MacOS Automation and Window Management

Yabai is a system-level utility for macOS that provides automated window management and workspace organization. It functions as a tiling window manager that uses binary space partitioning to arrange application windows into grid layouts, bypassing standard desktop constraints through direct interaction with the system window server. The project distinguishes itself by offering granular control over the graphical user interface via a socket-based command interface and event-driven system hooks. This allows for the programmatic manipulation of window states, display configurations, and virtual spaces in response to system signals or external scripts. Users can define persistent rules to automate window behavior and placement, ensuring a consistent desktop environment across multiple monitors. Beyond its core tiling capabilities, the software provides extensive options for customizing the visual presentation of the desktop. This includes modifying window borders, shadows, transparency, and animation parameters. It also supports deep integration with system-level settings to adjust focus behavior and workspace transitions, enabling a highly tailored interaction model for the macOS desktop.

Amethyst is a tiling window manager for macOS designed to automate the arrangement of application windows. It functions as a productivity utility that organizes windows into non-overlapping layouts, allowing users to manage their desktop environment through keyboard-driven controls rather than manual mouse interaction. The application distinguishes itself by providing a state-machine engine that calculates window geometry based on user-defined tiling patterns. It maintains an accurate representation of the desktop by monitoring system-level notifications for window events, enabling it to automatically reposition frames and manage focus across multiple monitors and virtual spaces. Beyond its core tiling capabilities, the software supports granular control over window behavior, including the ability to toggle between tiled and floating states. Users can navigate between windows, swap positions, and cycle through various layout configurations using custom keyboard shortcuts.

AeroSpace is a tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges application windows into grid-based layouts. It functions as a keyboard-driven controller, allowing users to manage window positioning, workspace navigation, and display assignments entirely through customizable keyboard commands. The project distinguishes itself by operating as a background daemon that utilizes system-level accessibility frameworks and low-level window server hooks to enforce tiling behavior. It employs a declarative configuration system to define layout rules and maintains workspace consistency through an event-driven architecture that responds to system window changes. The software provides a virtual desktop abstraction layer that maps logical workspaces to physical displays, supporting multi-monitor setups and persistent window organization. It is designed to automate window management tasks, eliminating the need for manual resizing or positioning to maintain a structured digital environment.

yabai is a tiling window manager and workspace orchestrator for macOS. It uses a binary space partitioning algorithm to automatically arrange application windows into non-overlapping rectangular regions to maximize screen real estate. The project provides a command line interface for controlling windows, displays, and virtual spaces, enabling the creation of custom desktop automation scripts. It includes capabilities for managing virtual desktops and disabling system animations to increase navigation speed. The system also supports mouse-based window focus, which automatically shifts the active window based on the cursor position.

Hammerspoon is a programmable automation engine for macOS that enables deep system-level control through a Lua scripting environment. By bridging high-level scripts with native Objective-C APIs, it allows users to interact with the operating system's accessibility tree, intercept hardware input streams, and manage the lifecycle of running applications. The project distinguishes itself through an event-driven architecture that registers asynchronous hooks for system notifications and hardware events. This allows for real-time automation, such as remapping keyboard and mouse inputs, managing window layouts via grid-based positioning, and responding to changes in network status, battery levels, or display configurations. Its modular extension system supports the loading of self-contained units of functionality, enabling users to tailor the environment to specific workflows. Beyond core automation, the platform provides a comprehensive suite of capabilities for network integration, media and hardware control, and data persistence. It includes tools for managing audio devices, interacting with professional control panels, rendering custom graphical overlays, and executing shell commands or system scripts. The environment also supports complex window management, including spatial navigation and tabbed grouping, alongside monitoring utilities for system hardware and diagnostic logging. The project provides a command-line interface for managing configurations and includes built-in documentation servers to assist with script development.

DockDoor is a macOS application switcher and window manager that functions as a dock enhancement tool. It provides a system-wide interface for navigating, previewing, and managing open application windows using keyboard and mouse inputs. The utility adds live window previews to the system dock, allowing for application window peeking when hovering over dock icons. It also includes a feature to lock the system dock to a specific display in multi-monitor setups to prevent it from automatically jumping between screens. The project covers a broad range of window management capabilities, including keyboard-driven window switching, gesture-based navigation, and programmatic window state control. It provides command-line utilities for querying window metadata and triggering visual previews through scripts.

Rectangle is a desktop window manager that organizes open application windows into predefined layouts and grid positions. It functions as a background utility, allowing users to manipulate window frames through keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures to improve multitasking and workspace efficiency. The application acts as a native interface extension, providing window snapping and tiling functionality that integrates directly with the operating system. It supports multi-monitor setups, enabling the distribution and alignment of windows across various displays. By utilizing the system accessibility framework, the tool programmatically queries and modifies window geometry to ensure precise placement. The software manages window arrangements by intercepting global hotkeys and mouse events to trigger layout logic. It continuously monitors display configurations to adjust snapping boundaries dynamically, calculating target window positions based on screen dimensions and user-defined constraints.

Glazewm is a tiling window manager and desktop automation framework designed to organize application windows into non-overlapping layouts. It functions as a keyboard-driven controller, allowing users to manage window focus, workspace navigation, and layout configurations entirely through custom keybindings. By intercepting system-level events, the software overrides default window placement and behavior to maximize screen space and maintain a structured workspace. The project distinguishes itself through a highly configurable environment that supports complex multi-monitor setups and dynamic workspace management. Users can define persistent layout structures, apply visual styles such as custom borders and gaps, and implement automated window rules based on process names or titles. Its event-driven architecture enables the execution of custom scripts and lifecycle tasks, ensuring a consistent desktop environment across user sessions. Beyond core tiling capabilities, the system provides an inter-process communication interface that allows external scripts to query state and inject management commands. This extensibility supports advanced workflow orchestration, including the ability to toggle between different binding modes for context-specific control schemes. The software is configured through declarative files, providing a centralized method for defining window states, tiling behaviors, and keyboard shortcuts.