All source listed below is under MIT license if no LICENSE file stating different is available.

DWN - Desktop Window Manager

A lightweight, AI-enhanced window manager for Linux with tiling, floating, and fullscreen layouts.

Quick Start (Copy & Paste These Commands)

# 1. Install dependencies (enter your password when asked)
make deps

# 2. Build DWN
make

# 3. Test it (opens in a safe window - won't affect your desktop)
make run

That's it! Press Super+Backspace to exit the test window.

What is DWN?

DWN is a window manager - the program that controls how windows look and behave on your screen. It replaces your current desktop environment (like GNOME, KDE, or XFCE) with a faster, keyboard-driven alternative.

Features:

3 window layouts: Tiling (windows don't overlap), Floating (like normal), Monocle (fullscreen)
9 virtual workspaces to organize your windows
Built-in panels with clock, taskbar, and system tray
WiFi network selector with dropdown menu (like XFCE)
Audio volume indicator with scroll-to-adjust
Desktop notifications
Optional AI assistant (can launch apps by command!)
Very fast and lightweight

Installation

Step 1: Install Dependencies

Run this command (works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch):

make deps

This installs everything DWN needs. You'll need to enter your password.

If make deps doesn't work, install manually:

Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config libx11-dev libxext-dev libxinerama-dev libxrandr-dev libdbus-1-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev xserver-xephyr dmenu network-manager alsa-utils
Fedora: sudo dnf install gcc make pkg-config libX11-devel libXext-devel libXinerama-devel libXrandr-devel dbus-devel libcurl-devel xorg-x11-server-Xephyr dmenu NetworkManager alsa-utils
Arch: sudo pacman -S base-devel pkg-config libx11 libxext libxinerama libxrandr dbus curl xorg-server-xephyr dmenu networkmanager alsa-utils

Step 2: Build

make

You should see "Build successful!" at the end.

Step 3: Test (Recommended!)

Before installing, test DWN in a safe window:

make run

This opens DWN inside a window on your current desktop. You can try it out without changing anything. Press Super+Backspace to close it.

Step 4: Install

sudo make install

Step 5: Use DWN

Log out of your current session
At the login screen, click the gear icon (or session selector) near your username
Select "DWN" from the list
Log in!

Basic Controls

Essential Shortcuts (Memorize These!)

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl + Alt + T`	Open a terminal
`Super` or `Alt + F2`	Open app launcher
`Super + E`	Open file manager
`Super + B`	Open web browser
`Alt + Tab`	Switch between windows
`Alt + F4`	Close current window
`Super + Backspace`	Exit DWN (important!)
`Super + S`	Show all shortcuts
`Super + T`	Start interactive tutorial

Workspaces

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl + Alt + Right`	Next workspace
`Ctrl + Alt + Left`	Previous workspace
`F1` to `F9`	Switch to workspace 1-9
`Shift + F1` to `Shift + F9`	Move window to workspace 1-9

Window Management

Keys	What it does
`Super + F9`	Toggle floating mode
`Alt + F10`	Toggle maximize
`Alt + F11`	Toggle fullscreen
`Alt + Tab`	Cycle windows forward
`Alt + Shift + Tab`	Cycle windows backward

Layout Control (Super key shortcuts)

Keys	What it does
`Super + Space`	Change layout mode (tiling → floating → monocle)
`Super + H`	Shrink main area
`Super + L`	Expand main area
`Super + I`	Add window to main area
`Super + D`	Remove window from main area

AI Features (Optional)

Keys	What it does
`Super + A`	Show AI context info
`Super + Shift + A`	Ask AI to do something (e.g., "open firefox")
`Super + Shift + E`	Exa semantic web search

News Ticker

The bottom panel displays a scrolling news ticker. Navigate articles with these shortcuts:

Keys	What it does
`Super + Down`	Next news article
`Super + Up`	Previous news article
`Super + Return`	Open current article in browser

Other Shortcuts

Keys	What it does
`Print`	Take screenshot (xfce4-screenshooter)

System Tray

The top panel includes a system tray on the right side with battery, audio, and WiFi indicators.

Battery Indicator

Shows battery percentage on laptops with color coding:

Green: > 50%
Yellow: 20-50%
Red: < 20%
Blue: Charging

WiFi Indicator

Located in the top-right corner of the panel, showing your current connection status.

Action	What it does
Click on WiFi icon	Open dropdown with available networks
Click on a network	Connect to that network
Click on connected network	Disconnect

The dropdown shows:

Available WiFi networks with signal strength
● marker next to the currently connected network
Networks are sorted and updated automatically

Note: Requires NetworkManager (nmcli) to be installed.

Audio Indicator

Shows current volume level next to the WiFi indicator.

Action	What it does
Left-click	Toggle mute/unmute
Scroll up	Increase volume by 5%
Scroll down	Decrease volume by 5%

Note: Requires ALSA utilities (amixer) to be installed.

Configuration

DWN can be customized by editing a config file.

Create Your Config

mkdir -p ~/.config/dwn
cp /etc/dwn/config.example ~/.config/dwn/config

Edit Your Config

Open ~/.config/dwn/config in any text editor. Here are common changes:

Change terminal:

[general]
terminal = gnome-terminal

Options: xfce4-terminal, gnome-terminal, konsole, alacritty, xterm

Change app launcher:

[general]
launcher = rofi -show run

Change layout:

[layout]
default = floating

Options: tiling, floating, monocle

Change window gaps:

[appearance]
gap = 10
border_width = 2

AI Features (Optional)

DWN has an AI assistant that can run commands for you. For example, you can press Super+Shift+A, type "open chrome", and it will launch Chrome.

AI Command Setup (OpenRouter)

Go to openrouter.ai and create a free account
Get your API key
Add it to your shell config:

echo 'export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Make sure dmenu is installed: sudo apt install dmenu

Exa Semantic Search Setup

Go to dashboard.exa.ai and create an account
Get your API key
Add it to your shell config:

echo 'export EXA_API_KEY="your-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Usage

Press Super + A to see AI context info about your current task
Press Super + Shift + A to ask the AI to do something:
- "open firefox" - launches Firefox
- "run terminal" - opens a terminal
- "what time is it" - answers your question
Press Super + Shift + E to search the web semantically:
- Type a question like "how to configure nginx"
- Select a result to open in browser

Troubleshooting

"make: command not found"

Install build tools:

sudo apt install build-essential

"X11 libraries not found" or build errors

Install dependencies:

make deps

Make sure you ran sudo make install, then:

ls /usr/share/xsessions/dwn.desktop

If missing:

sudo cp scripts/dwn.desktop /usr/share/xsessions/

Terminal shortcut doesn't work

Install the default terminal:

sudo apt install xfce4-terminal

Or change terminal in config (see Configuration section).

DWN started but there's nothing to show. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal.

How do I get back to my normal desktop?

Press Super+Backspace to exit DWN
At login screen, select your previous desktop (GNOME, KDE, etc.)

AI says "dmenu not found"

sudo apt install dmenu

WiFi indicator not working

Make sure NetworkManager is installed and running:

sudo apt install network-manager
sudo systemctl enable --now NetworkManager

Audio indicator not working

Make sure ALSA utilities are installed:

sudo apt install alsa-utils

Uninstall

sudo make uninstall

Then select a different desktop at the login screen.

All Make Commands

Command	What it does
`make help`	Show all commands
`make deps`	Install dependencies
`make`	Build DWN
`make debug`	Build with debug symbols
`make run`	Test in a window
`make install`	Install system-wide
`make uninstall`	Remove from system
`make clean`	Delete build files
`make format`	Format source code
`make check`	Run static analysis

License

MIT License - do whatever you want with it.

Credits

Inspired by dwm and XFCE
AI powered by OpenRouter

bin
build
config
include
scripts
site
src
LICENSE
Makefile
README.md

DWN - Desktop Window Manager

Quick Start (Copy & Paste These Commands)

What is DWN?

Installation

Step 1: Install Dependencies

Step 2: Build

Step 3: Test (Recommended!)

Step 4: Install

Step 5: Use DWN

Basic Controls

Essential Shortcuts (Memorize These!)

Workspaces

Window Management

Layout Control (Super key shortcuts)

AI Features (Optional)

News Ticker

Other Shortcuts

System Tray

Battery Indicator

WiFi Indicator

Audio Indicator

Configuration

Create Your Config

Edit Your Config

AI Features (Optional)

AI Command Setup (OpenRouter)

Exa Semantic Search Setup

Usage

Troubleshooting

"make: command not found"

"X11 libraries not found" or build errors

Can't find DWN at login screen

Terminal shortcut doesn't work

Screen is blank after login

How do I get back to my normal desktop?

AI says "dmenu not found"

WiFi indicator not working

Audio indicator not working

Uninstall

All Make Commands

License

Credits