{
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  "name": "Amethyst",
  "description": "Free, open-source automatic tiling window manager for macOS modelled on xmonad, with eleven window layouts, a full keyboard command set and Homebrew installation.",
  "url": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/amethyst/",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/amethyst/",
  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
  "applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "Ian Ynda-Hummel",
    "url": "https://github.com/ianyh"
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  "sameAs": [
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  "softwareVersion": "0.24.3",
  "license": "MIT",
  "offers": {
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    "price": "0",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
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    "id": "software:amethyst",
    "slug": "amethyst",
    "name": "Amethyst",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "window manager",
    "description": "Free, open-source automatic tiling window manager for macOS modelled on xmonad, with eleven window layouts, a full keyboard command set and Homebrew installation.",
    "shortDescription": "Automatic tiling window manager for macOS, modelled on xmonad.",
    "answer": "Amethyst tiles your windows automatically. Instead of arranging them yourself, you pick a layout — Tall, Wide, Two Pane, three-column variants, fullscreen, floating or binary space partitioning — and Amethyst places every window in it, rearranging as windows open and close. It is explicitly modelled on xmonad, the X11 tiling manager, and it keeps that heritage in the keyboard commands, which mostly map to xmonad key combinations. Layouts can be disabled so they drop out of the cycle, and the modifier keys are configurable. It needs Accessibility permission, runs on macOS 10.15 or later, is installed with a Homebrew cask, and is free and open source under the MIT licence.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/amethyst/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/amethyst.json",
    "categories": [
      "system-tools"
    ],
    "tags": [],
    "platform": [
      "macOS"
    ],
    "minOsVersion": "macOS 10.15",
    "architecture": [],
    "featured": false,
    "pricing": "open-source",
    "pricingDescription": "Free and open source under the MIT licence, with no paid tier and no account. The project states that Amethyst is free and always will be, and its author asks people to donate to technology-oriented organisations rather than to him.",
    "license": "MIT",
    "currentVersion": "0.24.3",
    "releaseDate": "2026-04-05",
    "openSource": true,
    "website": "https://ianyh.com/amethyst/",
    "documentation": "https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst/blob/development/docs/troubleshooting.md",
    "github": "https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst",
    "download": "https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst/releases/download/v0.24.3/Amethyst.zip",
    "developer": {
      "name": "Ian Ynda-Hummel",
      "website": "https://github.com/ianyh"
    },
    "features": [
      "Automatic tiling: windows are arranged by the application rather than dragged into place",
      "Eleven layouts — Tall, Tall-Right, Wide, Two Pane, three 3-Column variants, Fullscreen, Floating, Binary Space Partitioning and a beta Custom layout",
      "Layouts can be individually enabled or disabled, so unused ones drop out of the cycle",
      "A full keyboard command set, largely mapped to xmonad key combinations",
      "Configurable modifier keys, with two in use by default and two more optional",
      "Commands to throw windows to any of ten spaces, and to move focus between screens",
      "Cycle layouts forward and backwards with a single shortcut each",
      "Toggle floating for one window, or global tiling for everything",
      "Installable with a Homebrew cask as well as by direct download"
    ],
    "useCases": [
      "Having every window sized and positioned automatically as you open and close them",
      "Cycling between different layouts for different kinds of work",
      "Driving window management entirely from the keyboard",
      "Trying a tiling workflow on macOS without giving up System Integrity Protection"
    ],
    "formats": [],
    "integrations": [],
    "pros": [
      {
        "text": "Tiles windows automatically, so they are arranged by layout rather than by hand.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Offers eleven layouts including Tall, Wide, Two Pane, three-column variants, Fullscreen, Floating and Binary Space Partitioning.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Layouts can be enabled or disabled individually, which controls whether they appear in the cycle at all.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Commands largely map to xmonad key combinations, so the keyboard model is familiar to anyone coming from that window manager.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Free and open source under the MIT licence, and the project states that Amethyst is free and always will be.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Can be installed with a Homebrew cask, as well as by direct download.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "Requires Accessibility API permission before it can manage other applications' windows.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The Mission Control setting 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' has to be disabled, or keyboard navigation between spaces becomes unpredictable.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Only supported on macOS 10.15 and later.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "One of the eleven layouts, Custom, is marked beta rather than finished.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "It enforces a tiling model, so there is no way to use it as a conventional free-form window manager.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "whoIsItFor": [
      "People coming from a Linux tiling window manager such as xmonad who want the same model on a Mac",
      "Users who want automatic tiling without running a command-line tool and editing a config file"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Anyone who wants to position windows manually — tiling is the whole premise",
      "Users unwilling to grant Accessibility access and change a Mission Control setting"
    ],
    "limitations": [
      "Requires permission to use the accessibility APIs, granted in Privacy & Security",
      "The Mission Control setting 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' should be disabled, because it makes keyboard navigation between spaces unpredictable",
      "The beta Custom layout is experimental rather than finished",
      "Whether the current release ships as a universal binary for Apple silicon is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
      "installation": {
        "value": "Downloaded from the project's releases page, or installed with the Homebrew cask `brew install --cask amethyst`.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "Amethyst must be given permission to use the accessibility APIs, granted under Privacy & Security in System Settings, before it can manage windows.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "systemIntegration": {
        "value": "Runs in the background managing every window through the accessibility APIs; the project also advises disabling the Mission Control setting that rearranges spaces by recent use.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "appleSilicon": {
        "value": null,
        "status": "unknown"
      }
    },
    "updates": [],
    "faq": [
      {
        "question": "Is Amethyst free?",
        "answer": "Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, and the project states that Amethyst is free and always will be. Its author asks people to donate to technology-oriented organisations rather than to him.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "What layouts does Amethyst offer?",
        "answer": "Eleven: Tall, Tall-Right, Wide, Two Pane, 3Column-Left, 3Column-Middle, 3Column-Right, Fullscreen, Floating, Binary Space Partitioning, and a Custom layout that is marked beta. Layouts can also be enabled or disabled so they drop out of the cycle.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "What permissions does Amethyst need?",
        "answer": "It must be given permission to use the accessibility APIs, in the Privacy & Security tab under Accessibility. The project also advises disabling 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' in Mission Control, because that setting makes keyboard navigation between spaces unpredictable.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Which macOS versions does Amethyst support?",
        "answer": "macOS 10.15 and later — the project states that it is now only supported on 10.15 or above.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "How do I install Amethyst?",
        "answer": "Either from the project's releases page or with Homebrew: `brew install --cask amethyst`.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "repository",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "target": "yabai",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both are tiling window managers for macOS modelled on X11 tools, but yabai is a command-line utility configured through a file with optional System Integrity Protection changes, while Amethyst is a graphical application that asks only for Accessibility permission.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "rectangle-app",
        "type": "competitor",
        "reason": "Both arrange windows from the keyboard, but Rectangle snaps a window to a position on request while Amethyst keeps a continuous tiling layout that rearranges itself automatically.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "alttab",
        "type": "complements",
        "reason": "Amethyst decides where windows sit and AltTab decides which one you switch to, so they cover different halves of navigating a crowded screen.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "amethyst:official",
        "type": "official_website",
        "url": "https://ianyh.com/amethyst/",
        "title": "Amethyst — official website",
        "trustLevel": "B",
        "accessedAt": null
      },
      {
        "id": "amethyst:developer",
        "type": "developer",
        "url": "https://github.com/ianyh",
        "title": "Ian Ynda-Hummel — developer website",
        "trustLevel": "B",
        "accessedAt": null
      },
      {
        "id": "amethyst:documentation",
        "type": "documentation",
        "url": "https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst/blob/development/docs/troubleshooting.md",
        "title": "Amethyst — documentation",
        "trustLevel": "C",
        "accessedAt": null
      },
      {
        "id": "amethyst:repository",
        "type": "github",
        "url": "https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst",
        "title": "Amethyst — source repository",
        "trustLevel": "D",
        "accessedAt": null
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
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        "id": "software:amethyst.isA",
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        "value": "window manager",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.supportsPlatform",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "supportsPlatform",
        "value": [
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        ],
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.officialWebsite",
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        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.listedInCategory",
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        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.pricingModel",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "pricingModel",
        "value": "Open source",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.developedBy",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "developedBy",
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        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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          "amethyst:official"
        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.ownership",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "ownership",
        "value": "Third-party product — not published by Nuanyue",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.isOpenSource",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
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        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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          "amethyst:official"
        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.licensedUnder",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "licensedUnder",
        "value": "MIT",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.currentVersion",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "currentVersion",
        "value": "0.24.3",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.hasFeature",
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        "value": [
          "Automatic tiling: windows are arranged by the application rather than dragged into place",
          "Eleven layouts — Tall, Tall-Right, Wide, Two Pane, three 3-Column variants, Fullscreen, Floating, Binary Space Partitioning and a beta Custom layout",
          "Layouts can be individually enabled or disabled, so unused ones drop out of the cycle",
          "A full keyboard command set, largely mapped to xmonad key combinations",
          "Configurable modifier keys, with two in use by default and two more optional",
          "Commands to throw windows to any of ten spaces, and to move focus between screens",
          "Cycle layouts forward and backwards with a single shortcut each",
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        ],
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.usedFor",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "usedFor",
        "value": [
          "Having every window sized and positioned automatically as you open and close them",
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          "Driving window management entirely from the keyboard",
          "Trying a tiling workflow on macOS without giving up System Integrity Protection"
        ],
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.audienceFor",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "audienceFor",
        "value": [
          "People coming from a Linux tiling window manager such as xmonad who want the same model on a Mac",
          "Users who want automatic tiling without running a command-line tool and editing a config file"
        ],
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.audienceNotFor",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
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        "value": [
          "Anyone who wants to position windows manually — tiling is the whole premise",
          "Users unwilling to grant Accessibility access and change a Mission Control setting"
        ],
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.limitation",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "limitation",
        "value": [
          "Requires permission to use the accessibility APIs, granted in Privacy & Security",
          "The Mission Control setting 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' should be disabled, because it makes keyboard navigation between spaces unpredictable",
          "The beta Custom layout is experimental rather than finished",
          "Whether the current release ships as a universal binary for Apple silicon is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks"
        ],
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "sourceIds": [],
        "lastVerified": null
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.0",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Tiles windows automatically, so they are arranged by layout rather than by hand.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
          "amethyst:repository"
        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.1",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Offers eleven layouts including Tall, Wide, Two Pane, three-column variants, Fullscreen, Floating and Binary Space Partitioning.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.2",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Layouts can be enabled or disabled individually, which controls whether they appear in the cycle at all.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.3",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Commands largely map to xmonad key combinations, so the keyboard model is familiar to anyone coming from that window manager.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
          "amethyst:repository"
        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.4",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Free and open source under the MIT licence, and the project states that Amethyst is free and always will be.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.advantage.5",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "advantage",
        "value": "Can be installed with a Homebrew cask, as well as by direct download.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.drawback.0",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "drawback",
        "value": "Requires Accessibility API permission before it can manage other applications' windows.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
          "amethyst:repository"
        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.drawback.1",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "drawback",
        "value": "The Mission Control setting 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' has to be disabled, or keyboard navigation between spaces becomes unpredictable.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.drawback.2",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
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        "value": "Only supported on macOS 10.15 and later.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.drawback.3",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
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        "value": "One of the eleven layouts, Custom, is marked beta rather than finished.",
        "status": "verified",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      },
      {
        "id": "software:amethyst.drawback.4",
        "subject": "software:amethyst",
        "predicate": "drawback",
        "value": "It enforces a tiling model, so there is no way to use it as a conventional free-form window manager.",
        "status": "derived",
        "sourceIds": [
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        ],
        "lastVerified": "2026-10-05"
      }
    ],
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z",
    "lastReviewedAt": null
  }
}