Virtual Desktops (Spaces)¶

AXTerminator can manage macOS virtual desktops via the spaces feature flag.

Enable Spaces¶

Build with the spaces feature:

cargo build --release --features "cli,spaces"

Private API

The spaces feature uses Apple's CGSSpace private SPI. It is tested on macOS 14+ but is incompatible with App Store distribution.

MCP Tools¶

Tool	Description
`ax_list_spaces`	List all virtual desktops
`ax_create_space`	Create a new virtual desktop
`ax_move_to_space`	Move a window to a specific space
`ax_switch_space`	Switch to a specific space
`ax_destroy_space`	Destroy a virtual desktop

Use Cases¶

Test Isolation¶

Run tests on a dedicated virtual desktop so they do not interfere with your work:

# Create isolated test space
axterminator create-space "Test Environment"

# Move test target to that space
axterminator move-to-space "Calculator" --space "Test Environment"

# Run tests
axterminator switch-space "Test Environment"
# ... run tests ...

# Clean up
axterminator destroy-space "Test Environment"

Multi-Environment Testing¶

Test the same app in different configurations by isolating each instance on its own space.

Limitations¶

Requires macOS 14+ (tested)
Uses private API -- not available for App Store apps
Space creation/destruction may trigger Mission Control animations