flutter_keyboard_controller

A Flutter plugin for smooth, frame-by-frame keyboard animation tracking on iOS and Android.

Unlike MediaQuery.viewInsetsOf — which rebuilds every widget that consumes it — this library pushes keyboard height via ValueNotifier, so only the exact widget that needs it rebuilds. It also exposes raw keyboard lifecycle events and ships pre-built components for chat UIs, toolbars, and sticky views that Flutter's built-in toolkit doesn't provide.

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Why this library?

	MediaQuery.viewInsetsOf	flutter_keyboard_controller
Rebuild scope	Every widget that reads it	Only the ValueListenableBuilder that subscribes
Keyboard height	✅	✅
Progress 0 → 1	❌	✅
Event types (willShow, didShow …)	❌	✅
iOS interactive dismiss tracking	❌ estimate	✅ CADisplayLink real position
Chat UI component	❌	✅ KeyboardChatScrollView
Sticky widget above keyboard	❌	✅ KeyboardStickyView
Prev / Next / Done toolbar	❌	✅ KeyboardToolbar
dismiss(keepFocus, animated)	❌	✅
Change Android soft-input mode	❌	✅ setInputMode
Preload keyboard on iOS	❌	✅ preload()

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Features

• 🎞 Frame-by-frame keyboard height & progress (0–1) on every vsync
• 💬 KeyboardChatScrollView — chat list with always / whenAtEnd / persistent / never lift behaviors
• 📌 KeyboardStickyView — any widget that sticks to the keyboard top edge
• 🔧 KeyboardToolbar — Prev / Next / Done bar with customisable labels and colours
• 📜 KeyboardAwareScrollView — auto-scrolls to keep focused TextField visible
• 🛡 KeyboardAvoidingView — fine-grained avoidance with 4 modes
• ⚡ KeyboardController — dismiss, query state, set Android soft-input mode, preload on iOS
• 🎯 ValueNotifier-based — only subscribed widgets rebuild, zero overhead elsewhere

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Installation

dependencies:
  flutter_keyboard_controller: ^0.0.2

flutter pub get

Android

Minimum SDK 24. No extra configuration needed.

iOS

Minimum iOS 13. No extra steps.

---

Quick start

Wrap your app once with KeyboardProvider. All child widgets then have access to live keyboard data:

import 'package:flutter_keyboard_controller/flutter_keyboard_controller.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(
    KeyboardProvider(
      child: MaterialApp(home: MyApp()),
    ),
  );
}

---

KeyboardProvider

KeyboardProvider is the required root widget that initialises native keyboard tracking and exposes a KeyboardAnimation to all descendants via InheritedNotifier.

Place it as high as possible in the tree — typically wrapping MaterialApp:

KeyboardProvider(
  enabled: true,   // set false to pause tracking without removing the widget
  child: MaterialApp(home: MyApp()),
)

Reading keyboard state in descendants

// Subscribes — widget rebuilds on every keyboard event
final animation = KeyboardControllerScope.of(context);

// Does NOT subscribe — safe for use inside listeners / callbacks
final animation = KeyboardControllerScope.maybeOf(context); // nullable

// Extension shorthand
final animation = context.keyboard;        // subscribes, throws if absent
final animation = context.keyboardOrNull;  // nullable, does not subscribe

---

KeyboardChatScrollView

The centerpiece for chat / AI-chat UIs. Uses a Stack with a floating input bar so the viewport never shrinks — lifting is done via padding.bottom changes instead:

Scaffold(
  resizeToAvoidBottomInset: false,
  body: Stack(
    children: [
      Positioned.fill(
        child: KeyboardChatScrollView(
          liftBehavior: KeyboardLiftBehavior.whenAtEnd,
          extraBottomPadding: 72,   // fixed height of your input bar
          safeAreaBottom: MediaQuery.of(context).viewPadding.bottom,
          onEndVisible: () { /* user scrolled to bottom */ },
          children: messages.map((m) => MessageBubble(m)).toList(),
        ),
      ),
      // Input bar floats above keyboard, driven by plugin animation
      ValueListenableBuilder<double>(
        valueListenable: KeyboardControllerScope.of(context).heightNotifier,
        child: InputBar(),
        builder: (_, keyboardH, child) => Positioned(
          left: 0, right: 0, bottom: keyboardH, child: child!,
        ),
      ),
    ],
  ),
)

Lift behaviors

liftBehavior	What it does	Matches
always	Lifts content on every keyboard open	Telegram
whenAtEnd	Lifts only when scrolled to the bottom	ChatGPT, WhatsApp
persistent	Lifts on open, stays lifted after close	Claude.ai
never	No automatic lift	Perplexity

Parameters

Param	Default	Description
liftBehavior	whenAtEnd	When to lift content
extraBottomPadding	0	Fixed space for the floating input bar
safeAreaBottom	0	MediaQuery.of(context).viewPadding.bottom — corrects SafeArea shrink inside input bar when keyboard opens
onEndVisible	null	Called when user scrolls to the newest message (offset ≤ 20 dp in reverse:true)
controller	auto	Custom ScrollController
padding	null	Extra EdgeInsetsGeometry added to the list
physics	default	ScrollPhysics
clipBehavior	Clip.hardEdge	Clipping behaviour

---

KeyboardToolbar

Prev / Next / Done navigation bar that appears above the keyboard:

// Option A — convenience scaffold (recommended for forms)
KeyboardToolbarScaffold(
  appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('Profile')),
  toolbar: KeyboardToolbar(
    doneLabel: 'Xong',            // multilang — any String
    prevLabel: 'Before',
    nextLabel: 'Continue',
    arrowColor: Colors.blue,      // colour for ‹ › arrows
    doneColor: Colors.blue,       // colour for Done label
    onPrev: () => FocusScope.of(context).previousFocus(),
    onNext: () => FocusScope.of(context).nextFocus(),
    showArrows: true,             // set false to show Done only
    content: const Text('2/5'),   // optional centre widget
  ),
  body: MyForm(),
)

// Option B — manual placement in a Stack
KeyboardStickyView(
  child: KeyboardToolbar(),
)

KeyboardToolbarScaffold uses resizeToAvoidBottomInset: true by default so Flutter's automatic scroll-to-focused-field still works inside the body. The toolbar slides in/out in sync with the keyboard animation — no lag between keyboard and toolbar disappearing.

KeyboardToolbarScaffold parameters

Param	Default	Description
toolbar	KeyboardToolbar()	The toolbar widget
body	required	Main content
appBar	null	Optional app bar
resizeToAvoidBottomInset	true	Set false only when managing layout manually
backgroundColor	theme	Scaffold background
floatingActionButton	null	FAB
bottomNavigationBar	null	Bottom nav

---

KeyboardStickyView

Any widget that sticks to the top of the keyboard and moves with it frame-by-frame:

Stack(
  children: [
    Positioned.fill(child: content),
    KeyboardStickyView(
      offset: const KeyboardStickyOffset(closed: 0, opened: 0),
      child: InputBar(),
    ),
  ],
)

KeyboardStickyOffset	Description
closed	Extra dp offset when keyboard is hidden (e.g. safe-area bottom or tab-bar height)
opened	Extra dp offset when keyboard is visible

---

KeyboardAwareScrollView

Auto-scrolls to keep the focused TextField visible when the keyboard opens:

KeyboardAwareScrollView(
  padding: const EdgeInsets.all(24),
  scrollPadding: const EdgeInsets.all(20), // gap between field and keyboard edge
  animationDuration: const Duration(milliseconds: 300),
  animationCurve: Curves.easeOut,
  children: [
    TextField(decoration: const InputDecoration(labelText: 'First name')),
    TextField(decoration: const InputDecoration(labelText: 'Last name')),
    TextField(decoration: const InputDecoration(labelText: 'Email')),
    const SizedBox(height: 24),
    FilledButton(onPressed: submit, child: const Text('Save')),
  ],
)

Parameters

Param	Default	Description
children	required	Widgets inside the scroll view
scrollController	auto	Custom ScrollController
padding	null	Outer padding of the scroll view
scrollPadding	EdgeInsets.all(20)	Extra gap between the focused field and keyboard edge
animationDuration	Duration(ms: 300)	Duration of the scroll animation
animationCurve	Curves.easeOut	Curve of the scroll animation
physics	default	ScrollPhysics
reverse	false	Reverse scroll direction
shrinkWrap	false	Shrink-wrap content

Fallback: If no KeyboardProvider is in the tree, KeyboardAwareScrollView falls back to WidgetsBindingObserver.didChangeMetrics — it still auto-scrolls, just without frame-accurate timing.

---

KeyboardAvoidingView

Fine-grained control over how a widget adjusts its layout when the keyboard appears:

Scaffold(
  resizeToAvoidBottomInset: false,  // required — let KeyboardAvoidingView handle it
  body: KeyboardAvoidingView(
    behavior: KeyboardAvoidingBehavior.padding,
    keyboardVerticalOffset: 0,
    enabled: true,
    child: Column(
      children: [
        Expanded(child: MessageList()),
        InputBar(),
      ],
    ),
  ),
)

Parameters

Param	Default	Description
behavior	padding	Avoidance mode (see table below)
keyboardVerticalOffset	0.0	Extra dp added on top of keyboard height
enabled	true	Set false to temporarily disable without removing the widget

Behaviors

behavior	Effect
padding	Adds paddingBottom equal to keyboard height
height	Reduces the widget's maxHeight
position	Translates the widget upward
translateWithPadding	Half translate + half padding (for bottom sheets)

Layout stability: KeyboardAvoidingView always wraps the child in the same widget type regardless of keyboard state (Padding / SizedBox / Transform). This prevents Flutter from unmounting the subtree, so TextFields never lose their FocusNode.

---

KeyboardAnimation — raw values

Access live keyboard height and progress from any widget:

final animation = KeyboardControllerScope.of(context);

// ValueListenableBuilder — only this widget rebuilds per frame
ValueListenableBuilder<double>(
  valueListenable: animation.heightNotifier,
  child: const MyFAB(),
  builder: (context, height, child) {
    return Positioned(bottom: 16 + height, right: 16, child: child!);
  },
);

Available notifiers

Notifier	Type	Description
heightNotifier	ValueNotifier<double>	Keyboard height in dp (0 when hidden)
progressNotifier	ValueNotifier<double>	Animation progress 0.0 → 1.0
isVisibleNotifier	ValueNotifier<bool>	Whether keyboard is currently visible
lastEventNotifier	ValueNotifier<KeyboardEventData?>	Last raw event from native layer

Convenience getters: animation.height · animation.progress · animation.isVisible · animation.lastEvent

Listening to keyboard events

final animation = KeyboardControllerScope.of(context);

animation.lastEventNotifier.addListener(() {
  final event = animation.lastEvent;
  if (event == null) return;

  switch (event.type) {
    case KeyboardEventType.willShow:
      print('Keyboard about to show, final height: ${event.height}');
    case KeyboardEventType.didShow:
      print('Keyboard fully visible');
    case KeyboardEventType.willHide:
      print('Keyboard about to hide');
    case KeyboardEventType.didHide:
      print('Keyboard hidden');
    case KeyboardEventType.move:
      print('Animating: ${event.height} dp, progress: ${event.progress}');
    case KeyboardEventType.interactive:
      print('User gesture dismiss: ${event.height} dp');
  }
});

KeyboardEventData fields

Field	Type	Description
type	KeyboardEventType	Event category
height	double	Current keyboard height in dp
progress	double	0.0 (hidden) → 1.0 (fully visible)
duration	double	Native animation duration in ms
timestamp	double	Unix ms when the event was fired
isVisible	bool	height > 0

---

KeyboardController — imperative API

// Dismiss keyboard
KeyboardController.dismiss();
KeyboardController.dismiss(keepFocus: true);   // cursor stays, keyboard hides
KeyboardController.dismiss(animated: false);   // iOS: instant dismiss

// Query state
final visible = await KeyboardController.isVisible();
final state   = await KeyboardController.state();
print(state.height);     // double — current height in dp
print(state.isVisible);  // bool
print(state.progress);   // double

// Android: change soft-input mode
KeyboardController.setInputMode(AndroidSoftInputMode.adjustNothing);
KeyboardController.setDefaultMode();   // restore to adjustResize

// iOS: preload keyboard to avoid first-show lag
KeyboardController.preload();

AndroidSoftInputMode values

Value	Effect
adjustResize	Scaffold body shrinks (Flutter default)
adjustPan	Window pans upward, body does not shrink
adjustNothing	Keyboard overlaps content, nothing moves
adjustUnspecified	System decides

---

FocusedInputLayout

Data models for retrieving information about the currently focused text input:

// FocusedInputLayout — position of the focused field on screen
FocusedInputLayout layout = FocusedInputLayout(
  absoluteRect: Rect.fromLTWH(x, y, width, height),
  isFocused: true,
);
print(layout.absoluteRect);  // Rect in global screen coordinates
print(layout.isFocused);     // bool

// FocusedInputLayout.empty() — default when nothing is focused
final empty = FocusedInputLayout.empty();

// FocusedInputTextChangedEvent — text change event
FocusedInputTextChangedEvent(text: 'Hello');

// FocusedInputSelectionChangedEvent — cursor / selection change
final sel = FocusedInputSelectionChangedEvent(start: 0, end: 5);
print(sel.isCollapsed);  // true when start == end (cursor, not selection)

---

Migration from MediaQuery

Before — fires once at end of animation, content jumps:

final height = MediaQuery.viewInsetsOf(context).bottom;

After — fires every frame, content follows keyboard smoothly:

final animation = KeyboardControllerScope.of(context);

ValueListenableBuilder<double>(
  valueListenable: animation.heightNotifier,
  builder: (_, height, child) {
    return Padding(padding: EdgeInsets.only(bottom: height), child: child);
  },
  child: myContent,
);

---

Performance tips

• Use animation.heightNotifier in a ValueListenableBuilder and pass your widget as child — only the Positioned/Padding wrapper rebuilds per frame, not the child widget itself.
• Use KeyboardControllerScope.maybeOf(context) when the provider might be absent — returns null gracefully, never throws.
• KeyboardChatScrollView only rebuilds its internal ListView padding per frame — message bubble children are never touched.
• Avoid reading KeyboardControllerScope.of(context) at the root of a heavy widget — subscribe only at the leaf that actually needs the value.

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API Reference

Widgets

Widget	Key props	Defaults
KeyboardProvider	child, enabled	enabled: true
KeyboardAvoidingView	child, behavior, keyboardVerticalOffset, enabled	behavior: padding, offset: 0, enabled: true
KeyboardAwareScrollView	children, padding, scrollPadding, animationDuration, animationCurve, physics, scrollController	scrollPadding: 20, duration: 300ms, curve: easeOut
KeyboardStickyView	child, offset: KeyboardStickyOffset(closed, opened)	closed: 0, opened: 0
KeyboardToolbar	doneLabel, prevLabel, nextLabel, arrowColor, doneColor, onPrev, onNext, onDone, content, showArrows, backgroundColor, borderColor	showArrows: true
KeyboardToolbarScaffold	toolbar, body, appBar, resizeToAvoidBottomInset, backgroundColor	resizeToAvoidBottomInset: true
KeyboardChatScrollView	children, liftBehavior, extraBottomPadding, safeAreaBottom, onEndVisible, controller, padding, physics	liftBehavior: whenAtEnd, extraBottomPadding: 0, safeAreaBottom: 0

Models & Enums

Type	Values / Fields
KeyboardAnimation	heightNotifier, progressNotifier, isVisibleNotifier, lastEventNotifier
KeyboardEventData	height, progress, duration, timestamp, isVisible, type
KeyboardEventType	willShow, didShow, willHide, didHide, move, interactive
KeyboardState	height, isVisible, progress · KeyboardState.hidden()
KeyboardLiftBehavior	always, whenAtEnd, persistent, never
KeyboardAvoidingBehavior	padding, height, position, translateWithPadding
AndroidSoftInputMode	adjustResize, adjustPan, adjustNothing, adjustUnspecified
FocusedInputLayout	absoluteRect: Rect, isFocused: bool · .empty()
FocusedInputTextChangedEvent	text: String
FocusedInputSelectionChangedEvent	start: int, end: int, isCollapsed: bool

KeyboardControllerScope

Method	Returns	Description
KeyboardControllerScope.of(context)	KeyboardAnimation	Subscribes — widget rebuilds on every event
KeyboardControllerScope.maybeOf(context)	KeyboardAnimation?	Does NOT subscribe — returns null if no provider
context.keyboard	KeyboardAnimation	Shorthand for .of()
context.keyboardOrNull	KeyboardAnimation?	Shorthand for .maybeOf()

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Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md.

License

MIT © 2025 Tuan Nguyen Cong