Plonk
Active·★ 14·MIT·Updated 2026-09-08
★ Hidden Gem
Plonk is a powerful macOS window manager that allows users to define custom screen zones and workspaces for precise window placement. It offers flexible control through dragging, keyboard shortcuts, voice commands, and even agent-driven automation, moving beyond fixed grid layouts.
Plonk is currently grouped under Workflow Automation, which makes it easier to evaluate through workflow fit instead of isolated features alone. Based on the available data, it leans most heavily toward Custom-drawn zones and layouts, not a preset grid, with different sets per monitor and overlapping support. and Quickly arrange multiple application windows into predefined custom layouts for specific tasks or workflows (e.g., a 'review' workspace with browser, terminal, and notes).. The listed license is MIT, which is useful when adoption constraints matter. It also shows measurable community traction with 14 GitHub stars.
#Window Manager#macOS#Desktop Automation#Voice Control#Workspace Management#Screen Layout#OCR#Agent Integration
01
Features
01Custom-drawn zones and layouts, not a preset grid, with different sets per monitor and overlapping support.
02Workspaces that remember app arrangements, window frames, and monitor assignments, rebuilding on empty desktops.
03Multiple methods to move windows: intuitive drag-and-drop, customizable keyboard shortcuts, and on-device voice commands.
04MCP server for agent-driven automation, allowing programmatic control over layouts, workspaces, OCR, and other desktop tasks.
05Integrated utilities including on-device OCR for text extraction, a screen ruler, screen pinning, and process-aware 'keep awake' functionality.
02
Why choose it
+Custom-drawn zones and layouts, not a preset grid, with different sets per monitor and overlapping support.
+Quickly arrange multiple application windows into predefined custom layouts for specific tasks or workflows (e.g., a 'review' workspace with browser, terminal, and notes).
+Covers 4 supported environments or platforms, which is helpful for broader deployment needs.
+Ships with a public repository and a MIT license, which makes adoption and review easier.
03
Trade-offs
!There are at least 8 related tools in the same category, so the best choice is easier to make after side-by-side comparison.
04
Compatibility
macOS
Operating System
Verified via docs
Apple Silicon
Architecture
Verified via docs
Swift
Development Language
Verified via docs
Homebrew
Package Manager
Verified via docs
05
Quick start
1
$ brew install --cask ostapondo/plonk/plonk
06
Use cases
↳Quickly arrange multiple application windows into predefined custom layouts for specific tasks or workflows (e.g., a 'review' workspace with browser, terminal, and notes).
↳Automate complex desktop setups with natural language using voice commands or agents, such as 'browser on the left 60%, terminal top right, save that as a workspace.'
↳Extract text from unselectable areas on the screen, like screenshots, paused videos, or non-interactive dialogs, using the built-in on-device OCR.
↳Manage system power to keep the Mac awake for the duration of a specific process (e.g., a build) or for a set time, preventing sleep interruptions.
↳Precisely measure screen elements (width, height, distances) in both points and pixels with an interactive on-screen ruler tool.
07
How it compares
≈Plonk sits in the Workflow Automation category, so it makes more sense to evaluate it alongside tools like Gemini CLI instead of in isolation.
≈If your main need is closer to "Quickly arrange multiple application windows into predefined custom layouts for specific tasks or workflows (e.g., a 'review' workspace with browser, terminal, and notes).", that use case is a better lens for comparison than broad feature checklists alone.
≈Plonk uses a MIT license, and community traction are both easier to judge in category context.
08
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