PME Treasure

Export Blender keymaps without creating ghost PME entries

2 min read

Answer

Disable PME and other add-ons that register keymaps before exporting, importing, or saving a Blender keymap preset. Re-enable them afterward and let each add-on register its own current entries.

Blender’s keymap export/preset workflow can flatten entries from multiple keymap layers. When add-on-owned PME dispatcher entries are captured as user keymap data, they can return later as duplicates or empty “ghost” items.

Safe workflow

Export or save a preset

  1. Export PME menus separately with Export → All Menus.
  2. In Blender Preferences, disable PME and other add-ons that create hotkeys.
  3. Export the Blender keymap or save the keymap preset.
  4. Re-enable PME and the other add-ons.
  5. Restart Blender when the changed add-on/keymap state makes the result ambiguous, then test representative shortcuts.

Import a Blender keymap

  1. Disable PME and other keymap-registering add-ons.
  2. Import or select the Blender keymap preset.
  3. Re-enable the add-ons so they register against the imported base keymap.
  4. Restore PME menus from their PME JSON only if the menu data itself also moved.

Clean up an existing ghost entry

In PME 2.1, open Settings → Developer → Keymap Doctor, run Scan Keymaps, then use Clean Up Empty Items and save Blender preferences. The current cleanup intentionally targets only unambiguously empty PME dispatcher entries; it does not guess which populated shortcut you intended to keep.

If populated duplicates remain, compare their keymap, key, modifiers, and menu target before disabling anything. Disable an add-on hotkey through the add-on or by unchecking it in Blender rather than deleting the generated item blindly.

Pitfalls

  • PME menu JSON and Blender keymap export solve different backup problems. Keep both when migrating an entire Blender setup.
  • Exporting while PME is enabled can bake its runtime registration into user keymap data.
  • Deleting a live add-on-owned entry in Blender Preferences can be temporary; the add-on may correctly register it again.
  • Keymap Doctor is deliberately conservative. A non-empty duplicate needs human inspection.

Sources

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