What is Hammerspoon used for?

Hammerspoon is a macOS automation tool that exposes system functions to Lua scripts, letting you control windows, apps, hotkeys and more. It is a good fit for custom window tiling on macOS, building personal keyboard shortcuts and automating repetitive desktop tasks.

Is Hammerspoon open source?

Yes. Hammerspoon is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Hammerspoon/hammerspoon and is written mainly in Objective-C.

Yes. Hammerspoon is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What is Hammerspoon an alternative to?

Hammerspoon is an open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro, Hazel and Apple Shortcuts. Other open-source alternatives to Keyboard Maestro include AutoHotkey and AutoKey.

Is Hammerspoon actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Hammerspoon was on 8 July 2026, and the latest release is 1.1.1, published on 26 February 2026. The project has 16k stars on GitHub.

Hammerspoon: open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro

About Hammerspoon

Hammerspoon is a free automation tool for macOS that links the operating system to a Lua scripting engine. By itself it does nothing; you create an init.lua file in a .hammerspoon folder in your home directory and fill it with scripts that tell your Mac what to do.

Its flexibility comes from a large set of extensions that expose pieces of system functionality to Lua, such as window management, application control, keyboard shortcuts and reactions to system events. People use it to build custom hotkeys, tile windows, automate repetitive tasks and wire apps together in ways the stock system does not allow. A Discord server and shared configurations help newcomers get started.

Hammerspoon is MIT-licensed and installs either by dragging the app into Applications or with the Homebrew cask. It runs locally on macOS only, so there is no server to manage and no hosted version, and it suits power users and developers who like to script their desktop.

Key features

Lua scripting bridge to macOS
Window management and layout control
Custom hotkeys and keyboard automation
Application and system event hooks
Modular extensions for system functions
Installable via Homebrew cask

Good fit for

→Custom window tiling on macOS
→Building personal keyboard shortcuts
→Automating repetitive desktop tasks

Built with: Objective-C
Tags: macos; lua; automation; hotkeys; window-management; desktop

Hammerspoon: questions and answers

What is Hammerspoon used for?: Hammerspoon is a macOS automation tool that exposes system functions to Lua scripts, letting you control windows, apps, hotkeys and more. It is a good fit for custom window tiling on macOS, building personal keyboard shortcuts and automating repetitive desktop tasks.
Is Hammerspoon open source?: Yes. Hammerspoon is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Hammerspoon/hammerspoon and is written mainly in Objective-C.
Is Hammerspoon free?: Yes. Hammerspoon is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is Hammerspoon an alternative to?: Hammerspoon is an open-source alternative to Keyboard Maestro, Hazel and Apple Shortcuts. Other open-source alternatives to Keyboard Maestro include AutoHotkey and AutoKey.
Is Hammerspoon actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Hammerspoon was on 8 July 2026, and the latest release is 1.1.1, published on 26 February 2026. The project has 16k stars on GitHub.