Kaku: A fast, out-of-the-box macOS terminal built for AI coding

Kaku書

A fast, out-of-the-box macOS terminal built for AI coding, open source and no account.

BeautifulLightweightAI-friendly

Download Kaku Install guide

00 · See it

Real product surfaces, not concept art.

Dark and light modes, tuned fonts, and a native macOS feel, the same on both.

Dark mode: tabs, panes, and tools in one fast workspace.Light mode: native macOS feel with crisp, readable type.

TabsNew ⌘T · Close ⌘W · Switch ⌘1–9

PanesSplit ⌘D and ⌘⇧D · Navigate ⌘⌥ + arrows

WindowSettings ⌘, · Clear ⌘K · Broadcast to panes

01 · Tabs & panes

Tabs and splits that feel like the rest of macOS.

New tabs, split panes, and navigation use the shortcuts you already expect. Broadcast input across panes when you want to drive several at once.

See all shortcuts

02 · Assistant

A failed command should be more than red text.

When a command fails, Kaku drafts a fix for review. Press Cmd + Shift + E to paste it back, and nothing dangerous runs on its own. Type # plus a sentence to turn plain language into a command.

Explore the assistant

~/proj $ npm run buidl

npm ERR! Missing script: "buidl"

Kaku Assistant · suggested fix npm run build Press ⌘⇧E to paste it at the prompt. Nothing runs on its own.

~/proj $ npm run build

03 · Defaults

Defaults that already made a few choices.

Tabs, fonts, themes, shell tools, performance, and AI, all arranged on day one.

01Tabs & panesNew tab, split, and navigate with native shortcuts, plus pane broadcast.02Beautiful defaultsJetBrains Mono, macOS font rendering, and auto dark and light themes.03Fast & lightweight40% smaller binary, instant startup, and a stripped-down GPU core.04Polished touchesCopy on select, clickable file paths, history peek, and visual bell.05Shell suiteLazygit, Yazi, remote files, z, completion, and highlighting.06AI assistantFix failed commands and turn a sentence into a command, when you want it.07Lua configFull Lua API compatibility. Bring your existing config with no migration.

04 · Daily use

Start with the paths that matter.

Install, configure AI, then tune the terminal without reading everything first.

01

Install

Use the DMG or brew install tw93/tap/kakuku, then run kaku doctor to verify the app, PATH, and shell integration.

02

AI setup

Run kaku ai to pick Codex, OpenAI, or a custom provider. Cmd + L opens chat once it is configured.

03

Tools

Cmd + Shift + G for Lazygit, Cmd + Shift + Y for Yazi, Cmd + Shift + R for remote files.

04

Config

Open kaku config for font size, opacity, Smart Tab, close confirmation, shortcuts, and Lua overrides.

05 · Why Kaku

A terminal should let you start working first.

I live in the terminal. I used Alacritty for years for its speed, then wanted stronger tabs and panes as my work shifted toward AI coding. Kaku builds on a fast, proven engine, adds practical defaults and shell tools, and puts an assistant within reach, all in one fast, quiet macOS app.

Tw93 · @HiTw93

06 · Questions

Common questions

How do I install Kaku? Download the DMG from GitHub Releases, or use the Homebrew tap: brew install tw93/tap/kakuku. An unrelated kaku package exists, so the tap avoids the wrong one. How is Kaku different from iTerm2? iTerm2 is a mature macOS terminal. Kaku is a lighter, faster alternative with practical defaults, fast tabs and panes, a curated shell suite, and an AI assistant, ready out of the box. How is Kaku different from Warp? Warp is closed source and built around a cloud account. Kaku is MIT open source, requires no account, and AI requests only go to the Provider you configure. Is Kaku paid? No, Kaku is an MIT-licensed open source project. Does Kaku run on Windows or Linux? Not yet, the current focus is getting the native macOS experience solid first.