yabai

What yabai is

yabai is a free tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges windows using binary space partitioning. Users can also select floating layouts and adjust padding, gaps, and split ratios. Its command-line interface controls and queries windows, spaces, and displays, and commands can be used in scripts with rules and signals. Features include focus follows mouse, space-switching animation controls, and the ability to create spaces beyond the 16-space limit. The project documents connections with skhd for keyboard shortcuts and Übersicht or Sketchybar for custom status bars. yabai requires Accessibility permission, and Screen Recording permission when window animations are enabled. Partially disabling System Integrity Protection is optional, but many advanced features that inject a scripting addition into Dock.app require it; the maker warns of potential risk and gives no recommendation on whether to disable it. Native macOS tabs in apps such as Terminal and Finder are noted as not behaving correctly when creating tabs. yabai is MIT licensed and supports macOS Big Sur 11 or later on Intel, and Monterey 12 or later on Apple Silicon, including Tahoe 26.