RedEye replaces the Windows Explorer shell with a lightweight, fully customizable environment. Using an XML-based layout system and a first-class C# plugin API, you can design every aspect of your desktop — taskbar, start menu, widgets, and hotkeys — without being locked into fixed UI choices.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ryzhpolsos/redeye/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Installation
Download a release, run the install script, and boot into RedEye in minutes.
Quickstart
Build your first custom taskbar layout from scratch using RWML.
Widget Reference
Explore the full list of built-in widgets and their configuration options.
Plugin Development
Write C# plugins to add custom widgets, functions, and shell integrations.
Why RedEye?
RedEye is built for users who want more than the default Windows shell provides. Explorer’s fixed taskbar, CPU-heavy start menu, and limited customization make it a poor fit for power users and developers. RedEye solves this with:- XML layout markup (RWML) — describe windows, widgets, and their properties declaratively, no programming required
- Theme variables — define colors, fonts, and spacing once, reference them everywhere
- Plugin system — write C# plugins that export custom widgets and expression functions
- Hotkey manager — bind any key combination to any shell action
- Documented Windows APIs — RedEye calls only documented Win32 APIs, so it survives Windows updates
Get started
Install RedEye
Download the latest release from GitHub Releases, extract it, and run
install.bat as administrator. Log off and back on to activate RedEye as your shell.Explore the default layout
Open
config.xml in your RedEye directory. This file imports your layout, theme, hotkeys, and core settings. The default layout includes a taskbar, start menu, desktop, and tray.Customize your layout
Edit the XML files under
config/ui/ to rearrange widgets, change colors, adjust sizes, and add hotkeys. Use theme variables to keep styles consistent.Key concepts
RWML layout markup
Learn the XML-based markup language used to define windows and widgets.
Variables and theming
Use variables and theme files to manage colors, fonts, and layout values.
Hotkeys
Bind key combinations to shell actions, window toggles, and custom commands.
Expression functions
Built-in functions like
calc, if, dateTime, shellExecute, and more.