(macOS): Allow Stream Deck access to your calendars in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Calendars
-
Both buttons together
: "Now" and "Next" side by side in the Stream Deck app matching the macOS calendar events.
-
Button settings
-
No upcoming meeting
: How the button looks when there is no next meeting.
-
On the Stream Deck
-
Grant calendar access
(macOS): Allow Stream Deck access to your calendars in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Calendars
Google Meet
Stream Deck Market Plugin: Meeting Controls for Stream Deck
Controls a running video meeting with your Stream Deck keys: (un)mute, raise your hand and hang up.
- (Un)Mute
- Hang up
- Raise hand
- Leave meeting
- Icon
Home Assistant
Stream Deck Market Plugin: Home Assistant
Controls and visualizes your Home Assistant entities: switch lights, smart plugs and control an air conditioner for example. Show live states like the room temperature or CO2 value.
- Control lights
- Control smart plugs
- Control the AC
- Show entity states like temperature
See more info on my dedicated page about this integration.
IntelliJ Idea
Here are just a few example keyboard shortcuts for IntelliJ on macOS.
You can define any keyboard shortcut combination as a key on your Stream Deck, for your own preferred IDE (VS Code, Eclipse, NetBeans, VIM, etc.)
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
-
Open project
System: Open
- Title
- Open project
- path
- open -a "IntelliJ IDEA" /Users/me/my_project
-
Open terminal
System: Hotkey
- Title
- terminal
- Hotkey
- F12
-
Clear console
System: Hotkey
- Title
- clear console
- Hotkey
- β K
-
Next change
System: Hotkey
- Title
- next change
- Hotkey
- F7
-
Next file
System: Hotkey
- Title
- next file
- Hotkey
- β β§ β
-
Next diff
System: Hotkey
- Title
- next code
- Hotkey
- β β₯ β§ β
-
Optimize imports
System: Hotkey
- Title
- optimize import
- Hotkey
- β₯ β L
-
Previous difference
System: Hotkey
- Title
- prev code
- Hotkey
- β β₯ β§ β
Check here for all IntelliJ IDEAβs keyboard shortcuts.
macOS
The button actions here trigger basic macOS features.
Built-in Stream Deck action, no plugin required
Check here for all Mac keyboard shortcuts to create other button actions.
Spotify
With Spotify and Stream Deck you can recreate the regular audio controls on your Deck, show the cover of the song that is playing, and add extra shortcuts to predefined playlists.
Stream Deck Market Plugin: Spotify
Controls Spotify from your keys: play/stop/next, volume, start a specific playlist, and show the track that is playing with its cover.
- Play/Stop/Next
- Volume control
- Show the song that is playing
- Show cover
- Play specific playlist
My wishlist
I always look for more useful additions, especially these listed ones.
- Chat - Button press to open an emoji keyboard where you can directly type to search for the icon you're looking for
- GitLab - Count based on specific branch names
- GitLab - Failed personal pipelines count
- Google Mail - Show the number of new inbox emails
- Google Mail - Show the number of emails for a specific label
- Calendar - Time since last meeting, so you can see how much time has passed since it ended
- Google Meet - Toggle blurred background
- macOS - RSS reader
If you know how I can add these button actions to my Stream Deck, please let me know!
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