[Knock to trigger macros] Beat your printer into obedience!

[shawn-makes-stuff]

Knock gestures: knock a rhythm on the frame to run a macro

Knock on the printer frame and COSMOS runs a macro. Uses the accelerometer already on the toolhead, no extra hardware. Only active while the printer is idle.

How it works

The LIS2DW12 on the toolhead has a hardware tap detector. While the printer is idle the module runs it at 1600 Hz; every knock latches a flag, and a small poll reads the flag 20 times a second, counts knocks and times the gaps between them. A second of silence closes the pattern. Patterns are matched by the proportions of their gaps, so the same rhythm knocked faster or slower still matches (tolerance configurable, 35% default). Two-knock patterns compare short vs long gap instead.

Recording is knock-and-confirm: knock the rhythm, the console asks for it again, a match saves it. Recorded patterns live in /user-resource/knock/knock.json and take precedence over the built-in [knock_pattern] sections.

Commands

One console command, KNOCK:

KNOCK	list patterns and state
KNOCK ENABLED=0 / ENABLED=1	feature off / on, persists
KNOCK CALIBRATE=1	learn the user's tempo (5 quick knocks twice, then 3 with pauses)
KNOCK RECORD=1 NAME=x MACRO=<gcode>	record a pattern bound to a macro (MACRO="M117 hi" with quotes for arguments)
KNOCK RECORD=1 NAME=x PARROT=1	...bound to parrot mode: the toolhead replays the rhythm from the bed centre
KNOCK RECORD=1 NAME=x PRINT="text"	...bound to a console message; combines with MACRO or PARROT
KNOCK REMIND=x	forgot a pattern? the toolhead plays it back
KNOCK DELETE=x	remove a pattern

Built in: a double tap toggles the case and toolhead lights ([knock_pattern lights] in extras-readonly/knock.cfg).

Setup

1. Idle printer, open the console. KNOCK shows "enabled". Knock the frame twice, lights toggle.
2. KNOCK CALIBRATE=1, follow the prompts. Once.
3. KNOCK RECORD=1 NAME=home MACRO=G28, knock a rhythm, knock it again. Done.

Performance and safety

• Idle only. Gated on idle_timeout state and on the accelerometer not being in use by a measurement. During prints, moves and resonance tests the chip is powered down and the task sleeps on the idle_timeout:ready / idle_timeout:idle events. No polling, no SPI, no CPU while printing. Measured on the CC1: klippy at its normal baseline while busy.
• Idle cost: one SPI register read per 50 ms, about 2% of one core on the CC1. Memory is bounded (patterns dict, no sample buffers, no numpy).
• Off switch: cosmos.conf [klipper] knock = False (default True) removes the include, module not loaded. KNOCK ENABLED=0 at runtime.
• Motion from a knock (parrot, remind, user macros) goes through normal gcode and only when idle.

Changes

• recipes-apps/klipper/files/knock.py: the klippy extra, installed to klippy/extras/
• recipes-apps/klipper/files/knock.cfg: [knock] options and the default lights pattern, installed to extras-readonly/
• kalico_2026.02.00.bb: install both
• config-manager: knock option in default.conf, validator, and build-klipper-var-config.sh emits the include into zextras.cfg when True
• docs/knock.md, README bullet

Notes for review

• The module uses the lis2dw object's set_reg/read_reg and its bulk helper's is_started flag to detect measurements. Deliberate; commented in the source.
• The poll runs as a reactor greenlet (like bulk_sensor) because SPI reads block.

[Atomique13]

Me likey 😋

[shawn-makes-stuff]

I'm aware that its real world use is probably a bit limited, but its a cool gimmick so I'm leaving it here. If you decide that you don't want it just close the pr and I'll whine in discord later.

[TheDevMinerTV]

cursed