Nested docker layouts for REAPER. A native C++ extension that captures any REAPER window — Mixer, Media Explorer, FX Browser, toolbars, ReaImGui scripts, AU / VST / JSFX plugin UIs — into a tiling workspace with resizable splits, tabbed panes and one-click workspace recall. No scripting, no dependencies.
Latest: v2.5.0 — see CHANGELOG.md for release history.
- Split and tab — split panes to any depth (up to 16 per container), drag splitters, drop several windows on one pane as tabs, drag tabs between panes. Solo a pane, apply one of 5 layout presets, or switch to layout edit mode and rearrange panes as cards without releasing a single window.
- Capture anything — drag a REAPER window from outside and drop it on a pane, or arm click-to-capture and click the window. Known windows are one click away in the menu; toolbars, third-party ReaImGui scripts and plugin UIs work too. Capture a whole track's FX chain in one go, or lock a pane to FX slot N of the selected track.
- Workspaces — 32 saved layouts with mini previews in the launcher, one hotkey each (or one "Workspace pickup" action for all), 32 favorites for single windows. Layout is also saved in the project file and round-trips through REAPER's Window sets.
- Up to 8 containers — each with its own layout, captured windows and floating geometry; workspaces and favorites are shared.
- Floating or docked — detach a container into its own window (multi-monitor position remembered, always-on-top toggle) or keep it in REAPER's docker.
- Everything is an action — open, split, merge in any direction, next tab / pane, solo, layout edit, Quick Switcher (fuzzy search across tabs, workspaces and favorites), Settings. Bindings fire even while a captured window has focus.
- Looks the way you want — navigation bar (collapsible), auto-hiding tab bars, clean mode, pane border and background colors, light / dark / auto.
- Debug log for bug reports — a Settings switch makes the public build write the same log the developer reads; "Show log file..." opens it.
The complete feature list, with every option and platform note, is in docs/FEATURES.md.
| Workspace launcher | Settings |
|---|---|
 |
 |
- In REAPER: Extensions → ReaPack → Import repositories…
- Paste this URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/b451c/MaxPane/main/index.xml - Extensions → ReaPack → Browse packages, search for MaxPane, right-click → Install, restart REAPER.
ReaPack notifies you of updates automatically.
Download the binary for your platform from the
Releases page and copy it into REAPER's UserPlugins
folder, then restart REAPER:
| Platform | File | Folder |
|---|---|---|
| macOS Apple Silicon | reaper_maxpane-arm64.dylib |
~/Library/Application Support/REAPER/UserPlugins/ |
| macOS Intel | reaper_maxpane-x86_64.dylib |
same as above |
| Windows x64 | reaper_maxpane-x64.dll |
%APPDATA%\REAPER\UserPlugins\ |
| Linux x86_64 / aarch64 | reaper_maxpane-x86_64.so / reaper_maxpane-aarch64.so |
~/.config/REAPER/UserPlugins/ |
- Run the action MaxPane: Open Container (Actions list; bind a key if you like).
- Click the drag button on the navigation bar and drag any REAPER window into a pane — or right-click a pane and pick a window from the menu.
- Split panes from the pane menu (or by dropping a window on a pane edge), drop more windows on a pane to get tabs.
- Click Save on the navigation bar and name the workspace. It shows up as a card in the launcher; Home overlays the launcher on top of any layout.
- Bind hotkeys in REAPER's Actions dialog:
MaxPane: Workspace Slot N, orMaxPane: Workspace pickupfor all slots with one key.
Requires REAPER 7.0 or newer.
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS arm64 + x86_64 | Primary | Every release runs an automated regression suite plus live sessions with real-world plugin suites. |
| Windows x64 | Supported | CI-built; Windows-specific changes are verified live on Windows 11. |
| Linux x86_64 + aarch64 | Supported | CI-built and unit-tested on Ubuntu; runtime reports welcome. |
- Plugin tabs restore only in a project that contains those tracks and FX — plugin identities are track-bound by design. Open the project first, then load the workspace.
- A plugin GUI larger than its pane crops at the pane edge on macOS (REAPER has no FX-window scrollbars there) — use the pane menu's "Fit Pane to Window"; Windows shows REAPER's native scrollbars.
- Windows / Linux: a ReaImGui window docked in REAPER's docker must be undocked before capture. Pulling it out of the docker would crash REAPER, so MaxPane refuses with a message; drag the script's tab out of the docker once, capture it floating, save the workspace.
- Linux: GL-rendered ReaImGui windows need ReaImGui's "Disable hardware acceleration" preference to be captured (restart the script after enabling it).
- macOS: ReaImGui scripts that enforce a minimum window size (e.g. TK Patchbay) can resize REAPER's main window when captured into a smaller pane — keep the pane large enough or dock them natively.
- A docked MaxPane on a second monitor may come back on the main monitor after restart — REAPER manages docked-window positions; floating mode remembers its monitor.
The full list, including the smaller platform-specific ones, is in docs/FEATURES.md.
git clone https://github.com/b451c/MaxPane.git
cd MaxPane
git clone https://github.com/justinfrankel/reaper-sdk.git cpp/sdk
git clone https://github.com/justinfrankel/WDL.git cpp/WDL
mkdir -p cpp/build && cd cpp/build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build . --parallelCopy the resulting reaper_maxpane.{dylib,so,dll} into the UserPlugins
folder above. Workflow and conventions: CONTRIBUTING.md;
design and module map: ARCHITECTURE.md. CI runs the full
5-platform matrix on every PR.
MaxPane is MIT-licensed and free. If it saves you time: Ko-fi · Buy Me a Coffee · PayPal
MIT — Copyright (c) 2025–2026 b451c
- Forum thread — https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=307267
- Bug reports and requests — https://github.com/b451c/MaxPane/issues (with v2.5.0, please attach the debug log: Settings → Write debug log → Show log file...)
- REAPER — https://www.reaper.fm · ReaPack — https://reapack.com
- REAPER SDK — https://github.com/justinfrankel/reaper-sdk · WDL / SWELL — https://github.com/justinfrankel/WDL
Made by falami.studio — audio production & engineering studio.