# yabai without SIP: what works, what doesn't, and the no-SIP options

Source: https://chainyourmac.com/yabai-without-sip  
Updated: 2026-09-18 · Author: Ahmed Gagan (maker of ChainYourMac)

Short answer: **yabai tiles windows with SIP fully enabled.** Disabling it partially only unlocks a specific list of extras. Here's that list, what the setup really involves, and what to use if you'd rather never touch SIP.

> **tl;dr:** Yes, you can use yabai without disabling SIP. Its BSP tiling works with System Integrity Protection fully on, and the README calls disabling it "optional". You only need SIP partially off for the extras that use a scripting addition in Dock.app: space management, opacity, shadows, animations, scratchpads, window layers, sticky windows and picture-in-picture. If you want to avoid SIP entirely, AeroSpace, OmniWM and [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) never ask for it.

## What yabai does with SIP enabled

[yabai](https://github.com/asmvik/yabai) is a BSP tiling window manager (MIT, about 29.6k GitHub stars, latest release v7.1.25 as of September 2026). The core job, which is tiling windows into `bsp`, `stack` or `float` layouts and focusing, swapping and resizing them from the keyboard, works on a stock Mac with SIP on.

Many setup guides start with disabling SIP, so it's easy to assume it's required. It isn't. That step only exists so yabai can inject a **scripting addition** into Dock.app, and that addition is what powers the features in the table below.

## Which features need SIP partially disabled

This list comes from yabai's wiki page, [Disabling System Integrity Protection](https://github.com/asmvik/yabai/wiki/Disabling-System-Integrity-Protection):

| Feature | Works with SIP on? |
|---|---|
| Tiling (bsp / stack / float), focus, swap, resize | Yes |
| Moving a window to another Space (as of v7.1.25) | Yes |
| Create / destroy / move Spaces, switch Space focus | No, needs the scripting addition |
| Remove window shadows | No |
| Window transparency (opacity) | No |
| Window animations | No |
| Scratchpad windows | No |
| Window layers (topmost / desktop) | No |
| Sticky windows | No |
| Picture-in-picture for any window | No |

If none of the rows marked "No" matter to you, leave SIP alone and use yabai as it is. yabai also has no built-in hotkeys: the README points you to "skhd or any other suitable software". skhd is optional, and any hotkey tool that can run the `yabai` command will work.

## What partially disabling SIP involves

If you do want Spaces control or animations, here's the process from the wiki, summarised so you know the cost up front. Follow the wiki itself when you do it, because it's the source of truth.

1. **Boot into Recovery.** On Apple silicon, shut down, then hold the power button until you see Options.
2. **Partially disable SIP.** In Recovery's Terminal on Apple silicon with macOS 13 or later, run `csrutil enable --without fs --without debug --without nvram`, then reboot.
3. **Set a boot argument.** Back in macOS, run `sudo nvram boot-args=-arm64e_preview_abi` and reboot again.
4. **Add a sudoers entry** at `/private/etc/sudoers.d/yabai` so yabai can load the scripting addition without a password. The entry is pinned to the yabai binary's sha256 hash.
5. **Load the addition from your config.** Add `sudo yabai --load-sa` to your `~/.yabairc`, plus a `dock_did_restart` signal so it reloads whenever the Dock restarts.

### The upkeep people forget

- **Every yabai upgrade:** the binary's hash changes, so you update the sha256 in the sudoers entry. Until you do, the scripting addition won't load.
- **After an Apple Store or service repair:** SIP can come back fully enabled, and you go through the Recovery steps again.
- **After big macOS updates:** the wiki doesn't say you must redo the setup. yabai's changelog does show scripting-addition fixes for particular macOS releases (26.4, 26.6 and 15.7, for example), so read it before you update.

For a lot of power users this is a one-time evening's work and well worth it. For others, the reason they searched "yabai without SIP" isn't really the SIP flag. It's that they don't want a window manager they have to maintain. If that's you, read on.

## No-SIP alternatives, if the real goal is less maintenance

These tiling window managers never ask you to touch SIP:

|  | AeroSpace | OmniWM | ChainYourMac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layout | i3-like tree (tiles, accordion) | Niri-style scrolling or Dwindle, per workspace | Scrolling strip with stacks and tabbed columns |
| SIP changes | Never | None | None |
| macOS | 13+ | 26 Tahoe+, Apple silicon | 13 Ventura+, Apple silicon |
| Config | TOML file, no GUI by design | Settings GUI + TOML | Full GUI (TOML optional) |
| Notarized | No (Homebrew cask) | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free, MIT | Free, GPL-2.0 | $9.99 one time |

### AeroSpace: closest to yabai's tiling

[AeroSpace](https://github.com/nikitabobko/AeroSpace) is an "i3-like" tree tiler that never needs SIP. It gets its own workspaces by *emulating* them rather than using macOS Spaces: windows on inactive workspaces are moved off to a corner of the screen. It's still in public beta (v0.21.3-Beta as of September 2026) and isn't notarized, and it's configured with `~/.aerospace.toml`. If you like yabai's grid and keyboard-driven style and only dislike the SIP part, start here. Head-to-head: [ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace).

### ChainYourMac: scrolling instead of splitting

[ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) takes a different approach from BSP. Windows sit side by side on an endless horizontal strip, opening a window never resizes the others, and you scroll along the strip with the keyboard or a 3- or 4-finger trackpad swipe. It's notarized, needs only the Accessibility permission, and uses no SIP changes, kernel extensions or scripting additions. Settings live in a GUI and apply instantly. You still get stacks, tabbed columns, width presets, per-display strips, animation synced to your display's refresh rate, and a `chainyourmac` CLI plus URL scheme if you script things. It's $9.99 one time for a lifetime license, runs on macOS 13 and later, and needs Apple silicon. The live demo above is a working model of it, not a video.

### OmniWM: free, if you're on Tahoe

[OmniWM](https://github.com/BarutSRB/OmniWM) offers Niri-style scrolling and Hyprland-style Dwindle, chosen per workspace. It needs no SIP changes and is free, open source and very actively developed. The catch is that it requires macOS 26 Tahoe on Apple silicon. Details: [ChainYourMac vs OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm).

## Who should use what

- **Keep yabai with SIP on** if BSP tiling is all you need. You lose nothing on the list above that you'd miss.
- **Keep yabai and partially disable SIP** if you want Spaces control, opacity or scratchpads, and you're fine updating the sudoers hash after each upgrade.
- **Switch to AeroSpace** if you want free, keyboard-first grid tiling and never want to think about SIP.
- **Try OmniWM** if you're on macOS 26 Tahoe and want a free tool with both scrolling and dwindle layouts.
- **Pick ChainYourMac** if you want scrolling tiling that installs like a normal Mac app, is configured in a GUI, and runs on macOS 13 through 26.

For the full feature-by-feature comparison, see [ChainYourMac vs yabai](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-yabai).

**Tiling on a Mac with SIP left exactly as Apple shipped it.** ChainYourMac is a notarized scrolling window manager that needs only the Accessibility permission: no Recovery mode, no sudoers file, no scripting addition. Price and checkout: https://chainyourmac.com/#pricing (one-time purchase, lifetime license; macOS 13+ on Apple silicon).

## FAQ

### Does yabai need SIP disabled?

No. yabai's README lists disabling SIP as optional, and its tiling layouts (`bsp`, `stack`, `float`) work with SIP enabled. Partially disabling SIP lets yabai load a scripting addition into Dock.app, which unlocks extras like space management, window opacity, animations, sticky windows and scratchpads.

### Can yabai create or switch Spaces with SIP enabled?

No. Creating, destroying, moving and focus-switching Spaces all need the scripting addition, and that needs SIP partially disabled. As of yabai v7.1.25 (September 2026), moving a *window* to another Space does work with SIP enabled.

### Do I have to redo the SIP steps after every macOS update?

yabai's wiki doesn't say that. It does say SIP can be switched back on by Apple Store or service repairs, and then you redo the steps. You also update the sudoers entry after every yabai upgrade, because it's pinned to the binary's sha256 hash. The changelog also shows scripting-addition fixes for specific macOS releases, so check it after a big update.

### Which tiling window managers for Mac never need SIP changes?

[AeroSpace](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-aerospace) (i3-like grid, free), [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) (scrolling strip, paid, macOS 13+) and [OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm) (scrolling or dwindle, free, macOS 26 Tahoe only). None of them ask you to change SIP.

### Is it risky to partially disable SIP?

It lowers one of macOS's built-in protections, and that's a trade-off only you can judge. If your Mac is managed by an employer, check the rules first. If you'd rather not think about it at all, pick a window manager that never asks for it.

## Related

- [ChainYourMac vs yabai](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-yabai) — Scrolling strip vs BSP tiling — and the SIP question.
- [AeroSpace alternatives](https://chainyourmac.com/aerospace-alternatives) — Seven Mac window managers for people leaving AeroSpace.
- [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.