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what is aerospace fr?

nikitabobko/aerospace — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

20,638SwiftAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5LicenseSetup · easy

tl;dr

A keyboard-driven tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges windows like i3 on Linux, without needing to disable system security.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((AeroSpace))
    What it does
      Tiles windows automatically
      Keyboard-centric control
      Virtual workspaces
    Key features
      Fast workspace switching
      Multi-monitor support
      TOML configuration
      CLI with completions
    Use cases
      Developer workflows
      Keyboard power users
      Linux-to-Mac migration
    Tech stack
      Swift
      Homebrew
      TOML config

Code map

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what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Set up a Linux-like keyboard-driven window management workflow on macOS without touching system security settings.

VIBE 2

Manage multiple monitors efficiently with automatic tiling that respects each display independently.

VIBE 3

Configure window layouts and keyboard shortcuts in a plain text file that syncs across machines via dotfiles.

what's the stack?

SwiftHomebrewTOMLmacOS

how it stacks up fr

nikitabobko/aerospacesnapkit/snapkitjohncoates/aerial
Stars20,63820,33520,973
LanguageSwiftSwiftSwift
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity4/52/51/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · easy time til it works · 5min
Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

in plain english

AeroSpace is a tiling window manager for macOS. A window manager is the part of your computer that decides where application windows go on the screen. Most desktops let windows float and overlap freely, so you spend time dragging and resizing them, a tiling window manager instead arranges windows automatically into non-overlapping panes, so the whole screen is always filled and you can rearrange the layout from the keyboard. AeroSpace is modeled on i3, a popular tiling window manager from the Linux world, and aims to bring that workflow to Mac users. Its layout is based on a tree paradigm, windows are nodes in a tree of horizontal and vertical splits, and it has its own emulation of virtual workspaces rather than using the native macOS Spaces feature, because the README says native Spaces have considerable limitations. Switching between workspaces is fast, with no animations, and it works on multi-monitor setups using the same i3-like paradigm. It is configured entirely through plain text (a default-config.toml), which makes it friendly to dotfile setups, and it is CLI-first, shipping manpages and shell completions. Notably, it does not require disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP), which many other macOS power-user tools do. You install AeroSpace through Homebrew via a custom tap (brew install --cask nikitabobko/tap/aerospace), which the README recommends because it gives you auto-updates. The app is not notarized by Apple, the Homebrew cask works around the resulting quarantine warning automatically. The project status is public beta, usable as a daily driver, but breaking changes are possible until version 1.0. It is written in Swift, aimed at advanced users and developers who want a keyboard-driven, configuration-file-based workflow, and it deliberately avoids a GUI for configuration.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
How do I install AeroSpace on macOS and set up my first keyboard shortcuts for window tiling?
prompt 2
Show me an example TOML configuration file for AeroSpace that sets up workspaces and common window management keybinds.
prompt 3
How does AeroSpace's virtual workspace system differ from macOS Spaces, and why would I use it instead?
prompt 4
I'm coming from i3 on Linux, what are the key differences in how AeroSpace handles window tiling on macOS?

Frequently asked questions

what is aerospace fr?

A keyboard-driven tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges windows like i3 on Linux, without needing to disable system security.

What language is aerospace written in?

Mainly Swift. The stack also includes Swift, Homebrew, TOML.

What license does aerospace use?

Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is aerospace to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is aerospace for?

Mainly developer.

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