Desktop Stack

Desktop Stack

ARCHMAC is a focused Arch Linux + Wayland workstation rather than a large preconfigured distribution.

Core

Layer	Component
Distribution	Arch Linux
Compositor	Hyprland
Status bar	Waybar
Terminal	Kitty
File manager	Thunar
Audio	PipeWire + WirePlumber
Networking	NetworkManager
Notifications	Mako
Idle	Hypridle
Lock	Hyprlock
Clipboard	wl-clipboard + cliphist
Wallpaper	Hyprpaper
GTK	GTK 3 + GTK 4
Qt	Qt 5 + Qt 6 Wayland
Graphics	Mesa + Intel i915

Window layout

The verified ARCHMAC Hyprland layout is:

dwindle

Check the live value with:

hyprctl getoption general:layout

The running system should be treated as evidence before changing configuration.

Configuration authority

The canonical desktop config lives in the main ARCHMAC repository under:

config/

Do not copy random dotfiles over the live machine without comparing them with ARCHMAC first.

Hyprland configuration

ARCHMAC uses modern Hyprland configuration appropriate to the installed Hyprland version.

When troubleshooting, first establish:

hyprctl version
hyprctl systeminfo
hyprctl monitors
hyprctl devices

Then inspect the canonical config in the repo.

Wayland-first tooling

Prefer native Wayland utilities where practical:

• wl-copy
• wl-paste
• grim
• slurp
• PipeWire
• xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland

Avoid adding X11-only workarounds unless an application genuinely requires them.

Desktop philosophy

ARCHMAC borrows good ideas selectively rather than importing a full themed distribution.

The intended result is:

• polished
• keyboard-driven
• maintainable
• reversible
• understandable
• performant on the MacBookPro9,2