Skippy (X)

Skippy-xd
DeveloperFelix Fung
Stable release
0.10.7 / May 24, 2026 (2026-05-24)
Written inProgramming language: C

Build system: Make

Dependencies: X11, Xlib, Xcomposite, Xrender, Xdamage, Xfixes, Xinerama
Operating systemLinux and other Unix-like operating systems
TypeFullscreen task switcher
LicenseGPL
WebsiteSkippy-xd on GitHub

Skippy-xd is a lightweight, customizable, window-manager-agnostic composite window selector for X11. It provides live-preview alt-tab window switching, a fullscreen Exposé-style window overview, and a paging mode for an overview of all virtual desktops. Additional features include animation and live preview of minimized windows. Skippy-xd works with any X11-based window manager.

Usage

Skippy-xd runs as a daemon and is invoked via command-line arguments. After starting the daemon with skippy-xd --start-daemon, it can be activated in different modes:

  • skippy-xd --switch --next — alt-tab style window switching with live preview
  • skippy-xd --expose — fullscreen Exposé-style overview of all windows
  • skippy-xd --paging — overview of all virtual desktops at once

Users typically bind these commands to keyboard shortcuts using a tool such as xbindkeys or their window manager's keybind configuration.

Clones

Projects with similar features include Komposé (an Exposé clone for KDE3, now abandoned) and Compiz, the latter containing built-in Exposé-style functionality activated by pressing F12. Modern KDE Plasma includes similar functionality natively via KWin.

See also

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