Kitsmith / Utilities / Hammerspoon
A free, open-source Lua bridge to macOS system APIs — not a dedicated window manager itself, but the deepest way to script your own custom window-tiling behavior.
Our take
Hammerspoon is a general automation framework, not a single-purpose window manager: it exposes macOS APIs (windows, screens, audio, battery, wifi, clipboard, and more) to a Lua scripting engine, and you write a config file to connect events to actions. Its most common real-world use, and the reason it shows up in window-manager roundups, is exactly that: people write Lua scripts for xmonad-style tiling, using pre-made community packages (“Spoons”) or from scratch. That flexibility is also the cost of entry — unlike the other tools in this section, Hammerspoon does nothing until you script it. Community-maintained (“Lots of people!”, per the project’s own site) with an active Discord.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
Do you use Hammerspoon?
Who made this
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What it does
Full macOS API surface
Windows, screens, audio devices, battery, wifi, clipboard, mouse, and low-level keyboard events, all scriptable.
Spoons
Pre-made, shareable Lua plugins — including window-tiling ones — so you don’t have to script everything from scratch.
Event-driven config
Bind a keyboard shortcut, a wifi network change, or a battery threshold to any action you write.
The deal
- Free and open source
Worth knowing: A general Lua automation framework, not a dedicated window manager out of the box — window tiling is something you (or a community “Spoon”) script on top of it, not a built-in feature like the other apps in this section.
Hammerspoon — questions people ask
Is Hammerspoon a window manager?
Not by itself — it’s a general macOS automation framework. Tiling window management is something you script yourself, often using a community “Spoon,” which is why it shows up in window-manager lists.
Is Hammerspoon free?
Yes, free and open source.
Do I need to know Lua to use Hammerspoon?
To get real use out of it, yes — out of the box it does nothing until you write or install a config. Its Getting Started guide and community Spoons lower the bar somewhat.
Is Hammerspoon free?
Yes — Hammerspoon is free.
Does Hammerspoon work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Hammerspoon lives in the menu bar, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Hammerspoon?
Hammerspoon is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Is Hammerspoon open source?
Yes — Hammerspoon is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 30, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
How Hammerspoon compares
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