# herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm

A manual tiling window manager for X11

Repository: https://github.com/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/herbstluftwm
Homepage: http://herbstluftwm.org/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: herbstluftwm, tiling, window-manager
Last push: 2026-07-02T17:48:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 73/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 90, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4348, "days_push": 62, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license, no_readme
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1163, forks 85 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:49.754555+00:00)

## What it is
herbstluftwm is a manual tiling window manager for the X11 window system, written in C++. Configuration happens at runtime via the herbstclient tool, so the config file is just a script run at startup, and all settings, keybindings, tags, and window rules can be changed live without restarting.

## Use cases
- manage windows with a manual tiling layout on X11
- control the window manager entirely from the keyboard
- reconfigure keybindings and window rules live without restarting the WM
- split screen space into custom frames and virtual monitors
- mix tiling and floating windows on the same desktop
- script window manager behavior with shell scripts

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight, scriptable manual tiling WM on X11
- you prefer runtime configuration via a client tool instead of editing config files and restarting
- you want flexible frame splitting and virtual monitors independent of physical hardware
- you like keyboard-only window management with a floating layer available

## When to avoid
- you use Wayland instead of X11
- you want automatic/dynamic tiling without manual frame management
- you prefer a GUI settings tool or a batteries-included desktop environment
- you need extensive out-of-the-box theming and panel integration

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, developer-tools
- domain: desktop-applications, operating-systems, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: tiling-window-manager, x11, manual-tiling, keyboard-driven, herbstclient, runtime-configuration, linux

## Member repositories
- herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm (main) score 73

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:49.754555+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:31:34.027721+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - homepage: http://herbstluftwm.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:35:47.487158+00:00, sha b2ec5f7ea84a)
  - site_page: https://herbstluftwm.org/news.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:35:47.496598+00:00, sha 9db4b1b19069)
  - site_page: https://herbstluftwm.org/faq.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:35:47.499356+00:00, sha 780b2e499bf3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.