ClutterFreeMac vs yabai
yabai is a powerful grid tiler driven by a config file, and some features need SIP partly off. ClutterFreeMac scrolls instead of splitting, with no setup.
yabai is a free, open source tiling window manager for macOS. It splits the screen with a binary layout, is configured with a shell script, and is usually paired with a separate hotkey daemon for shortcuts. Some of its features, such as moving windows between Spaces, ask you to partly turn off System Integrity Protection.
Splitting versus scrolling
In yabai, every new window splits an existing one, so each window gets smaller as you open more. In ClutterFreeMac, each new window gets its own column on a strip and nothing shrinks.
| yabai | ClutterFreeMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Binary split grid | Scrolling strip of columns |
| Setup | Config file and a hotkey daemon | Settings window |
| Security settings | Some features need SIP partly off | Nothing to change |
| Permission | Accessibility | Accessibility |
If you came for yabai without SIP
yabai's core tiling works with SIP on; the features that need it off are mostly about Spaces and window effects. If you would rather not touch SIP at all, ClutterFreeMac needs nothing beyond the Accessibility permission.
Questions
Does yabai need SIP disabled?
Not for basic tiling. Some features, such as managing Spaces, need System Integrity Protection partly disabled.
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