Monitors🔗

Triad treats each monitor as a distinct output with its own visible workspace. Windows are laid out within individual monitors rather than a single large desktop canvas.

Core Model🔗

Each monitor shows one active workspace. Each workspace remembers its assigned output. Focusing a workspace shows it on its remembered output. Every connected output maintains at least one visible workspace. Empty dynamic workspaces are pruned when you leave them.

Workspaces stay on their assigned monitors unless moved or pinned elsewhere. If a monitor is disconnected, its workspaces fall back to a connected monitor and return once the original monitor reconnects.

Configuring Outputs🔗

Use the output block to configure your monitors. Identify targets using connector names shown by tools like wlr-randr.

output {
  monitor "DP-1" {
    mode "preferred"
    position "auto-right"
    scale "auto"
  }

  monitor "DP-2" {
    mode "2560x1440@120"
    position "0x0"
    focus-at-startup
    vrr 2
    reserved_area top=8 bottom=8
  }

  default {
    scale "auto"
  }
}

position defines the monitor arrangement; it does not tile windows across combined rectangles. Each output tiles windows within its own resolution and usable area.

Output Settings🔗

Field	Format	Purpose
`focus-at-startup`	Flag or bool	Select the startup-focused output.
`workspaces`	Positive integers	Pin workspace IDs to this output.
`mode`	`W H Hz`, `"WxH"`, `"WxH@Hz"`, `"preferred"`, `"highres"`, `"highrr"`, `"maxwidth"`	Request an advertised mode or a custom string mode.
`scale`	Float or `"auto"`	Set the output scale (0.01..64.0). `"auto"` uses the compositor's current scale.
`position`	`X Y`, `"XxY"`, `"auto"`, `"auto-right"`, `"auto-left"`, `"auto-up"`, `"auto-down"`, `"auto-center-*"`	Set or auto-arrange global output coordinates.
`transform`	String or `0..7`	Rotation: `normal`, `90`, `180`, `270`, or `flipped` variants (e.g., `flipped-90`). Integers follow Wayland transform order.
`adaptive-sync`	Bool	Request VRR/Adaptive Sync.
`vrr`	`0..3`	Alias for `adaptive-sync`. `0` disables; nonzero enables.
`enabled` / `disabled`	Bool	Enable or disable the output.
`reserved_area`	Ints or properties	Add a top/right/bottom/left inset on top of bar reservations.

Use default for fallback rules. Fallback rules apply to connected monitors that do not match a specific rule.

Note on Validation: Triad strictly validates output fields. Unsupported properties (such as mirroring, bit depth, or HDR) are rejected to prevent configuration errors.

Hotplugging🔗

Triad keeps workspaces and windows managed when monitors are connected or disconnected. When a monitor disappears, its workspaces move to a connected monitor. When the monitor returns, Triad restores the original workspaces.

Verify your setup with:

wlr-randr
triad msg state

Windows and Launchers🔗

New windows open on the active monitor's workspace. Triad sets the default layer-shell output to the active monitor, ensuring launchers like Waybar or Quickshell appear where focus is.

For workspace rules, pinning, and dynamic creation, see Workspaces.