a usability paradox in macOS: Stage Manager + Shortcuts: window automation
Hi!
Stage Manager combined with Shortcuts does not allow users to automate real desktop workflows. While it looks polished in marketing and presentations, in practice it offers almost no meaningful control over window layout and workspace automation. This creates a paradox where Apple promotes “automation for everyone,” but delivers tools that are only usable with scripting, hacks, or third-party utilities.
This post describes a practical limitation encountered when trying to automate window-based workflows on macOS using Stage Manager and Shortcuts.
Use case
The goal is a common desktop scenario:
- Stage Manager enabled
- One workspace / scene
- Two applications (for example: browser and editor)
- One display
- Windows arranged side by side (left and right)
- The setup triggered manually or via Shortcuts / Automation
This kind of workflow is typical for development, media work, and research.
Current capabilities
What is currently possible with Apple-provided tools:
- Enable or disable Stage Manager
- Group multiple windows into the same Stage
- Bring windows to the front
- Move windows between displays
What is not currently available:
- Setting window position (left/right or coordinates)
- Setting window size or proportions
- Defining layout rules within a Stage
- Automating Split View via Shortcuts or AppleScript
- Creating reusable, scriptable workspace layouts
Stage Manager does not expose window geometry. It focuses on grouping and context, not layout.
Workarounds
Several alternatives exist, each with trade-offs:
1. Stage Manager with manual window arrangement
- Stable and supported
- Requires manual interaction each time
- Not suitable for automation
2. Shortcuts combined with AppleScript (System Events)
- Can simulate keyboard shortcuts
- Requires Accessibility permissions
- Sensitive to timing, system language, and updates
3. Third-party window managers (e.g. Rectangle, Magnet)
- Provide reliable window tiling
- Operate outside Stage Manager
- Reduce the value of Apple’s built-in solution
Observations
Stage Manager and Shortcuts are presented as tools for improving focus and automation, but they operate at different abstraction levels:
- Stage Manager manages window grouping
- Shortcuts automate app-level actions
- Window layout itself remains largely manual
As a result, users can automate application state, but not workspace structure.
Questions for discussion
- Is there any plan to expose window geometry or layout controls to Shortcuts?
- Why is Split View not accessible through automation APIs?
- Is Stage Manager intentionally limited to grouping only?
- How should professional desktop workflows handle reusable layouts using Apple-native tools?
This post is intended to clarify current behavior and limitations, and to invite discussion or guidance from others who may have explored similar workflows.
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If anyone has found an Apple-native, supported solution to automate window layout — without GUI hacks or third-party window managers — I’d genuinely like to hear it.
