Static validation

quickshell_validate_qml checks QML against the same Quickshell and Qt documentation indexes the other tools use. It catches:

• Unknown Quickshell and Qt types
• Unknown properties, methods, and signals
• Missing imports
• Obvious type mismatches
• APIs unavailable in the requested Quickshell version

quickshell_validate_qml complements qmlls; it does not replace it. Dynamic JavaScript and local component resolution are outside its scope.

{"source": "PanelWindow { foo: 123 }", "version": "latest", "filename": "panel.qml"}

Version compatibility

quickshell_check_compatibility checks whether a Quickshell API, QML property/method/signal, type, or whole snippet works on a specific release. Pass one of api, type, or code; choose the release with version (or use from_version/to_version for a range).

It does not judge from the latest docs page alone. It cross-references the requested version's type index and pages plus the changelog, and returns uncertain when the evidence is not enough. Qt/QML types (Rectangle, Item, ...) show as compatible with origin: "qt", because your Qt version sets their availability, not the Quickshell one.

{"api": "PanelWindow.exclusiveZone", "version": "v0.2.0"}
{"api": "Quickshell.shellRoot", "version": "v0.3.1"}
{"code": "PanelWindow { exclusiveZone: 1 }", "version": "v0.1.0"}

The result includes the verdict, the version evidence (earliest/latest known), any rename or change with a likely replacement, the matching changelog entry, and cited documentation URLs.

Migrating between versions

quickshell_migrate analyzes what a QML config must change to keep working when upgrading from one Quickshell version to another. Pass the QML source (or a single api/type), plus from_version and to_version (both required, ordered oldest to newest).

It reports every removed, renamed, deprecated, or changed API with severity, location, the old and new API, why it must change, a suggested migration, confidence, and a cited source. It also scans the breaking-change changelog entries between the versions that mention the referenced symbols, so a rename that landed at an intermediate release is reported with the version it landed in. Findings are classified definite (backed by the docs or changelog), likely (documented but low-impact, e.g. deprecation), or manual_review (evidence suggests a change but the exact migration is not provable).

The tool analyzes and recommends; it never rewrites code or files.

{
  "code": "Quickshell { shellRoot: \"/tmp\" }\nPanelWindow { exclusiveZone: 1 }",
  "from_version": "v0.1.0",
  "to_version": "v0.3.1"
}

The report includes the overall verdict (compatible, changes_required, uncertain), the per-issue findings, and an ordered migration plan.

Component generation

quickshell_generate_component turns a plain-language description into a minimal QML component, e.g. "Create a Hyprland workspace indicator", "animated volume OSD", "top bar with workspaces, clock and system tray", "popup control center", or "notification popup".

{"description": "volume OSD", "version": "latest", "compositor": "hyprland"}

The generator searches for the request (using the same search and pattern tools as the rest), builds a small component from the section templates, then checks every Quickshell type and property/method it references against the requested version with quickshell_check_compatibility and runs the assembled QML through quickshell_validate_qml. An API that cannot be verified is shown in the result, not silently emitted, so the output never passes off an unverified API as valid.

The result includes the generated QML plus:

• dependencies: imports, required Quickshell types, and Qt types
• verified_surface: the documented properties/methods/signals of every type the component uses, so you can rewrite the QML against verified members
• integration: compositor and external-service requirements (Hyprland socket, PipeWire, a notification daemon, ...)
• verification: per-API compatibility verdicts and an overall verified/unverified flag
• validation: the diagnostics from the static validator
• references: documentation, official examples, and real-world implementations to compare against
• assumptions: the conservative choices made (default palette, unrecognized compositor, requested windows that were not embedded)

compositor="hyprland" generates Hyprland-specific types; any other value is noted and generates no compositor-specific code. A request that matches no template still returns verified_surface plus references, so you can compose the component yourself. Each generated file contains one top-level window: if a request mentions several windows (such as a bar and a notification popup), the primary one is generated and the rest are listed under assumptions instead of being nested. The tool writes nothing to disk.

Coding assistant

quickshell_coding_assistant is an orchestration layer over the other tools, for tasks that span several of them. Give it one plain-language development request and it runs a fixed pipeline of stages: search, verify, generate, validate, migrate, research (provenance), and optionally execute. Each stage activates only the tools the request needs. The result is structured and source-grounded, with sections for understanding, relevant APIs, recommended approach, implementation references, compatibility, validation, remaining issues, sources, provenance, and a terminal grounded_result.

{"request": "Build a Hyprland workspace bar"}
{"request": "Why is this PanelWindow failing?", "code": "PanelWindow { foo: 1 }"}
{"request": "Migrate this shell from v0.2 to v0.3", "from_version": "v0.2.0", "to_version": "v0.3.1"}
{"request": "Find an implementation of a volume OSD and adapt the pattern"}

Requests map to five intents, each running the relevant pipeline stages:

• build ("build/add/make a ...") delegates the search and verify stages to quickshell_generate_component, which runs them internally, and its validated QML becomes grounded_result.
• debug ("why is X failing?", "fix this error") runs search (quickshell_explain_error) and verify (relevant type page + compatibility), then validate (quickshell_validate_qml); grounded_result is the diagnosis and fix.
• migrate ("migrate/upgrade from vX to vY") runs search (breaking-change changelog when no code is given), validate against the target version, and migrate (quickshell_migrate); grounded_result is the ordered migration plan.
• pattern ("find an implementation ... and adapt it") runs search (quickshell_find_pattern, with a short excerpt of the top implementation) and verify (compatibility of the hinted APIs); grounded_result is the excerpt plus verified APIs.
• research ("what is X?", "how do I ...?") runs search (all sources) and verify (top type and guide pages + compatibility); grounded_result lists the resolved types and guides.

Execution is off by default: the assistant never modifies files. To let it apply an explicit, validated edit set, pass permitted_execution=True together with edits=[...] (same shape as quickshell_apply_patch) and a project= path. Non-permitted requests record an execution step and continue read-only.

Version and compositor come from the request text (0.2, hyprland) or from the version/compositor/from_version/to_version parameters. Loose version hints resolve at runtime against the published list. Each step runs in isolation, so a failing source shows up in errors instead of failing the whole request. The result carries an orchestration trace of the tools used and a deduplicated sources list. The basis tags on approach steps and the verified flag on API entries separate verified facts (from the official docs) from recommendations.

When to use it: multi-step development requests, or when you do not yet know which single tool fits. For a single, focused lookup (one type page, one error message, one version check) call the specific tool directly; it is cheaper and gives the raw answer.

Project analysis

quickshell_project_analyze, quickshell_project_map, and quickshell_project_find read a project on disk without executing anything. Analysis marks unknown values explicitly, the map distinguishes confirmed from inferred edges (and reports cycles), and find searches project files with location and context. quickshell_project_dependencies classifies imports as required, optional, detected, or missing.

{"project": "/path/to/shell"}

quickshell_project_validate, quickshell_project_lint, quickshell_project_compatibility, and quickshell_project_migrate run the same engines used by the single-file tools across every QML file, grouped by file and severity. Lint uses an extensible rule table; compatibility never overclaims runtime incompatibility; migrate produces machine-readable proposed edits and never writes.

Runtime sessions

Runtime tools launch real qs processes in isolated XDG directories so a managed shell never touches your desktop session. They are opt-in and mutating, and require qs on PATH.

{"project": "/path/to/shell", "entrypoint": "main.qml"}

quickshell_runtime_start returns a session id; quickshell_runtime_status, quickshell_runtime_logs, and quickshell_runtime_ping inspect it; quickshell_runtime_stop and quickshell_runtime_reset manage the lifecycle. Profiles are named and versioned via the ecosystem quickshell_profile_* tools and can be reused by start.

Visual and UI inspection

quickshell_windows, quickshell_ui_tree, and quickshell_ui_find inspect a running session. Screenshots need grim and a compositor; UI introspection needs an inspector IpcHandler target in the shell. quickshell_ui_set_property and quickshell_ui_invoke mutate the session through IPC and return the old/new state; quickshell_ui_eval is high-risk (explicit opt-in, time-limited, output-bounded) and never touches the filesystem.

Testing

quickshell_test runs a machine-readable test (steps then assertions, screenshot on failure); quickshell_test_suite runs several tests in isolation; quickshell_assert, quickshell_test_macro, and quickshell_test_record build up steps; quickshell_test_report summarizes a suite.

{"session_id": "abc123", "tests": [{"name": "bar shows", "assertions": [{"type": "visible", "target": "bar"}]}]}

Performance

quickshell_profile samples a session's CPU/memory over a bounded window. quickshell_profile_component, quickshell_profile_bindings, quickshell_profile_timers, and quickshell_profile_object_tree analyze a project statically. quickshell_performance_diagnose correlates the evidence into hypotheses with confidence, and never attributes cost without evidence.

Agents

quickshell_build_feature, quickshell_debug, quickshell_migrate_project, quickshell_test_feature, quickshell_optimize, and quickshell_engineer each run an explicit staged plan over the lower-level tools. Every stage is isolated, so one failure never sinks the plan. quickshell_engineer composes the whole loop (build, test, debug, optimize, verify) and returns every stage's result plus a flattened plan.