swaymsg

Send command

$ swaymsg [command]

$ swaymsg -t get_workspaces

$ swaymsg -t get_outputs

$ swaymsg -t get_tree | jq '.. | select(.focused?)'

$ swaymsg reload

$ swaymsg exit

$ swaymsg move workspace to output [HDMI-A-1]

swaymsg [-t type] [-m] [options] message

swaymsg is the IPC (Inter-Process Communication) client for the Sway Wayland compositor. It sends commands and queries to a running Sway instance via the IPC socket, enabling scripted control of window management operations like moving, resizing, and focusing windows.
Query message types (getworkspaces, getoutputs, get_tree) return JSON data describing the current compositor state, which can be parsed with tools like jq. This makes swaymsg useful for building custom status bars, automation scripts, and workspace management tools.
Monitor mode subscribes to Sway events and prints them in real time, useful for debugging and building reactive scripts. The IPC socket path defaults to the SWAYSOCK environment variable set by Sway.

-t, --type TYPE

Message type.

Monitor for responses.

Raw output.

Quiet mode.

Socket path.

get_workspaces - List workspaces
get_outputs - List outputs
get_tree - Window tree
get_marks - Window marks
get_bar_config - Bar config
get_version - Sway version

Sway must be running. Socket permissions required. JSON output needs parsing.

swaymsg is the IPC client for Sway compositor. It mirrors i3-msg functionality for Wayland.

sway(1), jq(1), i3-msg(1)