MX Master 4 Notification Haptics

Get haptic feedback on your Logitech MX Master 4 mouse whenever you receive desktop notifications on Linux (KDE Plasma, GNOME, or any freedesktop.org-compatible desktop environment).

Features

• 🖱️ HID++ Protocol Support - Direct communication with Logitech MX Master 4
• 🔔 D-Bus Notification Monitoring - Listens for all desktop notifications
• 📳 Haptic Feedback - Provides tactile alerts for incoming notifications
• 🐧 Desktop Agnostic - Works with KDE, GNOME, and other Linux desktop environments
• 🔧 Lightweight - Minimal dependencies and resource usage

Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• Logitech MX Master 4 mouse (connected via USB receiver or Bluetooth)
• Linux system with D-Bus (any modern desktop environment)
• dbus-monitor utility (usually pre-installed)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/lukasfri/mx4notifications.git
cd mx4notifications

2. Install dependencies using pdm:

pdm install

Or using pip:

pip install hid dbus-python pygobject

Usage

Monitor Notifications

Run the watcher to receive haptic feedback on notifications:

pdm run python src/watch.py

The script will:

• Automatically detect and connect to your MX Master 4 mouse
• Monitor D-Bus for incoming notifications
• Trigger haptic feedback whenever a notification appears
• Run continuously until stopped with Ctrl+C

Testing

Send a test notification to verify it's working:

notify-send "Test Notification" "You should feel vibration on your mouse!"

Testing Haptic Patterns

Explore different haptic feedback patterns:

pdm run python src/mx_master_4.py

This demo cycles through 15 different haptic patterns with 3-second intervals to help you find your preferred feedback style.

How It Works

The application uses dbus-monitor to listen for notifications on the D-Bus session bus. When a notification is detected on the org.freedesktop.Notifications interface, it sends a HID++ command to the MX Master 4 to trigger its built-in haptic motor.

This works with any application that sends notifications through the standard freedesktop.org notification specification, including:

• System notifications
• Application alerts (Slack, Discord, email clients, etc.)
• Custom notifications sent via notify-send

Troubleshooting

Mouse Not Found

• Ensure your MX Master 4 is connected and powered on
• Check that the USB receiver is plugged in or Bluetooth is connected
• Try running lsusb to verify the device is recognized

No Haptic Feedback

• Verify notifications are working: notify-send "Test" "Message"
• Check that dbus-monitor is installed: which dbus-monitor
• Run with debug logging to see D-Bus events

Permission Issues

• You may need to add your user to the input group: sudo usermod -a -G input $USER
• Log out and back in for group changes to take effect

License

MIT