Open Source

Wacom CTL-490 macOS Driver

A lightweight, open-source userspace driver that brings full pressure sensitivity to your Intuos S tablet on modern macOS.

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Pressure Sensitivity

2048 levels of pressure delivered through native macOS tablet events. Works with Krita, Photoshop, and other drawing apps.

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No Kernel Extension

Runs entirely in userspace via HID. No kexts, no SIP workarounds, no reboot required.

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Reverse-Engineered

Protocol decoded from the Linux kernel wacom driver. Fully documented bit-level report parsing.

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Diagnostic Mode

Built-in test mode to inspect raw HID data, coordinates, pressure values, and button states in real time.

Quick Start

# Install the HID library
pip install hidapi

# Clone the driver
git clone https://github.com/lababidi/wacom.git
cd wacom

# Run the driver
python wacom_driver.py

# Or run in diagnostic mode
python wacom_driver.py --test

How It Works

The driver reads raw HID reports from the tablet and translates them into native macOS tablet events.

1

Open HID Device

Connects to the Wacom CTL-490 using its vendor/product ID on the proprietary digitizer usage page 0xFF0D.

2

Decode Pen Reports

Parses 10-byte reports to extract X/Y coordinates, pressure, distance, button states, and eraser mode.

3

Post CGEvents

Maps tablet coordinates to screen space and posts CGEvent tablet pointer events with full pressure data.

Compatibility

RequirementDetails
DeviceWacom CTL-490 (Intuos S 2)
macOS10.15 Catalina and later
ConnectionUSB
Python3.8+
Dependencieshidapi, pyobjc (Quartz)

Permissions

The driver needs Accessibility access to post cursor events.

1

Open System Settings

Navigate to Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

2

Add Your Terminal

Click + and add Terminal.app (or iTerm, or your Python binary).

3

Run the Driver

Restart the driver. The permission prompt may appear automatically on first run.