Keychron ZGM is an open-source gaming mouse firmware built on Zephyr RTOS. The firmware supports wired and wireless gaming mice with low-latency input, modular hardware support, and custom firmware development. The Keychron G6 HE is the first mouse planned for ZGM, with a Q1 2027 release target.
Keychron says every gaming mouse on the market runs firmware that users cannot read, inspect, modify, or audit. ZGM moves that development into the open and follows the path created by QMK and ZMK for mechanical keyboards.
Zephyr RTOS forms the foundation of ZGM. The documentation points to broad microcontroller compatibility, scalable build tools, and layered hardware abstraction as the reasons behind that choice. Common firmware functions and hardware-specific code remain separate, making support for different mouse designs easier as the project grows.
The GitHub repository is still in its early setup phase. At present, it contains project documentation, contribution guidelines, policy files, and the overall development direction. Firmware source code, board support, flashing instructions, and hardware implementation are still under preparation. Keychron opened the repository early so developers can follow progress and contribute before the first production firmware is ready.
The published roadmap covers firmware structure, button input, scroll wheel processing, motion sensor integration, USB support, hardware abstraction, latency validation, lighting control, wireless connectivity, and per-device customization. These items are listed as planned milestones for future development. Company also designed a new website.
The documentation lists support for optical motion sensors, button tuning, scroll wheel behaviour, RGB lighting, battery management, wired and wireless hardware, and reusable hardware layers. The project places equal attention on low input latency, readable source code, and community contributions throughout development.
ZGM is available under the GPL-3.0 licence. The GitHub page invites developers to contribute architecture feedback, latency testing methods, sensor research, hardware abstraction ideas, and documentation improvements while development continues.
The Keychron G6 HE is listed as the first gaming mouse for ZGM. Keychron currently targets the first quarter of 2027 for its debut.
