# komorebi for Mac: what it is, and how it compares Source: https://chainyourmac.com/komorebi-for-mac Updated: 2026-09-18 · Author: Ahmed Gagan (maker of ChainYourMac) Yes, komorebi runs on macOS: **komorebi for Mac** is an official, separate project from the same author. Here's what we could verify about it, and when a different Mac tool might suit you better. > **tl;dr:** Yes, there's a komorebi for Mac: [LGUG2Z/komorebi-for-mac](https://github.com/LGUG2Z/komorebi-for-mac), at v0.1.1 as of September 2026, installable with Homebrew, with a `scrolling` layout in its CLI docs. It uses the same license as komorebi: free for personal use, paid for work use. If you already use komorebi on Windows and want the same tool on your Mac, try it first. If you'd prefer a GUI-first, notarized app built only around scrolling, that's what [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) is for. ## komorebi, in one paragraph [komorebi](https://github.com/LGUG2Z/komorebi) is a tiling window manager for Windows by LGUG2Z (v0.1.41 and about 15.2k GitHub stars as of September 2026). It added a scrolling layout in v0.1.38 (September 2025), the same model Niri and PaperWM use: windows side by side on a strip you scroll through. ## komorebi for Mac: what we could verify The Mac version exists and is a separate repository from the same author: [komorebi-for-mac](https://github.com/LGUG2Z/komorebi-for-mac). Here's what we could confirm from the project itself, as of September 2026: - **Releases:** v0.1.0 on March 2, 2026 and v0.1.1 on May 3, 2026. The version number shows it's early. - **Install:** `brew install lgug2z/tap/komorebi-for-mac`. - **Scrolling:** the CLI documentation lists a `scrolling` layout. - **License:** the same terms as komorebi. That's the Komorebi License 2.0.0, a fork of PolyForm Strict. It's free for personal use, and using it at work needs a paid Individual Commercial Use License. - **Nightlies:** nightly builds live in a private repository available to some GitHub Sponsors tiers. What we *couldn't* verify: whether it needs any SIP changes, which macOS versions it supports, how its config works on macOS, and how complete it is compared with the Windows version. For those, read the project's README before installing. We'd rather send you to the source than guess. ## A note on the license Worth being precise here. komorebi and komorebi for Mac are **source-available, not open source** by the OSI definition. The code is public, but the Komorebi License 2.0.0 restricts use. For personal use it costs nothing. If you use it for work, the author asks you to buy an Individual Commercial Use License. That's a fair model, just check which side of it you're on before you set it up on a work laptop. If "free and open source" is a hard requirement, the Mac scrolling options that meet it are [OmniWM](https://github.com/BarutSRB/OmniWM) (GPL-2.0, needs macOS 26 Tahoe) and [PaperWM.spoon](https://github.com/mogenson/PaperWM.spoon) (MIT, runs inside Hammerspoon). ## komorebi for Mac vs ChainYourMac | | komorebi for Mac | ChainYourMac | |---|---|---| | Version (Sept 2026) | v0.1.1 | 2.0 | | Layouts | Includes scrolling (per CLI docs) | Scrolling only, with stacks and tabbed columns | | Setup | Homebrew tap, CLI | Notarized app; grant Accessibility | | Settings | See the README | Full GUI, changes apply instantly | | SIP changes | See the README | None | | Also runs on Windows | Yes, via komorebi | No, macOS only | | Source | Source-available (Komorebi License 2.0.0) | Closed source | | Price | Free for personal use; paid license for work use | $9.99 one time, lifetime license | The biggest reason to pick komorebi for Mac is **one tool on both machines**. If you have a Windows PC at work and a Mac at home, or the other way round, having the same window manager and the same CLI on both is worth a lot. ChainYourMac can't give you that. ## What ChainYourMac does differently [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) is a native scrolling window manager for Macs with Apple silicon on macOS 13 Ventura or later. It's a SwiftUI app with a Rust engine, notarized by Apple, with no SIP changes, kernel extensions or scripting additions. It only needs the Accessibility permission. It isn't a multi-layout tiler that also scrolls. Scrolling is the whole app: - **The strip.** Windows sit side by side on an endless horizontal strip. Opening a window never resizes the others. - **GUI first.** Every setting has a panel and applies instantly, with no Save button. A shortcut recorder handles AZERTY, QWERTZ and Dvorak. There's a TOML file (`~/.paneru`) underneath, but you never have to open it. - **Trackpad.** A three- or four-finger swipe follows your fingers, then glides to the nearest window. - **Columns you can shape.** Stacks, tabbed columns, width presets, full width, and centering the focused column. - **macOS citizen.** Works with Spaces, gives each display its own strip, restores your layout after a restart, and brings every off-screen window back when you quit. - **Scriptable when you want it.** A `chainyourmac` CLI, a `chainyourmac://` URL scheme and Raycast script commands. Honest limits: it's paid, closed source, Apple silicon only, and macOS-only. Like every Mac window manager, it can't push windows fully off screen, so a small sliver of a hidden window can show in a bottom corner (setting "Gap at Screen Edges" to 0 hides almost all of it). The live demo on this page is a working model of ChainYourMac, not a video, so you can try the feel before you decide. ## Coming from komorebi's scrolling layout on Windows? If you've been using komorebi's scrolling layout on a Windows PC, the core idea carries over to ChainYourMac: windows as columns on a strip, the focused one in view, the rest a keystroke away. The keys differ. ChainYourMac defaults to Option+H/J/K/L (or Option+arrows) to move focus and Option+Shift with the same keys to move a window, and you can rebind any of them in the shortcut recorder. Width works through presets: Option+R cycles them, and Ctrl+Option+Shift+= or - makes a column wider or narrower. Option+C centers the focused column. What won't carry over is your config file, since ChainYourMac is set up through its GUI. ## Who should use what ### Use komorebi for Mac if… - you already use komorebi on Windows and want the same tool and CLI on your Mac; - you're comfortable with an early v0.1 release and a CLI-driven setup; - you're using it personally, or you're happy to buy the commercial license for work. ### Use OmniWM or PaperWM.spoon if… - you want free and open source. OmniWM if you're on macOS 26 Tahoe, PaperWM.spoon if you already use Hammerspoon. See the [full roundup](https://chainyourmac.com/best-scrolling-window-managers-for-mac). ### Use ChainYourMac if… - scrolling is the layout you want, and you'd like a tool built only around it; - you want a notarized app with a full settings GUI instead of a CLI setup; - you're on macOS 13 through 26 and want trackpad swipes, stacks and tabs that work out of the box. **Want scrolling without a CLI setup?** ChainYourMac is a notarized, GUI-first scrolling window manager for macOS 13 and later. Install it, grant Accessibility, and start scrolling. Price and checkout: https://chainyourmac.com/#pricing (one-time purchase, lifetime license; macOS 13+ on Apple silicon). ## FAQ ### Is there a komorebi for Mac? Yes. [komorebi for Mac](https://github.com/LGUG2Z/komorebi-for-mac) is a separate repository from komorebi's author, LGUG2Z. Its first release, v0.1.0, came out on March 2, 2026, and v0.1.1 on May 3, 2026. Install it with `brew install lgug2z/tap/komorebi-for-mac`. ### Does komorebi for Mac have a scrolling layout? Its CLI documentation lists a `scrolling` layout. The Windows version of komorebi has had a scrolling layout since v0.1.38 (September 2025). How the Mac version behaves in daily use is best checked in the project's README and issues. ### Is komorebi for Mac free? It uses the same terms as komorebi: the Komorebi License 2.0.0, a fork of PolyForm Strict. It's free for personal use, and using it at work needs a paid Individual Commercial Use License. It's source-available, not OSI open source. ### Is komorebi open source? Not by the OSI definition. The source is public on GitHub, but the Komorebi License 2.0.0 is based on PolyForm Strict and restricts commercial use. If you need a free, open-source scrolling window manager on a Mac, look at [OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm) (GPL-2.0, macOS 26+) or [PaperWM.spoon](https://chainyourmac.com/paperwm-spoon-setup) (MIT). ### How is ChainYourMac different from komorebi for Mac? [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) does only one thing, scrolling tiling, and is built around a GUI: every setting has a panel and applies instantly, and shortcuts are recorded, not typed into a file. It's notarized by Apple, needs no SIP changes, and is a paid one-time purchase for Apple silicon Macs on macOS 13 or later. ## Related - [ChainYourMac vs OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm) — Two no-SIP scrolling tilers. Which macOS you run decides it. - [Best scrolling window managers for Mac](https://chainyourmac.com/best-scrolling-window-managers-for-mac) — Every option in 2026, ranked honestly — free ones included. - [ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace) — i3-style tree tiling vs the strip — and the Spaces question. - [Scrolling window managers, explained](https://chainyourmac.com/what-is-a-scrolling-window-manager) — The strip model, and how scrolling differs from tiling.