RainingKeys (Python)

A high-performance, external rhythm game input visualizer.

RainingKeys is a purely external overlay application that visualizes keyboard inputs as falling bars, similar to "Rain" mode found in various rhythm game mods. It provides visual feedback on rhythm stability, micro-jitter, and input timing without injecting code into game process.

This project is a standalone external tool. It is NOT a game mod and does NOT perform DLL injection or memory hooking. It is safe to use with anti-cheat software that permits external overlays.

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Features

• External overlay with transparent, always-on-top, click-through window
• Graphic interface for live configuration
• Configurable X/Y overlay positioning
• Supports both Down (Classic) and Up (Reverse) fall directions
• High-resolution monotonic clocks for smooth animation
• Configurable key-to-lane mapping (e.g., WASD, Space, Enter)
• Visual keyboard representation showing key presses and counts
• Adjustable opacity for inactive keys
• Customizable RGBA colors and overlay speed
• Long press support with variable-length bars
• Performance optimized with object pooling and efficient rendering

Tech Stack

• Python 3.10+
• PySide6 (Qt) for high-performance rendering and window management
• pynput for global low-level keyboard hook
• pywin32 for Windows API integration

Project Structure

RainingKeysPython/
├── core/
│   ├── configuration.py    # Dataclasses for application configuration
│   ├── gui.py              # Configuration Window GUI
│   ├── input_mon.py        # Global input listener (thread-safe)
│   ├── logging_config.py   # Logging configuration
│   ├── overlay.py          # Main rendering loop and window logic
│   ├── settings_manager.py # Handles config loading/saving (atomic writes, migration)
│   └── ui/
│       ├── components.py     # Reusable UI components
│       └── theme.py         # Theme definitions
├── .github/
│   ├── workflows/
│   │   ├── ci.yml           # Code quality validation (Windows)
│   │   └── release.yml     # Automated releases with git-cliff
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   ├── syntax_check.py      # Python syntax validation
│   │   ├── type_check.py        # Type hints validation
│   │   ├── config_validation.py  # Configuration validation
│   │   └── monitor_ci.py       # CI monitoring script
│   └── README.md             # Workflow documentation
├── cliff.toml               # Git-cliff configuration for changelog generation
├── run_local_ci.py          # Local CI runner script
├── build.py                 # Build script for creating standalone executable
├── main.py                  # Application entry point
└── requirements.txt           # Dependencies

Installation

1. Ensure you have Python 3.10 or newer installed
2. Clone repository or download source
3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Optional: Build Standalone Executable

For a portable executable without Python installation:

python build.py

This creates RainingKeysPython.exe in the dist/ folder.

Usage

1. Run the application:

python main.py

2. The application launches two windows:

• Transparent Overlay: The visualizer (click-through)
• Config Window: The controls (Alt+Tab to find if hidden)

3. Configure lanes:

• Click "Record Lane Keys" in the config window
• Press keys to bind (e.g., Z, X, ., /)
• Click "Stop Recording" to save

4. Customize settings:

• Adjust Scroll Speed and Bar Color
• Enable KeyViewer to see the static key panel
• Drag Inactive Opacity to change faintness of unpressed keys
• Change KeyViewer Position (Above/Below) to flip fall direction

Configuration

Settings are stored in config.ini (automatically created on first run). You can edit this file manually or use the GUI Settings Window.

Config Options

Section	Parameter	Description
Visual	scroll_speed	Falling speed in pixels per second
Visual	bar_color	RGBA color string (e.g., 0,255,255,200)
Visual	fall_direction	up or down - falling animation direction
Position	x	Overlay X position (pixels)
Position	y	Overlay Y position (pixels)
Lanes	keys	Comma-separated list of keys (e.g., Z,X,./,)
KeyViewer	enabled	Show/Hide KeyViewer panel
KeyViewer	panel_position	above or below - Affects fall direction
KeyViewer	opacity	Opacity of inactive keys (0.0 - 1.0)

The configuration file includes a CONFIG_VERSION field for automatic migration. When updating to a new version with breaking config changes, the application will automatically migrate your settings.

Developer Guide

This project is open to contributions. For detailed development guides, see the following documentation:

• AGENTS.md - Core components and architecture
• GITHUB_WORKFLOWS.md - CI/CD workflow documentation
• GIT_CLIFF_MIGRATION.md - Git-cliff migration guide
• .github/README.md - Workflow directory reference

Quick Start

1. Run local CI (fast quality check):

python run_local_ci.py

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Make changes and test locally:

python run_local_ci.py

4. Commit with conventional format:

git commit -m "feat: Add new feature"

5. Push to GitHub:

git push

See LOCAL_CI.md for complete local CI runner documentation.

GitHub Actions CI/CD

This project uses GitHub Actions for automated quality validation and release management.

Workflows

Code Quality

• Runs on every push and pull request
• Windows-based CI for consistency with production
• Syntax validation, linting, type checking, import testing

Release

• Triggered by tag push (format: v*)
• Generates changelog using git-cliff
• Creates GitHub releases with build artifacts:
  • RainingKeysPython.zip - Release build
  • RainingKeysPython-debug.zip - Debug build

Conventional Commits

Use the following format for commit messages:

<type>[optional scope]: <subject>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types: feat, fix, perf, refactor, chore, test, docs, style

Local CI Runner

Run GitHub Actions CI checks locally for faster development iteration.

Usage

# Run all checks
python run_local_ci.py

# Run individual checks
python run_local_ci.py --syntax    # Syntax check
python run_local_ci.py --lint      # Linting
python run_local_ci.py --import    # Import check
python run_local_ci.py --type      # Type check
python run_local_ci.py --config    # Config check
python run_local_ci.py --build     # Build test

Benefits

• 10-100x faster than GitHub Actions
• Interactive debugging
• Unlimited runs
• Free (uses own computer)
• Same environment as development (Windows)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! We'd love to make this tool better together.

Have a big idea or found a bug?

Open an Issue and tell us about it!

Want to help implement a feature?

Fork repository and submit a Pull Request.

Before Submitting

1. Run local CI: python run_local_ci.py
2. Use conventional commits (format above)
3. Write tests for new features
4. Update documentation where needed

Credits

This project is inspired by RainingKeys mod for A Dance of Fire and Ice, originally created by paring-chan.

Also credits to AdofaiTweaks by PizzaLovers007.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Links

• GitHub Repository
• Releases
• Issues
• AGENTS.md - Developer Guide
• GITHUB_WORKFLOWS.md - CI/CD Documentation
• GIT_CLIFF_MIGRATION.md - Migration Guide
• LOCAL_CI.md - Local CI Runner

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Made with love by the RainingKeysPython community