Niri is a Linux compositor, so it will never run on macOS. The workflow does. Here are the real Niri-style options for Mac in 2026 — free and paid — and which one fits you.
Niri is a Wayland compositor, so a macOS port is impossible. On a Mac you get the same endless-strip workflow from a native app instead: ChainYourMac (paid, macOS 13 and later), OmniWM (free, macOS 26 Tahoe only) or PaperWM.spoon (free, Lua in Hammerspoon). If you're on Linux, just use Niri — it's excellent.
Try it right here — this is a working model of ChainYourMac, not a video.
A working model of ChainYourMac, not a video. Drag a title bar to reorder, click a Dock icon to open an app, close a window with its red button. In the real app every key here is ⌥ plus the key.
Niri is a scrollable-tiling Wayland compositor written in Rust. Instead of cramming windows into a grid, it lays them side by side on an infinite horizontal strip. Open a new window and it slides in next to the focused one — nothing else moves, nothing else resizes. You scroll through your windows the way you scroll a timeline.
That one decision fixes the thing people quietly hate about traditional tiling: the reflow. In a grid tiler every new window renegotiates the whole layout. On Niri's strip your editor stays exactly as wide as you left it. It's no mystery why "niri macos" became a search query.
Niri isn't an app; it's a compositor. On Linux it replaces the whole display layer — it owns every pixel, every window, every monitor. macOS doesn't allow that: Apple's WindowServer is a fixed part of the operating system and no third-party software can swap it out.
So a "Niri port" is off the table by architecture, not effort. Everything that brings scrollable tiling to macOS works with the system instead — moving windows through the Accessibility API while Apple's compositor keeps drawing them.
As of September 2026 these are the real ways to get a scrolling strip on a Mac:
| ChainYourMac | OmniWM | PaperWM.spoon | Niri | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | macOS 13+ (Apple silicon) | macOS 26 Tahoe+ (Apple silicon) | macOS, inside Hammerspoon | Linux only |
| Layout | Scrolling strip + stacks, tabbed columns | Niri-style scrolling or Dwindle, per workspace | Scrolling strip | Scrolling strip |
| Setup | Drag a DMG, GUI settings | Homebrew cask, GUI + TOML | Clone a Spoon, edit init.lua | Distro packages, config file |
| SIP changes | None | None | None | n/a |
| Price | $9.99 one time | Free, open source | Free, open source | Free, open source |
| Support | Email the developer | GitHub | GitHub | GitHub |
Also worth knowing: Nehir is a scrolling-only fork of OmniWM, and komorebi for Mac (early, v0.1.x) lists a scrolling layout. Grid tilers like yabai and AeroSpace are not Niri alternatives — they reflow, which is exactly what Niri exists to avoid (vs AeroSpace, vs yabai).
That sentence is how ChainYourMac started. It's the Niri idea rebuilt with Mac-native ergonomics:
They live on different operating systems, but if you're weighing a Linux setup against staying on your Mac:
| Niri | ChainYourMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Linux (Wayland) | macOS 13+ on Apple silicon |
| Price | Free, open source | $9.99 one time, lifetime |
| Layout model | Infinite horizontal strip | Infinite horizontal strip |
| Runs as | Full compositor (owns the display) | Native app via the Accessibility API |
| Engine | Rust | Rust engine + SwiftUI app |
| Configuration | Text config file | GUI, applies instantly |
| Install | Distro packages, session setup | Drag DMG to Applications |
Being a compositor gives Niri deeper control — it draws every frame itself. ChainYourMac works within Apple's compositor, which is exactly what makes it installable in two minutes on a normal, unmodified Mac. The honest side effect: macOS never lets an app push a window completely off screen, so a small tab of a hidden window can peek from a bottom corner.
Most of the muscle memory carries over. Focus moves along the strip with Option+H / Option+L (or Option+arrows) on a fresh install, Option+Shift moves the window, Option+R cycles a column through your width presets, Option+F goes full width and Option+C centers the column. Windows past the screen edge glide back in when focused — the same "your desk keeps going past the monitor" feeling.
What's different is the surrounding system. You keep macOS: Spaces, Mission Control, your apps. What you give up is compositor-level theming — no shaders, no custom blur. ChainYourMac manages window geometry; Apple still draws the pixels.
No. Niri is a Wayland compositor — it replaces the display server of a Linux system. macOS's WindowServer can't be replaced, so Niri can never be ported. What you can get on a Mac is the same scrollable-tiling model as a native app: ChainYourMac, OmniWM (macOS 26+) or PaperWM.spoon.
It depends on your macOS version and how much you like tinkering. On macOS 13–15, ChainYourMac is the polished native option. On macOS 26 Tahoe, OmniWM is a strong free option. If you already live in Hammerspoon, PaperWM.spoon is free and scriptable. Full ranking: best scrolling window managers for Mac.
No. It's an independent macOS app built on the same scrolling model that Niri and PaperWM use — it shares the idea and the strip layout, not Niri's code. It began with the maker's line: "Niri wasn't for Mac, so I made one."
The engine is. ChainYourMac pairs a Rust engine, which does the window management, with a native SwiftUI app for settings. No Electron, no web runtime.
No. ChainYourMac installs like any Mac app — drag the DMG to Applications and grant the standard Accessibility permission every window manager needs. Every setting has a GUI; no SIP changes, no kernel extensions.
On a fresh install: Option+H/L (or Option+←/→) moves focus along the strip, Option+Shift+H/L moves the window, Option+R cycles the column width, Option+F makes it full width and Option+C centers it. Every shortcut is rebindable — see all shortcuts.