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Panes

Panes is a per-machine background agent that launches applications on the specific physical monitors you assign them to, every boot — and keeps them there through reboots, monitor power-off, re-cabling, port changes, and GPU-driver reinstalls. You configure it from a local web UI showing a to-scale, pannable canvas of your physical display layout.

The problem it solves

Section titled “The problem it solves”

Windows has no supported “start this process on monitor 2.” Window managers only reposition already-open windows; signage platforms only run their own player. And Windows display indices (\\.\DISPLAY1) renumber on reboot with a panel off, a cable swap, or a driver update — so position-remembering tools put the wrong app on the wrong screen.

Panes fixes this with three ideas:

  • EDID-based stable hardware identity — a monitor is matched by its EDID (manufacturer, product, serial), not by an OS index that renumbers.
  • Launch as a first-class primitive — Panes starts the app on the right screen; it doesn’t just move a window you already opened.
  • A watchdog — anything that dies is restarted; anything on the wrong screen is re-placed.

Who it’s for

Section titled “Who it’s for”

Kiosk, signage, and control-room operators running unattended Windows (and Linux/X11) boxes with 2–8 displays. Also handy for desktop power users who want a fixed launch-and-arrange layout.

Core objects

Section titled “Core objects”
  • Monitor layout canvas — drag to-scale display nodes to match the physical arrangement.
  • Commands — per monitor: a preset (Chrome/Edge kiosk or generic application), executable, args (with {{monitor.*}} template vars), placement, startup toggle, and watchdog.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”