Nib is an independent, open-source macOS driver for Wacom pen displays, built from scratch — via clean-room reverse engineering — because Wacom's drivers frequently break on new macOS releases. This one was created specifically because the Wacom drivers do not work on the macOS 27 developer beta, leaving the tablet unusable. Its reference device is the Cintiq Pro 24 Touch (model DTH2420) — the model it is built on and verified with — but all model-specific details live in swappable device profiles, so other Wacom tablets can be added as data, not new decode code. No dependency on OpenTabletDriver or any vendor software at runtime.
Working today: automatic detection of the connected tablet with hotplug re-resolution; pen (position with in-app calibration, an adjustable pressure curve, tilt, remappable side buttons), multi-touch (2-finger scroll, tap-to-click, 3-finger swipe, palm rejection), a menu-bar app and a full preferences window, running as a persistent per-user LaunchAgent.
I use a Cintiq Pro 24 Touch as my tablet display, and I'm a software developer. Whenever a new macOS beta is released, Wacom's drivers stop working. This was no different for macOS 27. I didn't want to roll back macOS or wait countless months for a fix, and decided to solve the problem for myself.
My Cintiq also frequently fails to work when plugged in, and must be unplugged and replugged — oftentimes in a different USB-C port — before it works. Nib is designed to re-detect the tablet each time it is plugged in, and should handle this cleanly. I have to use the tablet day-to-day to confirm, but early signs are good.
The final problem I hope to avoid is Wacom's inevitable end-of-lifing of my tablet. It is several years old now, and I do not know for how long they will continue to support it. In building my own driver, I hope to extend its life until the hardware fails.
In-app calibration overlay — tap the two crosshairs with the pen:
- Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 Touch (DTH2420) — the reference device, fully verified.
Nib resolves the connected tablet at runtime from a set of device profiles and re-resolves
on hotplug. Other Wacom models can be added from a capture bundle without shipping
hardware — see docs/ADDING-A-DEVICE.md.
driver/— the Swift package (nibexecutable +NibCorelibrary). Seedriver/README.md(usage) anddriver/INSTALL.md(persistent install + code signing).spec/DTH2420-protocol.md— the reverse-engineered device protocol (USB IDs, pen report 0x10, touch report 0x81, pen mode-switch, touch enable) — the clean-room deliverable.recon/— reverse-engineering findings and decompilation notes.captures/— live HID captures (report descriptors) and thehidinfodump tool.docs/ADDING-A-DEVICE.md— how to add another tablet from a capture bundle (no code in the decode path; model support is aDeviceProfile+ regression fixtures).ROADMAP.md— planned work and stretch ideas.
- On launch (and on hotplug) Nib detects the connected tablet from its device profiles
and opens that model's pen and touch HID interfaces via
IOHIDManager(the DTH2420's are056a:0351/056a:0355). - On attach it sends the active profile's enable/mode-switch reports to put the tablet into its native high-resolution mode (recovered during reverse engineering).
- Reports are decoded by pure-Swift parsers (unit-tested against real captured reports).
- Input is injected via CoreGraphics tablet events (pen) and scroll/key events (touch) — an entirely userspace path, no kernel extension.
See driver/INSTALL.md. In short: build (swift build -c release), wrap the binary in
Nib.app, sign it, grant Input Monitoring + Accessibility, and load the LaunchAgent.
This is an independent, unofficial project. It is not affiliated with, authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by Wacom Co., Ltd. "Wacom", "Cintiq", and the device model number are trademarks of their respective owner and are used here only to identify the hardware this software is compatible with (nominative fair use). All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners.
Nib was created for interoperability — to let hardware its owners already possess work on macOS. It was developed by clean-room documentation of the device's own protocol and behavior; it does not include or redistribute any vendor software or assets.
Nib was built with the help of Claude (Anthropic's AI assistant, via Claude Code). AI was used throughout development — reverse-engineering the device protocol, writing and testing the Swift code, and drafting documentation — under my direction and review. I'm responsible for the project and its decisions; the clean-room reverse engineering was documented from the device's own observable behavior, not from any vendor source or confidential material.
See LICENSE.