OmniWM

Tiling WM with scrolling columns, BSP, Ghostty quake terminal, and IPC

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Category
Window Manager
WM Type
tiling
License
free
Open Source
Yes
Keybindings
Yes
Scripting
Yes
Last Update
2026-08-28

Features

  • Niri scrollable column layout
  • Dwindle BSP layout
  • Ghostty-powered quake terminal
  • Unified command palette
  • Overview mode with thumbnails
  • Scratchpads (10 slots)
  • Workspace bar
  • IPC/CLI via omniwmctl

About

OmniWM is a developer-signed and notarized tiling window manager for macOS inspired by Niri and Hyprland, offering orientation-aware scrolling columns and Dwindle BSP layouts. It bundles a Ghostty-powered quake terminal, a unified command palette, Overview mode, scratchpads, and IPC/CLI automation via omniwmctl. Requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) on Apple Silicon and never requires disabling SIP.

Who It's For

OmniWM is for macOS users on Apple Silicon running macOS 26 (Tahoe) who want a feature-rich tiling window manager with both Niri-style scrolling columns and Dwindle BSP, packaged as a developer-signed and notarized app. Its distinguishing features include a Ghostty-powered quake terminal, a unified command palette, and IPC/CLI automation via omniwmctl — tools that complement tiling workflows but are typically separate utilities on other platforms. No SIP disabling is required, and the project states it never will require it.

How It Works

OmniWM provides two layout engines switchable per-workspace: orientation-aware Niri-style scrolling columns (windows arrange in columns that scroll horizontally) and Hyprland-style Dwindle BSP (recursive binary splitting). The Ghostty-powered quake terminal (via libghostty) drops down from the top of the screen with a hotkey — a persistent terminal that's always one key away without cluttering your layout. The unified command palette lets you fuzzy-search commands and windows from anywhere, and Overview mode zooms out to show all workspaces with window thumbnails. Scratchpads offer ten floating-window slots, and a workspace bar shows named, emoji-capable virtual workspaces per display. Configuration lives in a TOML file, and the bundled omniwmctl CLI (disabled by default, enabled in Settings) drives window management, workspace control, automation rules, and event subscriptions for external scripting.

Configuration

# ~/.config/omniwm/settings.toml
[scratchpads.labels]
1 = "term"
3 = "COMMS"

[[appRules]]
bundleId = "net.kovidgoyal.kitty"
initialContainerPrimarySpan = 0.5

Compared to Alternatives

Compared to Paneru (scrollable columns only, no SIP), OmniWM adds Dwindle BSP, the Ghostty quake terminal, scratchpads, and IPC/CLI, but requires macOS 26 on Apple Silicon vs. Paneru's broader compatibility. Compared to AeroSpace (i3-style, broad macOS support), OmniWM adds the scrolling column layout and built-in terminal/automation utilities. Compared to Nehir (a focused fork of OmniWM built around scrolling columns only), OmniWM retains multiple layout engines and the fuller feature set.

Requirements

  • macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later, Apple Silicon only
  • No SIP disabling required — the project states it never will require it
  • Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions required (Screen Recording optional)
  • Free and open-source under GPL-2.0 — source at github.com/BarutSRB/OmniWM

Getting Started

Install via Homebrew (brew tap BarutSRB/tap && brew install omniwm), Nix, or by downloading from the GitHub releases page and extracting to /Applications. Grant Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions, then configure layout, app rules, scratchpads, and keybindings via Settings or the TOML file at ~/.config/omniwm/settings.toml. Full docs are at omniwm.app.

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