Kaku

<div align="center"> <h1>Kaku</h1> <p><em>A fast, out-of-the-box terminal built for AI coding.</em></p> </div> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/tw93/Kaku/stargazers"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/stars/tw93/Kaku?style=flat-square" alt="Stars"></a> <a href="https://github.com/tw93/Kaku/releases"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/tag/tw93/Kaku?label=version&style=flat-square" alt="Version"></a> <a href="LICENSE.md"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg?style=flat-square" alt="License"></a> <a href="https://github.com/tw93/Kaku/commits"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/commit-activity/m/tw93/Kaku?style=flat-square" alt="Commits"></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HiTw93"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/follow-Tw93-red?style=flat-square&logo=Twitter" alt="Twitter"></a> </p> <p align="center"> <img src="assets/kaku.jpeg" alt="Kaku Screenshot" width="1000" /> <br/> Kaku is a deeply customized fork of <a href="https://github.com/wez/wezterm">WezTerm</a>, designed for an out-of-the-box experience. </p>

Features

• Zero Config: Defaults with JetBrains Mono, macOS font rendering, and low-res font sizing.
• Theme-Aware Experience: Auto-switches between dark and light modes with macOS, with tuned selection colors, font weight, and practical color overrides support.
• Curated Shell Suite: Built-in zsh plugins with optional CLI tools for prompt, diff, and navigation workflows.
• Fast & Lightweight: 40% smaller binary, instant startup, lazy loading, stripped-down GPU-accelerated core.
• WezTerm-Compatible Config: Use WezTerm's Lua config directly with full API compatibility and no migration.
• Polished Defaults: Copy on select, clickable file paths, history peek from full-screen apps, pane input broadcast, and visual bell on background tab completion.

Quick Start

1. Download Kaku DMG & Drag to Applications
2. Or install with Homebrew: brew install tw93/tap/kakuku
3. Open Kaku. The app is notarized by Apple, so it opens without security warnings
4. On first launch, Kaku will automatically set up your shell environment

Usage Guide

| Action | Shortcut | | :--- | :--- | | New Tab | Cmd + T | | New Window | Cmd + N | | Close Tab/Pane | Cmd + W | | Navigate Tabs | Cmd + Shift + [ / ] or Cmd + 1–9 | | Navigate Panes | Cmd + Opt + Arrows | | Split Pane Vertical | Cmd + D | | Split Pane Horizontal | Cmd + Shift + D | | Open Settings Panel | Cmd + , | | AI Panel | Cmd + Shift + A | | Apply AI Suggestion | Cmd + Shift + E | | Open Lazygit | Cmd + Shift + G | | Yazi File Manager | Cmd + Shift + Y or y | | Clear Screen | Cmd + K |

Full keybinding reference: docs/keybindings.md

Kaku AI

Kaku includes a built-in assistant with two modes, plus a single settings page for AI coding tools.

• Error recovery: When a command fails, Kaku automatically suggests a fix. Press Cmd + Shift + E to apply.
• Natural language to command: Type # <description> at the prompt and press Enter. Kaku sends the query to the LLM and injects the resulting command back into the prompt, ready to review and run.
• AI Tools Config: Manage settings for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI, Kimi Code, and more.

Provider Presets

Kaku Assistant supports built-in provider presets for quick setup. Select a provider from the dropdown in kaku ai to auto-fill the API base URL and available models:

| Provider | Base URL | Models | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | OpenAI | https://api.openai.com/v1 | gpt-5.4-mini (recommended), gpt-5.4, (auto-detected) | | MiniMax | https://api.minimax.io/v1 | MiniMax-M2.7, M2.7-highspeed, M2.5, M2.5-highspeed | | Custom | (manual) | (manual) |

To use MiniMax, select "MiniMax" as the provider, enter your API key from MiniMax Platform, and choose a model. MiniMax-M2.7 (1M context) is recommended for everyday AI coding tasks.

When Kaku Assistant has a suggestion ready after a command error, press Cmd + Shift + E to apply it.

Full AI assistant docs: docs/features.md

Why Kaku?

I heavily rely on the CLI for both work and personal projects. Tools I've built, like Mole and Pake, reflect this.

I used Alacritty for years and learned to value speed and simplicity. As my workflow shifted toward AI-assisted coding, I wanted stronger tab and pane ergonomics. I also explored Kitty, Ghostty, Warp, and iTerm2. Each is strong in different areas, but I still wanted a setup that matched my own balance of performance, defaults, and control.

WezTerm is robust and highly hackable, and I am grateful for its engine and ecosystem. Kaku builds on that foundation with practical defaults for day one use, while keeping full Lua-based customization and a fast, lightweight feel.

So I built Kaku to be that environment: fast, polished, and ready to work.

Performance

| Metric | Upstream | Kaku | Methodology | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Executable Size | ~67 MB | ~40 MB | Aggressive symbol stripping & feature pruning | | Resources Volume | ~100 MB | ~80 MB | Asset optimization & lazy-loaded assets | | Launch Latency | Standard | Instant | Just-in-time initialization | | Shell Bootstrap | ~200ms | ~100ms | Optimized environment provisioning |

Achieved through aggressive stripping of unused features, lazy loading of color schemes, and shell optimizations.

FAQ

Is there a Windows or Linux version? Not currently. Kaku is macOS-only for now.

Can I use transparent windows? Yes — set config.window_background_opacity in ~/.config/kaku/kaku.lua.

The kaku command is missing. Run /Applications/Kaku.app/Contents/MacOS/kaku init --update-only && exec zsh -l, then kaku doctor.

Full FAQ: docs/faq.md

Docs

• Keybindings — full shortcut reference
• Features — AI assistant, lazygit, yazi, remote files, shell suite
• Configuration — themes, fonts, custom keybindings, Lua API
• CLI Reference — kaku ai, kaku config, kaku doctor, and more
• FAQ — common questions and troubleshooting

Contributors

Big thanks to all contributors who helped build Kaku. Go follow them! ❤️

<a href="https://github.com/tw93/Kaku/graphs/contributors"> <img src="./CONTRIBUTORS.svg?v=2" width="1000" /> </a>

Support

• If Kaku helped you, star the repo or share it with friends.
• Got ideas or found bugs? Open an issue/PR or check CONTRIBUTING.md for details.
• I have two cats, TangYuan and Coke. If you think Kaku delights your life, you can feed them <a href="https://miaoyan.app/cats.html?name=Kaku" target="_blank">canned food 🥩</a>.

<a href="https://miaoyan.app/cats.html?name=Kaku"><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/tw93/MiaoYan@main/assets/sponsors.svg" width="1000" loading="lazy" /></a>

License

MIT License, feel free to enjoy and participate in open source.