🎮 The Next Input — Issue #200

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⚡ The Briefing — 60 sec

• I tried OpenAI’s new AI keypad Just picked up mine. Very interesting tool. If you’re a power Codex user, you’ll definitely vibe with it. If you only dabble? Leave this one to the geeks to play with.

• HP puts an AI PC inside a keyboard with the new EliteBoard G1a Who needs a desktop when you have a keyboard? Apparently 2026 is the year hardware companies collectively decided the humble keyboard had been underemployed.

• Sam Altman says AI has entered the singularity Probably weighted more towards hype, but with a sprinkling of: “I work at the absolute frontier of this stuff. You might want to get ready.” The word singularity is doing some heroic marketing work here, though.

🛠️ The Playbook — AI Command Deck

Mission
Build a dedicated control surface that turns your highest-value AI workflows into repeatable, one-touch operations.

Difficulty
Intermediate

Build time
3–5 hours

ROI
Cuts prompt repetition, reduces context switching and makes advanced AI workflows usable at operational speed.

0) Why This Matters

AI interfaces are beginning to escape the blank chat box.

We are seeing:

• dedicated AI keys

• programmable keypads

• computers built into keyboards

• voice-first devices

• ambient assistants

• physical controls for agents

That might sound gimmicky until you look at how power users actually work.

The same prompts get reused. The same repositories get opened. The same checks run before deployment. The same context gets attached. The same outputs get formatted and sent to the same places.

A physical device is not the real opportunity.

The opportunity is converting repeated AI behaviour into reliable commands.

1) Architecture

2) Workflow

1. Identify the five AI workflows you repeat most often.

2. Convert each workflow into a fixed command with defined inputs, outputs and permissions.

3. Map commands to physical keys, keyboard shortcuts or a lightweight desktop interface.

4. Retrieve the correct project context before invoking the model.

5. Require confirmation before code merges, external messages or production actions.

6. Log results, failures and usage so weak commands can be improved or retired.

3) Example Prompts

Repository Orientation

You are entering an unfamiliar software repository.

Review the available codebase and return:

1. system purpose
2. architecture
3. important directories
4. external dependencies
5. current risks
6. likely entry point for the requested change
7. files that should not be modified without approval

Do not write code yet.

Safe Feature Build

Implement the following feature:

[FEATURE]

Before changing code:

- inspect relevant files
- identify existing patterns
- explain the proposed approach
- list affected components
- define acceptance criteria

Then implement the smallest viable change.

Requirements:

- preserve existing behaviour
- add tests
- avoid unnecessary dependencies
- do not deploy
- return a concise change summary

Pre-Merge Review

Review the current code changes as a senior engineer.

Check for:

- security vulnerabilities
- broken assumptions
- missing tests
- unnecessary complexity
- backwards-compatibility risks
- permission issues
- logging and error-handling gaps

Return:

1. blocking issues
2. non-blocking improvements
3. test recommendations
4. merge recommendation

4) Guardrails

• Never map a physical button directly to production deployment.

• Display the active repository and environment before execution.

• Require confirmation for destructive or external actions.

• Keep prompts and workflow configurations version-controlled.

• Restrict every command to the minimum required permissions.

• Include a visible cancel or emergency-stop control.

• Log the model, prompt version, tools called and final outcome.

• Retire shortcuts that are rarely used or frequently overridden.

5) Pilot Rollout — 3 hours

1. Track your repeated AI actions for one working day.

2. Select five workflows with clear inputs and predictable outputs.

3. Convert each workflow into a version-controlled prompt or script.

4. Map the workflows to keyboard shortcuts or programmable keys.

5. Add confirmation gates for code changes and external actions.

6. Run each command three times and document failures before daily use.

6) Metrics

• Commands triggered per week

• Time saved per workflow

• Prompt re-entry reduction

• Successful execution rate

• Human override frequency

• Incorrect-context incidents

• Approval rejection rate

• Average workflow completion time

Pro Tip: Do not assign a button to “use AI.” Assign it to a precise outcome you repeatedly need delivered.

🎯 The Arsenal — Tools & Platforms

• OpenAI Codex · executes coding and repository workflows from structured instructions · Link

• Claude Code · supports terminal-based development, debugging and code analysis · Link

• LangGraph · turns repeatable AI commands into stateful, governed workflows · Link

• GitHub Actions · runs automated tests and controlled delivery checks · Link

• Elgato Stream Deck · provides a programmable physical surface for workflow shortcuts · Link

Copy-paste prompt block:

You are an AI workflow architect.

Design a command deck for my repeated AI work.

My role:
[ROLE]

Tools I use:
[LIST]

Repeated workflows:
[LIST]

Systems the workflows may access:
[LIST]

Actions that must always require approval:
[LIST]

For each proposed command, define:

1. command name
2. business outcome
3. required inputs
4. context sources
5. model and tools used
6. exact workflow steps
7. approval gates
8. failure handling
9. audit data captured
10. suitable keyboard shortcut or physical-key label

Prioritise the five commands that will save the most time without creating unacceptable operational risk.

💡 Free Office Hours

Most teams do not need another AI chat window. They need their best recurring prompts, context and approval steps turned into dependable workflows that are available exactly where the work happens.

Book here: https://calendly.com

Save 10+ Hours a Week With 37 Claude Prompts

Every manager faces the same situations before lunch: a message to land, a meeting to run, a hiring call, a report due. The AI Report built 37 Claude prompts for exactly those moments, organised by the situations every manager faces. 

Copy the prompt, fill the brackets, run it in Claude, and get back 10+ hours a week. Oh, and it's free. 

All you have to do is subscribe to The AI Report, a 5-minute daily AI brief read by 400,000+ business leaders at IBM, AWS and Microsoft, and the full prompt pack lands in your welcome email. The newsletter and the prompts, both free. Subscribe and grab both

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🕹️ Game Over

The singularity may or may not be here.

Either way, apparently it now has custom keycaps.

— Aaron Automating the boring. Amplifying the brilliant.

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