estrobo

Local, native macOS control for compatible Bluetooth-enabled Godox flash triggers.

_{macOS 13+  ·  Apple Silicon + Intel  ·  Local-only}

English  ·  Español

Estrobo brings compatible Godox flash-trigger controls into one focused Mac workspace. Organize working groups and adjust power, mode, modeling light, and global controls without an account, backend, analytics, or telemetry.

Important

Public beta 0.1.0-beta.3 is signed with Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple. Gatekeeper accepts the official DMG, so the Open Anyway workaround used by earlier betas is no longer required. macOS may still show its normal confirmation for an app downloaded from the Internet and will request Bluetooth permission on first use.

Requirements

• macOS 13.0 or later.
• A Mac with Apple Silicon (arm64) or Intel (x86_64).
• Bluetooth available and permission granted to Estrobo.
• A compatible Godox flash trigger with built-in Bluetooth enabled and the BLE/GATT profile observed by Estrobo. Physical coverage is still limited; see Beta and compatibility.
• An exclusive connection: first close any mobile or desktop app connected to the transmitter. The radio supports only one Bluetooth connection at a time.

Compatibility status

Estrobo connects over Bluetooth to a compatible Godox flash trigger. It does not connect directly to flashes or receivers: those devices continue to communicate through the trigger's own Godox radio system and do not need Bluetooth.

Built-in Bluetooth must be turned on, but Bluetooth alone does not guarantee compatibility. The trigger must expose the Godox Flash BLE/GATT profile supported by Estrobo, and support can vary by model and firmware. A Godox name, BLE advertisement, or UUID is not proof of compatibility.

Physically tested setup

Connection	Tested hardware
Mac ↔ Bluetooth trigger	Godox X3Pro with Bluetooth enabled
Trigger ↔ flash units	Godox AD400Pro II

This is the only hardware matrix used for physical testing so far; the exact camera variant and firmware revisions were not recorded, and not every feature has been optically validated. Other Bluetooth-enabled triggers exposing the supported Godox Flash BLE/GATT profile, and other Godox X-system flashes controlled through the trigger, may also be compatible, but Estrobo does not claim support until each trigger, flash, and firmware combination is physically verified.

Install this beta

1. Download estrobo-v0.1.0-beta.3-macos-universal.dmg, SHA256SUMS, and estrobo-v0.1.0-beta.3-manifest.json from the 0.1.0-beta.3 GitHub Release. Keep the three files together in Downloads and do not use builds from issues or third-party links.

2. Open Terminal and verify the release files before mounting the image:

   cd ~/Downloads
   shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS

   Continue only if the DMG and manifest both report OK.

3. Double-click the DMG. In the window that opens, drag estrobo.app onto the Applications folder.

4. Eject the Estrobo disk image, then open Estrobo from Applications. Confirm the normal macOS downloaded-app prompt if it appears and grant Bluetooth access when requested.

The official DMG and the app inside it are both signed and notarized. If macOS reports that the developer cannot be verified, do not bypass Gatekeeper: delete that copy, verify SHA256SUMS, and download the asset again from this repository.

Current public beta: 0.1.0-beta.3 includes the saved-transmitter library and experimental Global Multi described below.

Quick start

1. Turn on the transmitter and close any other app connected to it.
2. Open Estrobo and configure group compatibility, working groups, and at least one flash model per group.
3. Click Find. Choose the trigger using its name, RSSI, and UUID suffix; the name and UUID help distinguish it but do not authenticate it cryptographically.
4. Enter the six-digit Radio Code. It is the transmitter's local compatibility/proximity PIN, not a strong credential or a high-value secret. Do not reuse a personal PIN.
5. The option to remember it starts off. If enabled, Estrobo adds that transmitter to its local saved-transmitter library only after completing PWOK and synchronization; its code remains unencrypted on this Mac and is never sent over the Internet. Forget removes only that saved transmitter and code.
6. The BLE handshake is still required. Once it completes, Estrobo acts as the source of truth and deliberately overwrites global A0 and every configured group's A1. The transmitter's previous state does not matter.
7. In Automatic, a change is sent 700 ms after the last adjustment. Dragging does not transmit intermediate values: the delay starts when you release the control. You can also choose On Apply and use Send now or Discard.
8. In beta 3, press MULTI beside Beep to turn Global Multi on or off; it opens no menu. Turning it on displays the inline console and atomically places every active compatible group in Multi. Non-participating groups remain Off and appear disabled behind an overlay; compatible groups can be added again there or from the console. The last participant can only be closed with the global button. Turning MULTI off makes every workspace group—including groups previously Off or TTL—active in Manual; the previous M/TTL/Off scene is not restored. Groups outside the workspace do not receive A1. Multi excludes HSS; use Test only after reviewing the active groups and the displayed model limit, and treat the optical result as unvalidated until the exact hardware matrix passes physical smoke.

Read Automatic synchronization before connecting hardware.

Simulated mode

To explore the interface without creating a Bluetooth session or sending physical commands:

/usr/bin/open -n /Applications/estrobo.app --args --mock-radio

From a development checkout:

make mac-prototype-build
/usr/bin/open -n prototype/GodoxMacControlPrototype/Build/estrobo.app --args --mock-radio

The app displays Simulated radio explicitly. It never enables this mode as a silent fallback.

What is included

• Groups 0–9 and A–F, according to the selected compatibility; Manual power in 1/3 EV Godox steps and a safe common range for the models assigned to each group.
• Per-group M, Auto/TTL, and Off; the MULTI button beside Beep is the only way to turn Global Multi on or off and shows its inline console while active. It provides full-stop power up to 1/4, flash-count/frequency controls, and A–E participation. Starting Multi atomically includes all active compatible groups while non-participants stay Off and appear disabled. Turning it off returns every working group to active Manual. Groups outside the workspace do not receive A1.
• A0 carries the effective Multi power, count, and Hz. A Multi A1 retains the stored Manual power when the group came from M, or uses 0x32 when it came from TTL; neither A1 value replaces the global Multi power. The estimated minimum exposure is flash count ÷ Hz, rounded upward to 0.001 s.
• Multi's editable base domain is 1–100 flashes and 1–100 Hz, but its effective flash-count maximum can be lower. For an assigned AD400Pro II, Estrobo enforces the manufacturer's published power × frequency rows and normalizes the count when power or Hz lowers that ceiling. Because the manual jumps from 20–50 Hz to 60–100 Hz, Estrobo conservatively applies the latter ceiling at 51–59 Hz and labels that gap as unpublished rather than verified. Other flash models never inherit the AD400Pro II table: the console marks their limit as unverified, or partially verified when verified and unverified models participate together. HSS is excluded.
• Modeling light off/proportional/fixed, global Beep, global Standby, and explicit Test.
• Global power adjustment that preserves the relationship between groups.
• A local library of saved transmitters with UUID-based reconnection and individual forgetting. The single remembered transmitter from beta.2 migrates automatically; new entries still require explicit remember opt-in followed by authentication + Sync.
• Channels, Inspector, and Matrix views; local presets; Spanish and English; light and dark appearance.
• Automatic delivery with a 700 ms debounce or On Apply mode.
• Fail-closed recovery with an atomic scene journal: it retains A0 plus every affected A1, resends them in order, and keeps the batch until every group confirms GATT + FEC8.

See workspace configuration

Important limitations

• There is no complete radio → app readback. Sync does not import values; it overwrites them.
• FEC8 does not identify the group, return values, or prove the optical result.
• Test confirms at most delivery to CoreBluetooth; a person must observe the flash or Multi sequence. Bluetooth does not confirm how many flashes fired.
• The AD400Pro II software ceiling is verified against the manufacturer's published power × frequency rows; 51–59 Hz remains an explicitly labeled conservative inference because that interval is absent from the table. Neither status proves the optical result. Multi remains optically unverified until a person observes the requested sequence. Limits for every other flash model are explicitly unverified, and the actual result can also depend on recycle time, temperature, and shutter time. HSS is unsupported in this flow.
• Channel changes, non-neutral TTL compensation, Radio Code changes, firmware, and OAD remain unavailable.
• Physical compatibility varies by transmitter, flash, and firmware. A BLE name or UUID does not prove the radio's model or authenticity.

Planned

Compatibility coverage will expand as Multi and more trigger, flash, and firmware combinations are physically validated.

Documentation and community

• How it works
• Bluetooth connection
• Automatic synchronization
• Beta, installation, and risks
• Troubleshooting
• Privacy
• Security
• Support
• Support Estrobo on Ko-fi
• Contributing
• Changelog
• Third-party notices

Estrobo is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, sponsored, endorsed, or officially maintained by Godox. Godox and its product names belong to their respective owners.

This repository does not include an open-source license. The absence of a license is intentional for now.