Lily58 HolyKeebs QMK Fork

QMK Split Board With Modular Dual Pointer Support

CQMKVialGitHub Actions

Overview

I love split boards and pointing modules, but the Holykeebs QMK tree lagged behind on Vial support. So I forked it, integrated Vial cleanly, kept all of Holykeebs’ pointer drivers (trackball, touchpad, trackpoint), and layered on automation: CI builds, release artifacts, keymap diagrams, and versioned tags. The result is a keyboard firmware that just works for Lily58 (and friends), with real-time configuration and zero drama.

Problem

Holykeebs’ excellent pointer stack lived on an older QMK base → no modern Vial.
New users had to compile locally, pick flags, and hope nothing broke.
Release management was manual and fragile.

Solution

A maintained fork that backports and wires Vial into the Holykeebs tree while preserving device support, plus a production-style delivery pipeline.

What I built

Vial core integration (protocol, keycodes, defs, .vil) with VIA compatibility kept intact.
Automated GitHub Actions: build all variants, attach artifacts to releases, generate keymap diagrams, changelog on tag.
Memory footprint tuning for RP2040 targets (Vial + pointers without blowing flash).
Build script for common combos (dual devices, left/right halves, debug vs release).
Prebuilt firmware so non-devs can drag-and-drop .uf2 and go.

Features

✅ Full Vial (real-time config, no reflashing)
✅ Holykeebs pointing devices
- Pimoroni RGB trackball
- Azoteq IQS5xx TPS43 touchpad
- PS/2 trackpoint
- Dual-pointer configs
✅ VIA compatible (for folks who prefer VIA)
✅ Automated builds & releases (Actions)
✅ Keymap diagram autogeneration
✅ Debug + standard firmware flavors

Architecture

Layer	What it does
QMK fork	Holykeebs drivers + Vial backport + memory optimizations
Build system	Make targets + `build.py` options for side/device variants
CI/CD	GitHub Actions: build matrix → artifacts → release tagging
Docs	Repo README + Holykeebs docs links + usage recipes

Developer UX (why this matters)

One-click firmware: grab the right .uf2 from Releases and flash both halves.
Real-time tuning: open Vial → edit layers, macros, pointer settings live.
Predictable releases: tag vX.Y.Z → CI builds everything and publishes.
Portable: no local toolchain unless you’re hacking internals.

Impact

Made advanced pointer + split setups accessible to non-compilers.
Reduced “it doesn’t detect in Vial” support churn by shipping the correct images.
Standardized release hygiene for a niche but passionate hardware community.

Reflection

Firmware should be pleasant. This project treats keyboard firmware like a real product: reproducible builds, versioned releases, crisp docs, and room to tinker. It’s also a fun intersection of embedded constraints, UX, and CI discipline.

Tech Stack

QMK (forked), Vial, VIA, RP2040 targets, GitHub Actions, Python build scripts