The PAI desktop

PAI uses Sway, a tiling window manager. Windows snap to a grid, most actions are keyboard-driven, and nothing follows you around.

The short version

• Super = the Windows / Command key.
• Super + Enter = open a terminal.
• Super + D = open the application launcher (fuzzel).
• Super + Shift + Q = close the focused window.
• Super + 1..9 = switch to workspace 1 through 9.

The full list is in ../reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md.

The status bar (waybar)

The top bar shows, left to right:

• Workspace numbers.
• Currently focused window title.
• Tor indicator (on / off / bootstrapping).
• Ollama indicator (running / stopped / model loaded).
• MAC-spoof status.
• Battery, network, clock.

Clicking most modules opens a quick-action menu.

The launcher

Press Super + D and type. fuzzel fuzzy-matches installed apps. Entries are grouped by subsystem (AI, Privacy, Crypto, Dev, Apps).

Notifications and screen lock

• mako handles notifications; they're discreet by design. No lock-screen notifications.
• swaylock locks the screen. Idle lock kicks in after 5 minutes (configurable under ~/.config/sway/config once persistence is on).

Files

• Thunar is the default file manager (Super + E).
• Right-click any file for encrypt, shred, or sign context actions. See ../apps/encrypting-files-gpg.md and ../apps/secure-delete.md.

First time on Sway?

If you've never used a tiling WM, start with ../first-steps/desktop-basics.md. It's a gentle tour with screenshots.

Customising

Your Sway config is read from ~/.config/sway/config if it exists (persistence required). The shipped defaults live under /etc/sway/config.d/ and persist through reboots because they're part of the squashfs root.