Dinky

A tiling window manager for macOS that leaves SIP on

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Category
Window Manager
WM Type
tiling
License
free
Open Source
Yes
Keybindings
Yes
Scripting
Yes
Last Update
2026-10-09

Features

  • Tiling on native Spaces
  • Fast Space switching
  • Accordion mode
  • Focus borders
  • TOML config
  • dinky CLI
  • No Dock injection
  • SIP stays enabled

Install

$brew install --cask mikker/tap/dinky

About

Dinky tiles the windows on each native Space and switches Spaces in about 70 ms instead of half a second. It has an accordion mode, focus borders, a TOML config and a dinky command line for scripts and bars. Nothing is injected into the Dock, and System Integrity Protection stays enabled.

Who It's For

Dinky is for people who want a keyboard-driven tiling setup on macOS but are not willing to disable System Integrity Protection. It suits users who are comfortable editing a TOML file and who want a command line they can call from scripts and status bars.

How It Works

Dinky tiles the windows on each native macOS Space, so it works with the Spaces you already use rather than replacing them. Its site claims Space switching takes about 70 ms instead of half a second. It is not a compositor: macOS still draws every window, and windows glide to their tiles by being moved there, frame by frame. Nothing is injected into the Dock. It does not offer scrolling layouts. The project notes that it uses private macOS APIs, which a macOS update can break.

You interact with it through a TOML config at ~/.config/dinky/dinky.toml, created on first run, and through the dinky command line. Keybindings are written as modifiers (alt, ctrl, cmd, shift) plus one key joined by -, such as alt-shift-h, and can map to a command or a list of commands. Gaps accept a single inner and outer value or per-side values. The CLI includes dinky workspace 3, dinky list-windows --workspace 3, dinky layout accordion, and dinky doctor, which checks the config and relevant macOS settings.

Compared to Alternatives

Compared to yabai, Dinky is designed to leave SIP enabled and does not inject anything into the Dock. Compared to AeroSpace, Dinky tiles on native Spaces. I did not verify other capability differences between these tools.

Requirements

  • macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon (the site does not mention Intel Macs)
  • Accessibility permission, requested on first run
  • SIP stays enabled
  • Uses private macOS APIs, so a macOS update can break it
  • MIT licensed; latest release at the time of writing is v0.15

Getting Started

Install with brew install --cask mikker/tap/dinky, then run open -a dinky and grant Accessibility permission. Edit ~/.config/dinky/dinky.toml, and run dinky doctor to check your setup. See the configuration docs and commands reference.

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