Window Burn

Burn macOS windows out of existence with native Metal effects inspired by Beryl and Compiz.

Window Burn is a small menu bar utility that brings the gloriously unnecessary window effects of the Linux desktop's golden age to modern macOS. Close a window normally, ignite it with an animated torch, or soak it first for the full two-act treatment.

Demo

Close and burn · Torch · Soak and burn
Watch the 21-second promo in full quality

Caution

Window Burn means it. When a document asks whether to save unsaved changes, the app automatically chooses Delete / Don't Save before starting the effect. Those changes cannot be recovered. Use it only on windows you genuinely want to destroy.

Install

Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. The release is universal for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

brew install --cask alexrett/tap/window-burn

If Homebrew had already cached alexrett/tap before this cask was published, run brew update once and retry the install.

You can also download WindowBurn.dmg from the latest GitHub release.

On first launch, grant Window Burn these permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security:

• Accessibility — closes the selected window and recognizes standard window controls.
• Screen Recording — captures the window snapshot used by the effect.
• Input Monitoring — detects close-button clicks and interactive torch gestures.

The Screen Recording permission may not display a system prompt. If Window Burn is missing from that list, add it manually:

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording on some macOS versions).
2. Click +, choose /Applications/Window Burn.app, and enable it.
3. Quit and reopen Window Burn.

Restart Window Burn after changing any of the three permissions.

Effects

Mode	Shortcut	What it does
Burn & Close	⌃⌥⌘B	Closes the front window and burns its snapshot from a randomized edge.
Torch	⌃⌥⌘F	Turns the cursor into an animated torch. Burn up to four windows at once, with up to eight ignition points per window.
Soak & Burn	⌃⌥⌘U	Hold and drag the 18+ badge over a window to soak and tear it, then ignite the remaining edges with the torch.
Test Effect	Menu bar	Plays a harmless demo without closing a real window.

Clicking a standard red close button is intercepted automatically. The yellow minimize button is left alone so it keeps the native Dock animation.

How it works

1. ScreenCaptureKit captures the target window and, for the soak effect, the same screen area with that window excluded.
2. Accessibility asks the real application to close it. Standard unsaved-document alerts are resolved with their destructive action.
3. A click-through Metal overlay renders the captured pixels, animated fire, ash, wetness, and charred edges in the original window position.

The app has no analytics, networking, accounts, or cloud service. See PRIVACY.md.

Build from source

You need Xcode 26 or a compatible Swift 6.2 toolchain.

git clone https://github.com/alexrett/window-burn.git
cd window-burn
./script/build_and_run.sh

Development checks:

swift format lint --strict --recursive Package.swift Sources Tests
swift test
swift script/check-renderer-alpha.swift
./script/build_and_run.sh --verify

To inspect capture fidelity and material rendering on a disposable native window:

./script/build_and_run.sh --quality-review "$PWD/dist/quality-review"

This saves native/cover/replacement screenshots, pixel comparisons, and GPU timings without closing your documents. See the quality audit for the design, reproduction steps, and remaining limitations.

To prepare a universal Developer ID-signed and notarized release locally:

WINDOW_BURN_SIGNING_PACKAGE=/path/to/signing-package ./script/build_release.sh

Secret files are never copied into the app, DMG, or repository.

Limitations

• macOS exposes no public hook for replacing the WindowServer close animation, so the fire is a carefully aligned overlay illusion.
• Automatic interception covers standard Accessibility close buttons. Custom title bars, full-screen/transient windows, and keyboard shortcuts such as ⌘W may bypass it.
• The destructive unsaved-changes action is selected only when the close sheet can be recognized unambiguously. Some applications use custom or two-button confirmations (for example, cmux's Cancel / Quit dialog); Window Burn refuses these dialogs and shows a warning instead of guessing which action is destructive.
• Some DRM-protected or private windows cannot be captured by ScreenCaptureKit.

License

MIT — effects should be fun, but deleting unsaved work is entirely your responsibility.