Kaku is a fast, out-of-the-box terminal emulator specifically engineered for AI coding workflows. It addresses the need for a highly performant and pre-configured command-line environment, targeting developers who want immediate productivity without extensive setup. Kaku offers a polished, lightweight experience built upon a robust foundation, aiming to streamline AI-assisted development tasks directly within the terminal.

How It Works

Kaku is a deeply customized fork of the WezTerm terminal emulator, leveraging its GPU-accelerated core for speed and efficiency. It features a zero-configuration approach with sensible defaults for fonts, themes, and macOS rendering. The project integrates a curated suite of zsh plugins and optional CLI tools for enhanced prompt, diff, and navigation workflows. This design choice allows users to benefit from WezTerm's extensive Lua API for configuration while providing an immediately usable, optimized environment tailored for AI coding.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: Download the Kaku DMG and drag it to Applications, or use Homebrew: brew install tw93/tap/kakuku.
• Prerequisites: macOS.
• Resource Footprint: Features a ~40MB executable size (40% smaller than upstream), ~80MB resource volume, instant startup, and ~100ms shell bootstrap.
• Links: Official quick-start is via DMG or Homebrew. Configuration details are in ~/.config/kaku/kaku.lua.

Highlighted Details

• Kaku AI: Includes an integrated assistant for command-line error recovery and a unified UI for configuring external AI coding tools like Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and Copilot CLI.
• Curated Shell Suite: Bundles essential zsh plugins (z for directory navigation, syntax highlighting, autosuggestions) and offers optional CLI tools such as Starship, Delta, Lazygit, and Yazi for enhanced workflows.
• Performance Optimizations: Achieves a smaller binary size, reduced resource volume, instant launch latency, and faster shell bootstrapping through aggressive feature pruning and lazy loading.
• WezTerm Compatibility: Fully compatible with WezTerm's Lua configuration API, allowing users to leverage existing WezTerm configurations or customize Kaku extensively via ~/.config/kaku/kaku.lua.

Maintenance & Community

The project acknowledges contributions from a community of developers. Support and bug reporting are managed through GitHub issues and pull requests, with a CONTRIBUTING.md file available for guidance. There are no explicit links to community channels like Discord or Slack.

Licensing & Compatibility

Kaku is released under the MIT License, which permits broad use, modification, and distribution, including for commercial purposes and integration into closed-source projects. However, it is currently macOS-only, with potential future releases for Windows and Linux planned after the macOS version matures.

Limitations & Caveats

The primary limitation is its current macOS-only availability, excluding users on other operating systems. While built on the stable WezTerm foundation, Kaku's specific customizations and bundled tools might introduce unique behaviors or dependencies that require attention during advanced configuration or troubleshooting.