[GH-ISSUE #147] High CPU utilization with only command keys? #121

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opened 2026-05-05 04:57:57 -06:00 by gitea-mirror · 2 comments

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 04:57:57 -06:00

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Originally created by @alex-hall on GitHub (Oct 24, 2019).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/keycastr/keycastr/issues/147

Not sure if this is to be expected or not, but i'm seeing high CPU utilization when doing heavy shortcut work while programming.

On Mac OSX Mojave and i've checked the option "display only command keys". Additionally, i've tried to turn off the fade effect as I understand that may have an impact on performance, nothing seems to solve the problem.

If I send commands back-to-back, I even see CPU spikes up to 400%.

Any ideas? Let me know if I need to provide any additional details.

EDIT:

Looks like this issue ONLY occurs with the default visualizer. The Svelte one doesn't seem to have this problem.

Originally created by @alex-hall on GitHub (Oct 24, 2019). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/keycastr/keycastr/issues/147 Not sure if this is to be expected or not, but i'm seeing high CPU utilization when doing heavy shortcut work while programming. <img width="371" alt="Screen Shot 2019-10-24 at 11 59 28 AM" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/5599279/67503729-29c66900-f656-11e9-9923-aea38e7b13a2.png"> On Mac OSX Mojave and i've checked the option "display only command keys". Additionally, i've tried to turn off the fade effect as I understand that may have an impact on performance, nothing seems to solve the problem. If I send commands back-to-back, I even see CPU spikes up to 400%. Any ideas? Let me know if I need to provide any additional details. EDIT: Looks like this issue ONLY occurs with the default visualizer. The Svelte one doesn't seem to have this problem.

gitea-mirror closed this issue

2026-05-05 04:57:59 -06:00

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 04:58:04 -06:00

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@akitchen commented on GitHub (Oct 24, 2019):

is this simply about the app appearing in the list of apps consuming significant energy? or was this only noticed in a specific case -- default visualizer and command keys only?

I seem to recall that a significant portion of CPU utilization is incurred when managing the animation of the bubble views' positions, but it's been a while since I focused on it in the profiler. If you have any ideas and are interested in contributing, a PR would be most welcome here

but I also think this is due at least in part to the app requiring high-performance GPU on devices capable of GPU switching. It's something we need to address, because I don't think it's really needed, it's simply a legacy of the age of this codebase (10 years!)

@akitchen commented on GitHub (Oct 24, 2019): is this simply about the app appearing in the list of apps consuming significant energy? or was this only noticed in a specific case -- default visualizer and command keys only? I seem to recall that a significant portion of CPU utilization is incurred when managing the animation of the bubble views' positions, but it's been a while since I focused on it in the profiler. If you have any ideas and are interested in contributing, a PR would be most welcome here but I also think this is due at least in part to the app requiring high-performance GPU on devices capable of GPU switching. It's something we need to address, because I don't think it's really needed, it's simply a legacy of the age of this codebase (10 years!)

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 04:58:06 -06:00

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@alex-hall commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2019):

Sorry I think my edit got in a little late. This is ONLY noticed with the default visualizer, not the Svelte one. (The svelte didn't go past 7% CPU no matter how much I hammered on the keys).

I do have a newer macbook pro that has a discreet GPU, but i'm mostly seeing high CPU %, not GPU%.

In terms of contributing, i'd like to, but also have no experience with Objective C. If there is a hotspot in the codebase where you think it would be prudent to look, I can certainly take a stab at it.

@alex-hall commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2019): Sorry I think my edit got in a little late. This is ONLY noticed with the default visualizer, not the Svelte one. (The svelte didn't go past 7% CPU no matter how much I hammered on the keys). I do have a newer macbook pro that has a discreet GPU, but i'm mostly seeing high CPU %, not GPU%. In terms of contributing, i'd like to, but also have no experience with Objective C. If there is a hotspot in the codebase where you think it would be prudent to look, I can certainly take a stab at it.