Arrange a coding layout across monitors

Goal. Editor on the big monitor, terminal and browser split on the second, every morning, without dragging windows.

aos window move Calculator --zone=2D --monitor=1

Commands

See what you have and what the zones mean:

aos display list
aos window list
aos window zones --monitor=2

Place the windows:

aos window move "Visual Studio Code" --monitor=1 --zone=1A
aos window move Ghostty --monitor=2 --zone=1A
aos window move "Google Chrome" --monitor=2 --zone=1B

Zone names: 1A and 1B are the left and right halves. 2A to 2D are the quarters. 1:3 is the first of three columns, 2:3 the second, and so on.

Save the arrangement and restore it later:

aos window save ~/.config/aos/layouts/coding.json
aos window arrange ~/.config/aos/layouts/coding.json

Or feed a layout inline:

echo '[{"app":"Google Chrome","zone":"1A"},{"app":"Slack","zone":"1B"}]' | aos window arrange -

aos window zones

What to tell an agent

Put VS Code full on monitor 1. Split monitor 2 with the terminal on the left and Chrome on the right. Then save that as my coding layout.

Gotchas

• App names match the window’s app name. Run aos window list to see the exact names. Partial matches work when they are unambiguous.
• A window has to exist before it can be moved. aos launch Chrome --wait starts the app and waits for its window.
• Monitor numbers come from aos display list. They can change when you plug a monitor in or out.
• On macOS the terminal needs Accessibility permission. aos permission request accessibility asks for it.