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Usage

Basics and UI

  • Borderless, semi‑transparent window with rounded corners.
  • Drag the top bar to move; resize via the window grip.
  • Toggle always‑on‑top from the menu (☰).
  • A system tray icon provides quick assignment actions and Exit.

Layout presets

Open the menu (☰) → Layout:

  • 1 × 4
  • 2 × 2
  • 2 × 4
  • 1 × 6
  • Configure rows/columns… (custom up to 8 × 8; visible slots capped at 64)

Icon sizes auto‑adjust to fit the grid. Hidden slots are preserved when shrinking layout.

Assigning apps/windows to slots

You can assign a slot in multiple ways:

  • Drag‑and‑drop: Drop a .exe or .lnk file onto a slot.
  • Click an empty slot: Assigns the last external or current foreground window.
  • Tray menu: Right‑click the tray icon and choose “Add active window to Slot N”.
  • From the menu (☰):
  • “Assign from running (pick window)…” to pick from a list of top‑level windows.
  • “Assign this slot from running… (Slot N)” for a specific slot.

When assigning from a running window, MonsterDeck records:

  • Executable path (or shortcut target)
  • Window title
  • Window handle (for the current session) and approximate bounds (for heuristics)
  • For Chrome: best‑effort current tab URL and favicon

Icon Assignment

MonsterDeck automatically handles icons when assigning slots:

  1. Clipboard image (priority) - If you have a custom image in the clipboard, it will be saved and used as the slot icon
  2. Program icon (fallback) - If no clipboard image is available, the program's icon is automatically extracted from the .exe file
  3. Chrome favicons - For Chrome windows, website favicons are downloaded and used

Icons are automatically saved to %APPDATA%\MonsterDeck\ and synced to Stream Deck in real-time.

Per‑slot actions

  • Left‑click:
  • If the assigned app/window is running, brings the best‑matching window to the front.
  • Otherwise, launches the target executable with stored arguments/working directory (if any).
  • Middle‑click: Clears the slot immediately.
  • Double‑click: Captures a screenshot of the assigned app’s window group to the clipboard.
  • Right‑click: Slot context menu with:
  • Rename: Set a custom label (overrides auto‑label).
  • Clear slot.
  • Change icon…: Pick a custom image file.
  • Change background color…

Notes on window activation:

  • The app prioritizes a saved window handle (if still valid), then title matches, then size/position heuristics, and finally the process’s main window.

Hotkeys

  • Global hotkeys: Ctrl + Alt + 1..9
  • Action: Assign the current foreground window to Slot 1..9 (respecting the current number of visible slots).
  • These hotkeys do not switch; they assign. To switch/activate, click the slot.
  • Hotkeys rebind automatically when you change the number of visible slots (up to 9).

If a hotkey is already in use by another app, registration may silently fail for that number.

Screenshots

  • Double‑click a populated slot to capture a screenshot of the target window group.
  • The capture is copied to the clipboard; paste it into an editor, chat, email, etc.
  • "Window group" includes owner and popup/tool windows from the same process when possible.

Stream Deck integration

MonsterDeck provides native Elgato Stream Deck integration with real-time sync and automatic icon updates.

Installation

  1. Ensure MonsterDeck is running
  2. Install the MonsterDeck Stream Deck plugin from apps/MonsterDeck.StreamDeck
  3. Drag "MonsterDeck Slot" actions to your Stream Deck
  4. Each action corresponds to a slot (Slot 1-16)

Stream Deck controls

  • Single click (quick tap):
  • If slot is empty: Assigns the current foreground window
  • If slot has content: Activates the window
  • Hold for 300ms: Clears the slot
  • Double-click (two taps within 300ms): Takes a screenshot and copies it to the clipboard

Automatic updates

  • Button labels update automatically when you assign or rename slots
  • Icons sync in real-time when you change them in MonsterDeck
  • Empty slots display "Slot N" until assigned
  • Changes are reflected immediately without restarting Stream Deck

Features

  • Supports up to 16 slots (configurable in Stream Deck)
  • No visual feedback (green checkmarks removed for clean operation)
  • IPC communication via named pipes for reliable real-time sync
  • Works seamlessly with MonsterDeck's drag-and-drop, hotkeys, and tray menu

Shortcuts reference

MonsterDeck window

  • Global: Ctrl + Alt + 1..9 → Assign active window to Slot 1..9
  • Slot: Left‑click → Activate/launch
  • Slot: Middle‑click → Clear slot
  • Slot: Double‑click → Copy screenshot to clipboard
  • Window: Drag top bar to move; resize with the grip

Stream Deck

  • Quick tap → Activate window (or assign if slot is empty)
  • Hold 300ms → Clear slot
  • Double-click (within 300ms) → Copy screenshot to clipboard