AeroSpace Config (Niri-style Keybindings)

A macOS tiling window manager configuration for AeroSpace that mirrors Niri keybindings for users who want consistent muscle memory across Linux and macOS.

Installation

1. Install AeroSpace via Homebrew:

   brew install --cask nikitabobko/tap/aerospace

2. Copy aerospace.toml to ~/.config/aerospace/aerospace.toml

3. Launch AeroSpace or reload config:

   aerospace reload-config

Keybindings

Applications

Binding	Action
Cmd+Enter	Open terminal (Ghostty)
Cmd+Shift+Enter	Open floating terminal
Cmd+Shift+F	Open Finder
Cmd+Shift+E	Open TextEdit
Cmd+Shift+W	Open Safari

Window Management

Binding	Action
Cmd+Q	Close focused window
Cmd+F	Toggle fullscreen
Cmd+C	Balance window sizes
Cmd+Space	Toggle floating/tiling
Cmd+Shift+Space	Focus previous window
Cmd+W	Toggle accordion (tabbed) layout

Focus Movement

Binding	Action
Cmd+←/↓/↑/→	Focus window in direction
Cmd+H/J/K/L	Focus window (vim-style)
Cmd+Home	Focus first window in workspace
Cmd+End	Focus last window in workspace

Move Windows

Binding	Action
Cmd+Ctrl+←/↓/↑/→	Move window in direction
Cmd+Ctrl+H/J/K/L	Move window (vim-style)

Monitor Focus

Binding	Action
Cmd+Shift+←/↓/↑/→	Focus monitor in direction
Cmd+Shift+H/J/K/L	Focus monitor (vim-style)

Move Window to Monitor

Binding	Action
Cmd+Shift+Ctrl+←/↓/↑/→	Move window to monitor
Cmd+Shift+Ctrl+H/J/K/L	Move window to monitor (vim-style)

Workspaces

Binding	Action
Cmd+1-9	Switch to workspace 1-9
Cmd+Ctrl+1-9	Move window to workspace 1-9
Cmd+U / Cmd+PageUp	Previous workspace
Cmd+I / Cmd+PageDown	Next workspace
Cmd+Ctrl+U / Cmd+Ctrl+PageUp	Move window to previous workspace
Cmd+Ctrl+I / Cmd+Ctrl+PageDown	Move window to next workspace
Cmd+Tab	Toggle between last two workspaces

Window Joining (Column Operations)

Binding	Action
Cmd+[	Join with window on left
Cmd+]	Join with window on right
Cmd+,	Join with window below
Cmd+.	Move window right
Cmd+V	Join with window below
Cmd+B	Join with window right

Resize

Binding	Action
Cmd+-	Decrease width
Cmd+=	Increase width
Cmd+Shift+-	Decrease height
Cmd+Shift+=	Increase height
Cmd+G	Decrease size (smart)
Cmd+Shift+G	Increase size (smart)
Cmd+Ctrl+G	Balance sizes

Resize Mode

Binding	Action
Cmd+R	Enter resize mode
H / ←	Decrease width
L / →	Increase width
J / ↓	Increase height
K / ↑	Decrease height
Enter / Esc	Exit resize mode

Misc

Binding	Action
Cmd+Shift+/	Show hotkeys dialog
Cmd+O	Mission Control (overview)
Ctrl+Alt+L	Sleep display (lock)
Cmd+Shift+C	Reload config

Mental Model

Modifier Pattern

Modifier	Purpose
Cmd	Focus / basic action
Cmd+Ctrl	Move window
Cmd+Shift	Monitor operations
Cmd+Shift+Ctrl	Move window to monitor

Navigation Pattern

• Arrows or HJKL for directional movement
• Numbers (1-9) for specific workspaces
• U/I or PageUp/PageDown for sequential workspace navigation

Niri vs AeroSpace Differences

Niri Feature	AeroSpace Equivalent
Scrollable desktop	Discrete workspaces
Overview	Mission Control
Consume/expel columns	join-with / move
Column width presets	Manual resize commands
Center column	balance-sizes
Tabbed columns	layout accordion

Customization

Edit ~/.config/aerospace/aerospace.toml to:

• Change the default terminal (replace Ghostty with your preferred terminal)
• Adjust gap sizes in the [gaps] section
• Add workspace-to-monitor assignments
• Modify keybindings to taste

License

MIT