Aerospace macos setup

AeroSpace macOS Setup

Core Workflow

Use this skill for hands-on AeroSpace setup and debugging on macOS. Prefer direct verification with the installed aerospace CLI over guessing from docs or memory.

1. Verify installation and runtime:

command -v brew
brew list --cask nikitabobko/tap/aerospace
aerospace --version

If aerospace --version says AeroSpace.app server version: Unknown, the app server is unreachable from the current command context. Try running the same command outside the sandbox with escalation before concluding AeroSpace is stopped.

2. Launch AeroSpace:

open -a AeroSpace
open -b bobko.aerospace

Use the bundle id form when app-name launch looks suspicious.

3. Check Accessibility if the app starts and immediately exits:

open 'x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.preference.security?Privacy_Accessibility'

The user must enable /Applications/AeroSpace.app manually. Logs commonly show TCCAccessRequest for kTCCServiceAccessibility around this failure mode.

4. Confirm the active config path:

aerospace config --config-path

Do not assume ~/.aerospace.toml is active. AeroSpace may still be running with /Applications/AeroSpace.app/Contents/Resources/default-config.toml until aerospace reload-config succeeds.

5. Confirm active bindings:

aerospace config --get mode.main.binding --json

If expected bindings are missing, reload:

aerospace reload-config

User Config

If no user config exists, create one from the bundled default:

cp /Applications/AeroSpace.app/Contents/Resources/default-config.toml ~/.aerospace.toml

Edit ~/.aerospace.toml, usually under [mode.main.binding]. Use apply_patch for manual edits.

For moving a full app/workspace between monitors, prefer workspace movement rather than window movement:

ctrl-alt-shift-up = 'move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around up'
ctrl-alt-shift-down = 'move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around down'

For horizontally arranged monitors:

ctrl-alt-shift-left = 'move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around left'
ctrl-alt-shift-right = 'move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around right'

Use move-node-to-monitor only when the user explicitly wants a single window to join the target monitor's currently visible workspace. If the target workspace already has another window, this will tile the moved window at half/third/etc. size. For users expecting "throw this app to the other screen and keep it full size", move-workspace-to-monitor matches the mental model better.

Avoid alt-shift-left/right/up/down for global bindings. macOS and text apps often use Option + Shift + Arrow for text selection or special-character input, so users may see text selected in Google Docs or odd characters typed in terminals. Avoid plain ctrl-alt-up/down if terminal tab switching behaves strangely; some terminal/app shortcut paths can collide with less explicit global bindings.

Automated Testing

Prefer AeroSpace's own test path first:

aerospace trigger-binding --mode main ctrl-alt-shift-down
aerospace trigger-binding --mode main ctrl-alt-shift-up

Then verify state before and after:

aerospace list-monitors
aerospace list-monitors --focused
aerospace list-windows --focused --format '%{window-id} | %{app-name} | %{window-title} | %{monitor-id}'

This tests the configured binding without relying on macOS delivering a physical keypress. Use real keystroke synthesis only when specifically debugging OS-level hotkey interception after trigger-binding passes.

For direct command testing without a binding:

aerospace move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around down
aerospace move-workspace-to-monitor --wrap-around up

App Launcher Hotkeys

Use AeroSpace exec-and-forget for simple app launch/focus shortcuts. open -a activates an existing app instance or launches it if it is not running.

For frequently used apps, prefer low-friction one-hand bindings and repurpose unused AeroSpace workspace letters:

alt-g = 'exec-and-forget open -a Ghostty'
alt-c = 'exec-and-forget open -a "Google Chrome"'

For safer but less ergonomic bindings:

ctrl-alt-cmd-g = 'exec-and-forget open -a Ghostty'
ctrl-alt-cmd-c = 'exec-and-forget open -a "Google Chrome"'

Avoid plain cmd-c and cmd-g for launchers. cmd-c is Copy and cmd-g is commonly Find Next. alt-c and alt-g are acceptable only if the user is willing to give up AeroSpace workspace bindings for C and G.

Test launcher bindings without pressing physical keys:

aerospace trigger-binding --mode main ctrl-alt-cmd-g
aerospace trigger-binding --mode main ctrl-alt-cmd-c
aerospace trigger-binding --mode main alt-g
aerospace trigger-binding --mode main alt-c

Ghostty Native Tabs

Do not spend repeated cycles trying to make Ghostty native macOS tabs behave like one real AeroSpace window. Ghostty native tabs are exposed to macOS window-manager APIs as separate windows, so AeroSpace cannot reliably distinguish "new tab" from "new window".

For the detailed failure history, partial workarounds, and known bad fixes, read references/ghostty-native-tabs-aerospace.md.

Stable recommendation: avoid Ghostty native tabs under AeroSpace. Use separate AeroSpace workspaces/windows, Ghostty splits, or a terminal multiplexer such as tmux inside one Ghostty OS window. For the tmux migration path, read references/tmux-in-ghostty.md.

Debugging Checklist

• Run aerospace --version outside the sandbox if sandboxed CLI calls cannot connect.
• Use ps -ax outside the sandbox to confirm AeroSpace is running.
• Read recent logs when startup or Accessibility behavior is unclear:

/usr/bin/log show --last 10m --predicate 'process == "AeroSpace" OR eventMessage CONTAINS "AeroSpace"'

• Check aerospace config --config-path after every config creation or reload.
• Check aerospace config --get mode.main.binding --json to prove the active server sees the binding.
• Use trigger-binding --mode main <binding> and compare focused window monitor-id before and after.
• If the user says a shortcut types characters or selects text, choose a different binding rather than continuing to debug AeroSpace movement.
• If terminal or browser tab switching is broken, remove default tab-based AeroSpace bindings such as alt-tab and alt-shift-tab.
• If focus or tab changes feel like they drag the pointer across monitors, set on-focused-monitor-changed = [].
• If clicking a terminal tab appears to jump monitors, inspect all terminal windows with aerospace list-windows --all; the app may already have separate windows/tabs spread across monitors.

Helper Script

Use scripts/aerospace_diagnose.sh for a compact diagnostic snapshot. Run it outside the sandbox when socket access or process listing is blocked:

/Users/zakirov/.codex/skills/aerospace-macos-setup/scripts/aerospace_diagnose.sh