Setting Up Macro Messages, Send Modes, Delays, Repeats, Cycling, and Placeholders in Command Keys

guide

Command Keys sends chat messages and commands for you, triggered by keybinds instead of manual typing, and this guide covers how to configure message content, delivery behaviour, timing, repetition, cycling, and placeholders.

Profiles and Where You Configure Macros

Macro settings live inside a profile. Open CommandKeys Options and choose Edit Active Profile to work on the profile currently in use. Profiles can be activated directly, marked as the default for multiplayer or singleplayer, or linked to a particular world or server. When you join a world or server that has a linked profile, that profile turns on automatically; if nothing is linked, the default profile is used. A profile that serves as a default cannot be deleted. Switching profiles reports either a success message naming the old and new profile, or a failure message if the switch did not work.

Keybinds and Conflict Handling

Each macro is driven by a Minecraft keybind, and the Macro MC Key Count setting controls how many keybinds are added to the Minecraft Controls screen; it accepts a whole number from 0 to 16, and changes to it only take effect after the game restarts. A macro stores the number of the keybind that activates it, and that value must be a whole number within the valid range of MC keybinds. Two macros in the same profile cannot share one MC key — that situation is flagged as an overlap. The Conflict Strategy setting decides what happens when a key is already bound to something in Minecraft: activate the macro first and then the other keybind, cancel the macro, or cancel the other keybind. One option also makes a keybind inactive in normal play while still allowing it to fire from the profile options screen when nothing is selected. You can also simulate a keybind press from that screen.

Send Modes

A macro's send mode determines how its messages go out. Available behaviours include:

The macro activates once and stays active for as long as its keybind is held down.
The macro activates when the keybind is released after being pressed.
The macro activates and deactivates over and over while the keybind is held, though this does not apply to mouse keybinds.
Messages are cycled, one per key press. In this mode you can also send several messages in one press by putting two commas between them, for example `/lobby,,/nick`.
One message is picked at random from the list and sent when the key is pressed.
All messages in the list are sent.
The first message is placed in chat but not sent.
Messages are sent once at the start and then again at set intervals.

An Alt keybind can be assigned for reverse-cycling through messages. The current cycle index is tracked and shown.

Delays, Repeats, and Timing

Several timing values are measured in ticks. Subsequent is how long to wait after the previous message before the next one goes out. Another delay setting applies before every message after the first; setting it to 0 makes the macro fall back to each message's own delay. There is also a delay between repeats: if you enter 40, each message is sent every 40 ticks, offset from the others according to their individual delays. A maximum repetition count can be set, and 0 means unlimited.

Placeholders

A placeholder can be inserted into a message. When a GUI placeholder is used, a screen appears so you can supply the replacement text for the edit placeholder in the first message. If one or more placeholders cannot be applied, the message is not sent and you are told which message failed.

Limits and Feedback

A lengthlimit setting stops messages that are too long from being sent, which helps avoid being kicked for sending very long messages; note that changing it does not change the limit enforced by the game itself. A ratelimit restricts how many activations are allowed within a set number of ticks, with options to apply it in singleplayer and to count blocked activations toward the limit. Exceeding it produces a message naming the key and the configured rate. Macros that are active can be allowed to resume when their profile is activated again. Sent messages and commands can optionally be added to chat history, and a brief pop-up above the hotbar can show what was sent.