yaw — ai, terminal, connections

2 min read Original article ↗

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a powerful terminal for every platform

Install yaw

v0.9.124 — One command. Pick your platform.

Windows (x64 & ARM64)

powershellirm https://yaw.sh/install-win.ps1 | iex

git bashcurl -fsSL https://yaw.sh/install-win.sh | sh

macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel)

curl -fsSL https://yaw.sh/install-mac.sh | sh

Linux (Debian / Ubuntu / Fedora / RHEL)

curl -fsSL https://yaw.sh/install-linux.sh | sh

Getting Started

After installing, launch yaw from your Start menu (Windows), Applications folder (macOS), or application launcher (Linux). Here's what to try first:

  • Edit a file — run yaw filename from any terminal to open the built-in file editor, or right-click → File Editor inside yaw
  • Open a new tab — Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+T (macOS)
  • Split the pane — Ctrl+Shift+D / Cmd+Shift+D (vertical) or Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E (horizontal)
  • Connect to a server or database — Tailscale nodes, cloud servers, databases — Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+S (macOS)
  • Ask the AI — Ctrl+Shift+A (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+A (macOS)
  • Open the command palette — Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
  • Open settings — Ctrl+Shift+, (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+, (macOS)
  • Open menu — Ctrl+Shift+M (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+M (macOS)

AI CLI Tools

Run Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Vibe CLI with a smart split-pane workflow. yaw detects the tool and opens a companion terminal in the same directory — AI on the left, your shell on the right. Install any of them with the built-in wizard.

Learn more about AI in yaw →

Best terminal for Claude Code →

Built-in File Editor

Edit files without leaving the terminal. yaw ships with a built-in file editor powered by micro — syntax highlighting, Catppuccin Mocha theme, git diff gutter, auto-close brackets, and soft-wrap out of the box. Open any file from the command line with yaw filename or from the right-click menu. No setup, no plugins to install, no config files to manage.

Learn more about the file editor →