Shadowgraph
TrendingBuzzTop stargazers
Chrome extension
Sign in

JetBrains/kotlin-desktop-toolkit

Kotlin

204

831 commits

updated Oct 15, 2026

See the code

README

internal JetBrains project

Kotlin Window Management library

Kotlin Window Management is a library that wraps OS-specific window management APIs into an idiomatic Kotlin interface.

The library serves as a foundation for the UI framework used in Air and will later provide an OS integration layer for Compose for Desktop.

Goals

  • Provide a simple Kotlin API for OS features needed to build desktop applications
  • Support all major desktop platforms: Linux (both X11 and Wayland), macOS and Windows
  • Flatten OS quirks or at least document them
  • Provide a safe API. Incorrect usage of the API should lead to Kotlin exceptions but not crashes
  • Provide rendering contexts compatible with Skia, e.g., via skiko
  • Make it Kotlin Multiplatform in the future

Non-Goals

  • Providing bindings for Android or iOS, they are too different from desktop
  • Bindings for browser APIs
  • API alignment across platforms. Desktop platforms differ in their capabilities; we do not intend to hide these differences

Status

✅ - implemented

🚧 - in progress, partially implemented

❌ - not implemented yet

➖ - not applicable

Application

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Run event loop✅✅✅✅
Invoke on Main thread✅✅✅✅
List screens✅✅✅✅
Terminate application✅✅✅✅
Show notification✅✅❌✅
System tray❌❌❌❌
Application icon✅➖🚧❌
Application menu✅❌➖❌
Accessibility❌❌❌❌
File choose dialog✅✅🚧🚧

Window

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Position✅➖ (startMove)✅❌ (startMove)
Size✅➖ (startResize)✅❌ (startResize)
Max/Min size✅✅✅🚧 (setMinSize)
Content size✅➖✅❌
Current screen✅✅✅❌
Full screen✅✅❌✅
Maximize/Minimize✅✅✅✅
Request focus✅✅✅✅
Set cursor icon✅✅✅✅
Transparency✅✅✅✅
Background effects✅❌✅❌
Close window✅✅✅✅

Rendering

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Metal✅➖➖➖
ANGLE❌❌✅(DX11)❌
DirectX12➖➖❌➖
OpenGL➖✅❌✅
Vulkan❌❌❌❌
Software❌✅✅(WARP)❌

Events

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
KeyDown✅✅✅✅
KeyUp✅✅✅✅
ModifiersChanged✅✅➖✅
MouseMoved✅✅✅✅
MouseDragged✅❌❌❌
MouseEntered✅✅✅✅
MouseExited✅✅✅✅
MouseDown✅✅✅✅
MouseUp✅✅✅✅
ScrollWheel✅✅✅✅
WindowSizeChange✅✅✅✅
WindowResize✅✅✅✅
WindowMove✅➖✅❌
WindowFocusChange✅✅✅✅
WindowCloseRequest✅✅✅✅
WindowFullScreenToggle✅✅❌✅
WindowChangedOcclusionState✅❌🚧❌
DisplayConfigurationChange✅✅🚧❌
ApplicationOpenURL✅✅✅✅
ApplicationAppearanceChange✅✅✅✅
ApplicationDidFinishLaunching✅✅✅*✅

* On Windows, a callback is currently enqueued before starting the event loop. This may be replaced with an ApplicationDidFinishLaunching event in the future.

Theme

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
isDark/isLight✅✅✅✅
Sync with OS✅✅✅✅

Input Methods

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Custom text input context✅✅❌✅
Order emoji popup✅➖❌❌

Clipboard

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Simple text copy/paste✅✅✅✅
Copy files✅✅✅✅
System defined clipboard types✅➖✅✅
Custom binary clipboard content✅✅✅✅
Lazy fetch of clipboard content❌✅❌✅

Screen

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
ScreenId✅✅➖✅
IsPrimary✅❌✅❌
Name✅✅✅✅
Origin✅✅✅✅
Size✅✅✅✅
Scale✅❌✅✅
FPS✅✅✅✅
Color space❌❌❌❌
Persistent identity✅🚧❌❌

Drag and Drop

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Window as drag target✅✅✅✅
Drag entered✅✅✅✅
Drag updated✅✅✅✅
Drag exited✅✅✅✅
Drag performed✅✅✅✅
Drag source✅✅✅✅

Acknowledgements

Many libraries tackle the same problem from different angles, but each makes slightly different trade-offs compared to KDT.

To name a few:

Significant stargazers

LiJianying

615 followers · starred Sep 2025

Adrien Tétar

140 followers · starred Dec 2025

Alexander Zolotov

154 followers · starred Mar 2026

ketal

266 followers · starred Sep 2025

Similar repos

JetBrains/skiko

Kotlin Multiplatform bindings to Skia

2,193

same org

JetBrains/compose-multiplatform

Compose Multiplatform, a modern UI framework for Kotlin that makes building performant and…

19,430

same org

JetBrains/compose-jb

Compose Multiplatform, a modern UI framework for Kotlin that makes building performant and…

19,433

same org

JetBrains/jewel

[MOVED TO IJ PLATFORM] An implementation of the IntelliJ look and feels in Compose for Desktop

862

same org

HumbleUI/JWM

Cross-platform window management and OS integration library for Java

644

NucleusFramework/Nucleus

Native desktop platform for the JVM. Compose Multiplatform apps with real OS integration — native…

416

ypsvlq/wio

windowed i/o

159

leanflutter/window_manager

The window_manager plugin provides comprehensive window management capabilities for Flutter desktop…

850

JetBrains/kotlin-desktop-toolkit

Kotlin

204

831 commits

updated Oct 15, 2026

See the code

README

internal JetBrains project

Kotlin Window Management library

Kotlin Window Management is a library that wraps OS-specific window management APIs into an idiomatic Kotlin interface.

The library serves as a foundation for the UI framework used in Air and will later provide an OS integration layer for Compose for Desktop.

Goals

  • Provide a simple Kotlin API for OS features needed to build desktop applications
  • Support all major desktop platforms: Linux (both X11 and Wayland), macOS and Windows
  • Flatten OS quirks or at least document them
  • Provide a safe API. Incorrect usage of the API should lead to Kotlin exceptions but not crashes
  • Provide rendering contexts compatible with Skia, e.g., via skiko
  • Make it Kotlin Multiplatform in the future

Non-Goals

  • Providing bindings for Android or iOS, they are too different from desktop
  • Bindings for browser APIs
  • API alignment across platforms. Desktop platforms differ in their capabilities; we do not intend to hide these differences

Status

✅ - implemented

🚧 - in progress, partially implemented

❌ - not implemented yet

➖ - not applicable

Application

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Run event loop✅✅✅✅
Invoke on Main thread✅✅✅✅
List screens✅✅✅✅
Terminate application✅✅✅✅
Show notification✅✅❌✅
System tray❌❌❌❌
Application icon✅➖🚧❌
Application menu✅❌➖❌
Accessibility❌❌❌❌
File choose dialog✅✅🚧🚧

Window

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Position✅➖ (startMove)✅❌ (startMove)
Size✅➖ (startResize)✅❌ (startResize)
Max/Min size✅✅✅🚧 (setMinSize)
Content size✅➖✅❌
Current screen✅✅✅❌
Full screen✅✅❌✅
Maximize/Minimize✅✅✅✅
Request focus✅✅✅✅
Set cursor icon✅✅✅✅
Transparency✅✅✅✅
Background effects✅❌✅❌
Close window✅✅✅✅

Rendering

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Metal✅➖➖➖
ANGLE❌❌✅(DX11)❌
DirectX12➖➖❌➖
OpenGL➖✅❌✅
Vulkan❌❌❌❌
Software❌✅✅(WARP)❌

Events

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
KeyDown✅✅✅✅
KeyUp✅✅✅✅
ModifiersChanged✅✅➖✅
MouseMoved✅✅✅✅
MouseDragged✅❌❌❌
MouseEntered✅✅✅✅
MouseExited✅✅✅✅
MouseDown✅✅✅✅
MouseUp✅✅✅✅
ScrollWheel✅✅✅✅
WindowSizeChange✅✅✅✅
WindowResize✅✅✅✅
WindowMove✅➖✅❌
WindowFocusChange✅✅✅✅
WindowCloseRequest✅✅✅✅
WindowFullScreenToggle✅✅❌✅
WindowChangedOcclusionState✅❌🚧❌
DisplayConfigurationChange✅✅🚧❌
ApplicationOpenURL✅✅✅✅
ApplicationAppearanceChange✅✅✅✅
ApplicationDidFinishLaunching✅✅✅*✅

* On Windows, a callback is currently enqueued before starting the event loop. This may be replaced with an ApplicationDidFinishLaunching event in the future.

Theme

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
isDark/isLight✅✅✅✅
Sync with OS✅✅✅✅

Input Methods

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Custom text input context✅✅❌✅
Order emoji popup✅➖❌❌

Clipboard

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Simple text copy/paste✅✅✅✅
Copy files✅✅✅✅
System defined clipboard types✅➖✅✅
Custom binary clipboard content✅✅✅✅
Lazy fetch of clipboard content❌✅❌✅

Screen

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
ScreenId✅✅➖✅
IsPrimary✅❌✅❌
Name✅✅✅✅
Origin✅✅✅✅
Size✅✅✅✅
Scale✅❌✅✅
FPS✅✅✅✅
Color space❌❌❌❌
Persistent identity✅🚧❌❌

Drag and Drop

MacOSWaylandWindowsX11
Window as drag target✅✅✅✅
Drag entered✅✅✅✅
Drag updated✅✅✅✅
Drag exited✅✅✅✅
Drag performed✅✅✅✅
Drag source✅✅✅✅

Acknowledgements

Many libraries tackle the same problem from different angles, but each makes slightly different trade-offs compared to KDT.

To name a few:

Significant stargazers

LiJianying

615 followers · starred Sep 2025

Adrien Tétar

140 followers · starred Dec 2025

Alexander Zolotov

154 followers · starred Mar 2026

ketal

266 followers · starred Sep 2025

Similar repos

JetBrains/skiko

Kotlin Multiplatform bindings to Skia

2,193

same org

JetBrains/compose-multiplatform

Compose Multiplatform, a modern UI framework for Kotlin that makes building performant and…

19,430

same org

JetBrains/compose-jb

Compose Multiplatform, a modern UI framework for Kotlin that makes building performant and…

19,433

same org

JetBrains/jewel

[MOVED TO IJ PLATFORM] An implementation of the IntelliJ look and feels in Compose for Desktop

862

same org

HumbleUI/JWM

Cross-platform window management and OS integration library for Java

644

NucleusFramework/Nucleus

Native desktop platform for the JVM. Compose Multiplatform apps with real OS integration — native…

416

ypsvlq/wio

windowed i/o

159

leanflutter/window_manager

The window_manager plugin provides comprehensive window management capabilities for Flutter desktop…

850