Driftile is a KWin extension that adds scrollable tiling and dynamic workspaces to KDE Plasma while KWin remains the compositor and window manager.
- Scrollable columns with stacked or tabbed windows.
- Retained layouts per output, virtual desktop, and activity.
- Keyboard and pointer control for focus, movement, resizing, drag-and-drop, and transfers between outputs and desktops.
- Optional global wheel control for desktop navigation and column focus or movement.
- Full-width columns, floating windows, native fullscreen and maximize, and stable minimized-window slots.
- Configurable gaps, sizing presets, application rules, borders, shortcuts, transitions, and layout restoration.
- An optional spatial Overview preview with workspace rows, two-axis navigation, window search, and guarded drag-and-drop.
Driftile requires KDE Plasma with KWin 6.7 or newer. Use the installation path for your system:
- Any compatible distribution: install the release KPackage.
- NixOS: import the NixOS flake module.
- Home Manager: import the per-user flake module.
The installation guide includes verification, upgrade, removal, shortcut, and optional companion instructions. After installation, enable Driftile in System Settings > Window Management > KWin Scripts.
Open Driftile's entry under System Settings > Window Management > KWin Scripts for layout and application settings. Manage key bindings under System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts by searching for Driftile, or use the optional native shortcut editor.
Nix users can declare the same settings through programs.driftile.settings.
See Configuration, Shortcuts, and
Using Driftile.
- Wayland is the primary target; native Wayland and XWayland windows share one layout model.
- Native X11 is supported on one output; multi-output native X11 is unverified.
- Touchpad navigation is available only on native Wayland.
- Release archives are standard, distribution-neutral KWin KPackages.
Driftile is under active development, and the optional spatial Overview is
still evolving. Use the
latest stable release
for normal installation; main can contain unreleased behavior. See
Compatibility for current platform and hardware
limits.
Driftile is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.
The window-management model was inspired by the niri compositor.