macOS

Mode A in-window compositor. Classic Desktop Replacement on desktop-host. Planned Wawona Swinging Bridge.

macOS is a first-class host. It is not an App Store feature sandbox.

Two artifacts

FlakeRole
wawona-macosStore-shaped / notarized. Mode A only. No Mode B dylib.
wawona-macos-desktop-hostShips libwayland-mac.dylib. SIP-gated Desktop. Classic Take Over is implemented. LockScreen greeter still planned.

Present path

  • Mode A (default): static libiland_userland.a. Present via WWNIlandPresenter / CAMetalLayer in the Wawona window. SIP may stay enabled. WindowServer still composites Aqua around that window. In-window nested compositors and clients still work.
  • Mode B (Classic Desktop Replacement): prefix DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES (libwayland-mac.dylib) on the session compositor exec only. Needs SIP fully disabled (csrutil disable in Recovery), Settings → Desktop → Enable (Path B), then Replace now. csrutil enable --without debug is not enough. WindowServer is unloaded. iland DRM/KMS/GBM present fullscreen Metal. Aqua is not drawn. wwn-igetty owns VTs. Still never /dev/dri. Details: iland.

Host chrome is AppKit (zoom, fullscreen, miniaturize). CSD and forced SSD are both legal.

SSH is regular OpenSSH. Waypipe can use IOSurface/Mach.

Desktop Replacement (Classic)

On the desktop-host build: Enable arms Path B; Replace now unloads WindowServer after IOWatchdog coverage. Logout or Ctrl+Option+Backspace returns Aqua. Session weston uses --backend=drm; niri uses NIRI_BACKEND=tty. Inner compositors stay nested Wayland clients.

KEEP_WS probe: Wawona --mode-b-probe (WindowServer stays up). Path C (parked WindowServer) is planned.

Install, helper sync, Path B checks, and safety forbids: Desktop and LockScreen.

Wawona Swinging Bridge (planned)

Separate app bridge for macOS apps on Wayland. Mode A in notarized builds as available. Swinging Bridge Mode B is a privileged path of its own. Desktop Mode B (WindowServer replacement) needs SIP fully disabled. csrutil enable --without debug is refused. See Wawona Swinging Bridge.

VMs and containers (planned)

Machines will add guest profiles using Apple Virtualization.framework and Containerization. See VMs and containers.

See iland.