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ShojiWM Architecture

In one sentence: ShojiWM is a Wayland compositor with a fast core written in Rust, whose look and behavior you describe in TypeScript/TSX.

The big picture​

  • Apps talk to ShojiWM through the standard Wayland protocol.
  • The Rust core handles input, windows, and rendering — the parts that must be fast and reliable.
  • The TypeScript config runtime decides how windows look and behave. You write this part.
  • The core draws the final frame on the GPU.

Two worlds: Rust core and TypeScript config​

ShojiWM splits responsibilities into two processes:

LayerLanguageResponsibility
CoreRust + SmithayWayland protocol, input, layout, GPU rendering
ConfigTypeScript/TSXWindow decorations, layout rules, effects, keybindings

They communicate over a Unix socket. See the Japanese page for a more detailed, beginner-friendly walkthrough with sequence diagrams.

Server-Side Decoration (SSD) flow​

Directory layout​

src/        Rust core (compositor, IPC, protocol, portal)
packages/   TypeScript SDK (shoji_wm) and user config