Naughty KeyboardQuestions
The questions people ask first, answered in the first sentence.
What is Naughty Keyboard?
A tool for testers and developers that types the next awkward value into the field in front of you with one shortcut: a trailing space, a zero-width space,30.02.2026, =1+1, a name of 65,535 characters. Every value says what it usually breaks and what a correct application does. It is a window, the palette, and a command line, nkb, over one engine.
How is it different from the Big List of Naughty Strings?
That list is a plain file of strings under headings, and a good one. Naughty Keyboard is the rest of the job: it types the value into the field for you, one press at a time and in a fixed order, says what each value usually breaks and what a correct application does, shows an invisible character as a marker and counts the value four ways, and turns a finding into a report block for a ticket. If a list is what you want,nkb emit prints any pack as one. The comparison goes into more detail.
Is it free?
Yes. The program is GPL-3.0-only, and the built-in packs are CC BY 4.0, which each pack states in its own licence field. There is no account and no paid edition.Does it need the internet?
No. It opens no network connection, has no account and sends nothing anywhere. Security says how that is checked.Which systems does it run on?
Windows 10 and 11, macOS 11 or newer on Apple silicon, and Linux on x64. Typing into other windows works on Windows. On macOS and Linux the command line works in full and the palette puts values on the clipboard for you to paste. Honest limits has the details.Can I use the values in automated tests?
Yes.nkb emit prints any pack as JSON, CSV or one value per line, escaped or raw, and every command has exit codes a pipeline can branch on. nkb emit shows how.
Can I change the shortcuts?
Yes, every one of the ten, in the shortcuts window or insettings.toml. A chord that would take a key away from every application is refused with the reason. Shortcuts lists them.
Can I add my own values?
You can write a pack of your own and check it withnkb new-pack, nkb lint and nkb fmt today. Loading your own packs into the palette is not wired up yet. A value that cost you an afternoon once belongs in the catalogue, and the Suggest a value form asks for the value, what it breaks and where you saw it.