Joystick Diagrams reads configuration files from your games and tools, and automatically generates hardware-accurate reference cards for your HOTAS setup. No manual data entry. No design skills needed.
Sound familiar?
A decent HOTAS setup costs $100 to $1,000+. A typical rig has 50 to 100+ bindable controls across a stick, throttle, pedals, and button boxes. Every aircraft or ship has different bindings. Documenting it all is a nightmare.
Joystick Diagrams reads your game configuration files directly and generates accurate, layout-matched diagrams of every button, axis, and hat switch on your controllers.
No manual data entry.
No design skills needed.
Always in sync with your actual bindings.
Workflow
Install the app and add your plugins. Point each plugin at your game or tool's config folder. Every profile and device is discovered automatically, no manual entry.
Setup GuideBrowse all your profiles and devices. Rename verbose action names with your own labels. Hide devices you don't need for a particular aircraft. Configure profile inheritance.
See FeaturesChoose a template for each device. Pick SVG for print-perfect quality or PNG for sharing on Discord and forums. Batch-export your entire fleet in one click.
Browse TemplatesThe end result
A hardware-accurate reference card with every binding placed exactly where the button sits on your controller. Print it, pin it to your desk, or pull it up in a VR kneeboard.
Every button labelled
Bindings placed on the exact physical location
Print-ready quality
SVG output scales to any size without blur
Generated automatically
Zero manual layout work required
Features
Automatic import, custom labels, batch export. Less time documenting, more time flying.
Plugins read config files from your games and tools directly. Point the app at your config folder and every binding is extracted automatically. Change a bind, re-run, done.
Hardware-accurate SVG templates that match the exact physical layout of your Virpil, WinWing, Thrustmaster, VKB, and Saitek hardware.
"Weapon Fire Primary Mode Toggle" becomes "Guns". Override any game action name with your own label. Changes persist and apply everywhere that action appears.
Export as SVG for infinite-resolution print quality, or PNG at 2x resolution for Discord, forums, and stream overlays. Batch-export your entire fleet at once.
Set common bindings once in a base profile. Aircraft-specific bindings layer on top. Stop re-documenting shared HOTAS layout for every aircraft you fly.
Not seeing your sim or tool? The plugin API is open and documented. Community contributors can add new game or tool support. Not locked into a fixed set of titles.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, no ads. Built and maintained by a sim pilot, for sim pilots.
Games & simulators
DCS World, MSFS, Star Citizen, IL-2, and Joystick Gremlin. One tool for all your sims.
DCS World
Per-aircraft profiles + modifiers
Microsoft Flight Simulator
MSFS 2020 full binding import
Star Citizen
ActionMaps + modifier support
IL-2 Sturmovik
Great Battles series
Joystick Gremlin
Device-level bindings, outside any game
More via plugins
Open plugin API
46+ templates covering
Virpil Controls
6 templates
WinWing
10 templates
Thrustmaster
4 templates
VKB Sim
2 templates
Saitek / Logitech
3 templates
CH Products
2 templates
Total Controls
2 templates
Custom Devices
Why Joystick Diagrams
There are a few ways to document your bindings. Here's how they stack up.
| Feature | Joystick Diagrams | Manual | EDRefCard | Game Settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic binding import | Elite only | — | ||
| Multi-source support | 4 games + Joystick Gremlin | Any (manual) | 1 game | 1 game |
| Hardware-accurate visuals | 46+ templates | If you design them | Generic layout | |
| Custom labels | ||||
| SVG export (print-ready) | ||||
| PNG export (shareable) | ||||
| Batch export | ||||
| Stays in sync with game | Re-import | Yes | Always current | |
| Offline / no account | ||||
| Free |
EDRefCard = Elite Dangerous only. MetaRefCard and Bindulator both abandoned 2020–2021.
Why wait? Download now →Pilots sharing templates, setups, and help across DCS, MSFS, Star Citizen, and IL-2. Plus development updates and early builds.
Common questions
Yes. Completely free and open-source. No premium tiers, no subscriptions, no ads.
DCS World, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Star Citizen, and IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles are supported as games. Joystick Gremlin is supported as a tool — it operates at the device level outside of any game, so its profiles complement your game profiles for a complete binding picture. More sources can be added through the open plugin system.
46+ templates covering Virpil, WinWing, VKB Sim, Thrustmaster, Saitek/Logitech, CH Products, and Total Controls. A starter template lets you create layouts for any device not yet covered.
No. The app reads your configuration files directly — from games and tools alike. Point it at the right folder and your bindings are imported automatically.
SVG (infinitely scalable vector graphics, perfect for printing at any size) and PNG (2x high-resolution raster images, ideal for sharing on Discord, forums, and as stream overlays).
The app runs as a desktop application. The diagrams it produces can be printed for desk reference, displayed on a second monitor, or used with in-VR kneeboard tools like OpenKneeboard.
Yes. A starter template is included that you can customise in draw.io (a free diagramming tool). You can also request or contribute templates via the Discord server.
Some plugins have import options. DCS World has a toggle to exclude simplified easy-mode aircraft variants so training profiles don't clutter your list. All options are set through the app UI — no config file editing.
Yes. Override any game action name with your own text via Custom Labels. "Weapon Fire Primary Mode Toggle" becomes "Guns". Labels persist across sessions and apply everywhere that command appears.
Discord is the fastest way to get help. You can also open issues on GitHub.
Still have questions? Ask on Discord.
Free. Open-source. No account needed.
Download FreeJoystick Diagrams is free and always will be. If it saves you time, consider buying me a coffee
