AI Picked My Keyboard Then Got the Firmware and Compiled It

So I needed a new keyboard. I've been typing 8+ hours a day and my wrists were starting to complain, so I knew I wanted something ergonomic and split. But I also run NixOS so driver support actually matters to me. I'm not going to buy something that needs proprietary software to configure.

My requirements were pretty specific:

• Split layout for ergonomics
• Open-source firmware, QMK or similar, so I actually own it
• Hot-swappable switches because I want to experiment
• Under £150

That's a surprisingly small search space right. There are hundreds of mechanical keyboards out there but the overlap of split, open firmware, hot-swap and reasonable price is tiny.

The research

I described exactly what I wanted to Claude and asked it to research options. Not "pick me a keyboard" because that's way too vague. I gave it the exact constraints and asked for a shortlist with actual tradeoffs between them.

It came back with three options and compared them on the things that actually matter. It also flagged stuff I hadn't even thought about, like which keyboards have active QMK community forks versus abandoned repos and which hot-swap sockets are compatible with the widest range of switches. That's the kind of detail you'd only find after hours of forum diving.

The pick was the Epomaker Split70. QMK/VIA compatible, split 70% layout, south-facing LEDs, hot-swap Gateron sockets, gasket mount, rotary knob, tri-mode connectivity with Bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4GHz wireless. Came in under £120. Ordered it.

What happened when it arrived

This is where it gets interesting. The keyboard showed up, I plugged it into NixOS and it was recognised immediately because QMK keyboards present as standard HID devices. No drivers, no software, just works. But I wanted the actual firmware source code so I could build custom effects and really make it mine.

Now here's the thing about QMK. It's licensed under GPLv2. That means any manufacturer shipping a product with QMK firmware is legally obligated to provide the complete source code on request. This isn't a suggestion, it's the licence. If you ship GPL code in a product, you must make the source available to anyone who asks. QMK's own documentation is very clear about this and they actively track vendors who don't comply.

So Claude, using the Protonmail MCP server through Proton Bridge, drafted and sent an email to Epomaker's support requesting the GPL source code for the Split70 firmware. It referenced the GPLv2 licence, cited the specific obligation and asked for the complete source for the as-shipped firmware. Professional and to the point.

The back and forth

Epomaker responded. They were happy to provide the source but needed to verify the purchase first. They asked for my Amazon order number. Claude got that notification and flagged it to me so I gave it the order ID. Claude sent it back and within a couple of days the firmware source code came through.

The whole exchange was handled through the Protonmail MCP server. Claude drafted the emails, sent them from my address, monitored for replies and notified me when something needed my input. I only had to step in once to provide the order number.

Compiling from source

Once the source code arrived, Claude downloaded it, set up the QMK build environment and compiled the firmware targeting the Split70. It built cleanly. I flashed it onto the keyboard and it worked first time.

Since then I've been customising it. I've built a YAML-to-C generator for custom RGB effects so I can define lighting patterns in a config file instead of writing C by hand every time. I've got a custom keymap dialled in. And because it's all open source I know exactly what's running on my hardware.

The full pipeline

Think about what just happened here. From a single conversation:

• Claude researched keyboards against my specific constraints
• Found the Epomaker Split70, compared tradeoffs, recommended it
• After it arrived, it drafted a GPL compliance email to the manufacturer
• Sent it via Protonmail automatically
• Monitored for the reply
• Notified me when they needed my order number
• Sent that back
• Downloaded the firmware source when it arrived
• Compiled it from source
• I flashed it

That entire pipeline, from research to running custom firmware, was orchestrated by AI with me stepping in only when it actually needed a human decision. That's not AI replacing me. That's AI handling the parts I don't want to spend hours on so I can focus on the parts I actually enjoy, like designing custom lighting effects and fine-tuning my keymap.

The keyboard itself

Genuinely the best keyboard I've ever used. The split layout took about a week to adjust to but now my shoulders and wrists feel completely different after long sessions. The gasket mount gives it a really satisfying feel, the rotary knob is great for volume and having it running my own compiled firmware on NixOS with zero proprietary software anywhere in the stack is exactly what I wanted.

If you're interested in the Split70, check it out on the Epomaker site. The QMK firmware repo has support for several Epomaker boards and Epomaker's GitHub has some of their source code published directly.