diff --git a/dwm/dwm.c b/dwm/dwm.c
--- a/dwm/dwm.c
+++ b/dwm/dwm.c
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@
 	const char *class;
 	const char *instance;
 	const char *title;
+	const char *role;
 	unsigned int tags;
 	Bool isfloating, centre;
 	int monitor;
@@ -295,10 +296,29 @@
 /* compile-time check if all tags fit into an unsigned int bit array. */
 struct NumTags { char limitexceeded[LENGTH(tags) > 31 ? -1 : 1]; };

+char *
+getprop(Window w, const char *prop)
+{
+	Atom atom, adummy;
+	unsigned char *val = NULL;
+	int idummy;
+	unsigned long ldummy;
+
+	atom = XInternAtom(dpy, prop, True);
+
+	if(atom)
+		XGetWindowProperty(dpy, w, atom, 0, BUFSIZ, False, XA_STRING,
+			&adummy, &idummy, &ldummy, &ldummy, &val);
+
+	return (char *)val;
+}
+
+
+
 /* function implementations */
 void
 applyrules(Client *c) {
-	const char *class, *instance;
+	const char *class, *instance, *role;
 	char centre = 1;
 	unsigned int i;
 	const Rule *r;
@@ -310,11 +330,13 @@
 	if(XGetClassHint(dpy, c->win, &ch)) {
 		class = ch.res_class ? ch.res_class : broken;
 		instance = ch.res_name ? ch.res_name : broken;
+		role = (role = getprop(c->win, "WM_WINDOW_ROLE")) ? role : broken;
 		for(i = 0; i < LENGTH(rules); i++) {
 			r = &rules[i];
 			if((!r->title || strstr(c->name, r->title))
 			&& (!r->class || strstr(class, r->class))
-			&& (!r->instance || strstr(instance, r->instance)))
+			&& (!r->instance || strstr(instance, r->instance))
+			&& (!r->role || strstr(role, r->role)))
 			{
 				c->isfloating = r->isfloating;
 				c->tags |= r->tags;