Kaku Terminal: Fast, AI‑Ready Terminal Built on WezTerm
Kaku – The Fast, AI‑Ready Terminal Built on WezTerm
In the age of large language models and AI‑assisted programming, developers are looking for tools that stay out of the way and let the code flow. Kaku (pronounced Ka‑cu) is a fork of the popular WezTerm terminal that has been trimmed, tuned, and pre‑configured for an instant, AI‑friendly experience.
What Is Kaku?
Kaku is a terminal emulator that:
- Runs instant – Startup latency is virtually zero, thanks to lazy‑loading and a lean binary.
- Zero config – Polished defaults (JetBrains Mono, OpenCoded theme) mean you can open a window and start coding.
- Shell‑supplied – Starship prompt, z (smart cd), Delta (syntax‑highlighted pager), and zsh‑completions are baked in.
- Lua‑ready – Full WezTerm Lua engine for deep customization.
- AI‑centric – The design was inspired by the constraints of running heavy language‑model tooling inside the terminal.
The repository lives on GitHub: https://github.com/tw93/Kaku.
Why Build Kaku Instead of Using WezTerm?
WezTerm is feature‑rich but requires manual setup for themes, shell tools, and keybindings. Kaku strips unused symbols, pre‑loads only what developers need, and offers a clean installation path via Homebrew or DMG.
Key motivations:
- Speed – 40 % smaller binary (~40 MB vs. ~67 MB), 100 ms launch time.
- Lightness – Lazy‑load color schemes; optimized macOS font rendering.
- Ready‑to‑go – No config files needed to get a powerful AI workflow out of the box.
- Consistency – The same behavior across macOS installations.
Getting Started
Install on macOS
brew tap tw93/tap
brew install --cask tw93/tap/kaku
If macOS blocks the app, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
Quick Launch
- Open the app from Applications.
- The first launch will automatically set up the shell environment (Starship, z, Delta).
You can also build from source:
git clone https://github.com/tw93/Kaku
cd Kaku
cargo build --release
# The binary is in target/release/kaku
Tip – Keep your
~/.config/kaku/kaku.luasimple: the bundled defaults are fallback only.
Core Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Zero Config | Pre‑loaded JetBrains Mono, OpEncode theme, optimized GPU rendering, smooth animations. |
| Built‑in Shell Suite | Starship prompt, z smart‑cd, Delta syntax‑highlighted pager, zsh‑completions, real‑time syntax highlighting, autosuggestions. |
| Fast & Lightweight | 40 % smaller binary; lazy‑load assets; GPU accelerated core. |
| Lua Scripting | Full WezTerm Lua engine for custom keybindings, layouts, status bars. |
| Safe Updates | kaku update CLI and Homebrew integration. |
| Shortcut Cheat Sheet | macOS‑native shortcuts for split panes, tabs, resizing, navigation, etc. |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | WezTerm | Kaku |
|---|---|---|
| Executable Size | ~67 MB | ~40 MB |
| Resources Volume | ~100 MB | ~80 MB |
| Launch Latency | Standard | Instant |
| Shell Bootstrap | ~200 ms | ~100 ms |
The results come from a single MacBook Pro M2, running the latest macOS beta. Kaku’s aggressive symbol stripping and asset optimisation were visible in every metric.
Comparison to Popular Terminals
| Terminal | Strengths | Weaknesses | Why Kaku Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| iTerm2 | Feature richness | Requires login, older UI, less customisable | Kaku is free, no sign‑ins, fully open‑source |
| Kitty | GPU accelerated, tiling | Customisation friction | Kaku has baked‑in AI tools and instant starts |
| Warp | Modern UI, AI integration | Bloat, heavy | Kaku is lightweight and zero‑config |
| Alacritty | Fast, minimal | Lacks multiple tabs | Kaku adds tabbing, splits, and shell suite |
| WezTerm | Highly hackable | Needs config | Kaku pre‑configures everything for AI workflows |
Contributing and Community
- The project welcomes PRs! Look for
issueslabeledgood-first-issue. - Contributing guidelines: https://github.com/tw93/Kaku/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
- Release cycle: Every new stable tag is built automatically via CI.
- Community chat: Gitter or Discord link listed in the repo.
Star the repo to help keep the project visible. Consider buying the author a coffee if you love the terminal.
Final Thoughts
Kaku isn’t just another terminal; it’s a ready‑to‑code environment that blends the flexibility of WezTerm with the instant ergonomics you need when running AI models and heavy CLI workflows. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting to experiment with local LLMs, Kaku lets you focus on code, not configuration.
Download the DMG, plug it in, and start creating AI‑enhanced workflows today.