Installation

Requirements

• macOS 26+ (Tahoe) on Apple Silicon
• Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions (required at launch)
• Screen Recording permission for Overview thumbnails, drag previews, and captured Hidden Bar glyphs (optional)
• Displays have separate Spaces ON (the macOS default; OmniWM pauses window management until it is enabled)

Homebrew

brew tap BarutSRB/tap
brew install omniwm

Then finish with the first-launch setup below.

Nix

OmniWM supports both community-maintained Nix packages below, alongside a real-world Home Manager configuration example. The packages install official OmniWM release artifacts, while their Nix expressions are maintained by DoomHammer and DavSanchez respectively.

Package or example	Best for	Packaging or configuration difference
DoomHammer NUR package	Fast release tracking	Its current unzip extraction does not preserve the release’s valid Developer ID signature, and it installs the app bundle without exposing omniwmctl on PATH.
DavSanchez package and Home Manager module	Signature-preserving, declarative integration	It may trail the latest release, but its bsdtar extraction preserves code signing and it provides omniwmctl, Home Manager settings, and launchd integration.
ryoppippi Home Manager configuration	Real-world declarative setup example	It builds on DavSanchez’s module, enables launchd, and merges a tracked settings template while preserving GUI-managed, machine-specific monitor settings.

Install the fast-tracking DoomHammer package directly:

nix profile install github:DoomHammer/nur-packages#omniwm

Existing NUR configurations can use nur.repos.doomhammer.omniwm.

Install the signature-preserving DavSanchez package directly:

nix profile install github:DavSanchez/nix-dotfiles#omniwm

For a declarative setup, use DavSanchez’s exported homeModules.omniwm and overlays.additions. After either installation, finish with the first-launch setup below.

GitHub Releases

1. Download the latest OmniWM-v<version>.zip app archive from Releases.
2. Extract and move OmniWM.app to /Applications.
3. Continue with the first-launch setup.

First-launch setup

1. In System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Mission Control, turn ON Displays have separate Spaces.
2. Log out of macOS and log back in for that change to take effect, unless you had it on already.
3. Launch OmniWM and grant Accessibility and Input Monitoring when prompted. Both are required at launch.
4. Optionally grant Screen Recording for capture-derived visuals: Overview thumbnails, drag previews, and captured Hidden Bar glyphs.

Note

An optional System Hyper Trigger (acting as the Hyper chord while a key or mouse button is held) also needs the Input Monitoring permission. See Keyboard Shortcuts.

Updates

OmniWM checks for updates by default:

• On launch, OmniWM polls the latest GitHub release at most once per day.
• Updates stay manual. OmniWM does not auto-download or auto-install a new release.
• When a newer release is available, OmniWM shows a centered popup with release notes and actions for Open Release Page, Copy brew upgrade omniwm, Skip This Version, and Not Now.
• You can control this from Settings > General > Updates or trigger a manual check from the status bar menu with Check for Updates....