Install phoenix with Homebrew Cask

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

No executable aliases were found in the local package database.

Project history

Phoenix was written from the ground up by Kasper Hirvikoski. Its 2.0 release in 2015 was a substantial rewrite that introduced events, preprocessing, additional configuration locations, Sparkle updates, and a revised JavaScript API.

Later releases expanded mouse, task, storage, Spaces, and modal APIs. Phoenix added Apple Silicon support in 2020, moved its documentation to Docusaurus for version 3.0 in 2022, and continued updating platform support through the 4.x series.

Adoption history

Phoenix developed a community of users who publish reusable JavaScript configurations through its official GitHub wiki. Homebrew cask installation gives command-line-oriented macOS users a reproducible alternative to manually installing the application.

The project has remained useful across successive macOS generations by updating its Accessibility integration, build requirements, Apple Silicon support, notarization, and window-management API.

How it is used

Phoenix runs in the macOS status bar or as a background daemon. Users write a configuration that binds keyboard shortcuts and system events to JavaScript callbacks for moving or focusing windows, controlling applications, interacting with screens and spaces, running commands, and displaying notifications or modals.

The default configuration is `~/.phoenix.js`; Phoenix creates it on first launch and reloads configuration changes. Accessibility permission is required for control of the macOS interface.

Why package nerds care

Phoenix is notable for treating window management as programmable configuration rather than a fixed set of layouts. Its JavaScript API exposes windows, applications, screens, spaces, keyboard shortcuts, events, timers, tasks, notifications, and modal interfaces.

For dotfile enthusiasts, the plain JavaScript configuration and XDG-compatible alternative path make Phoenix easy to version-control and share. It occupies a niche between conventional graphical window managers and larger macOS automation environments.

Timeline

• 2015: Phoenix 2.0 delivered a ground-up rewrite and additional configuration locations.
• 2016: Version 2.2 added mouse events, persistent JSON storage, and asynchronous tasks.
• 2020: Version 2.6.5 added Apple Silicon support.
• 2022: Version 3.0 moved the official documentation to Docusaurus and expanded the API.
• 2023: Version 4.0 raised the macOS baseline and refined the modal and mouse APIs.
• 2024: Version 4.0.1 updated build tooling and addressed macOS Sonoma behavior.

Related projects

• User configurations collected in the official Phoenix wiki
• JavaScript and TypeScript, which are used to write Phoenix configurations

Sources

• Official README: https://github.com/kasper/phoenix#readme
• Official changelog: https://github.com/kasper/phoenix/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md
• Official documentation: https://kasper.github.io/phoenix/