kettle 🫖

Kettle is a GPU-accelerated terminal workspace for macOS and Linux. It has tabs, splits, search, session restore, themes, and local automation.

Install

Download a package from the latest release.

Platform	Package	Setup
Linux, glibc 2.35+	kettle-linux-*.tar.gz	Run the installer below
macOS 11+	kettle-macos-universal.zip	Move kettle.app to Applications

Neither package needs administrator access. The Linux installer puts Kettle under ~/.local for the current user and verifies the signed release before changing files.

KETTLE_RAW_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Reddimus/kettle/main
curl -fsSL "$KETTLE_RAW_URL/scripts/install-online.sh" | sh

Windows distribution ended with 3.3.0. Archived Windows packages remain attached to their historical releases, but 4.0 and later do not ship or update Windows. CI still compiles and tests retained Windows code. That coverage does not restore distribution or supported-platform status.

Read Installation for Nix, older Linux systems, source builds, and uninstall steps.

Check for a release and install it with:

kettle --check-update
kettle update

Kettle defaults to update-policy = auto: it checks the signed release feed at most once a day and installs a newer release in the background, taking effect on the next restart. Set update-policy = notify for a banner only, or update-policy = off to make no automatic network request. On macOS, the updater replaces kettle.app in place and refuses a copy owned by Homebrew.

First run

1. Open Kettle from the app launcher or run kettle.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+E for a side-by-side split or Ctrl+Shift+O for a top-and-bottom split.
3. Press Ctrl+, to open Settings.
4. Add the optional shell integration for prompt navigation and completion cards.

These commands create, locate, validate, and inspect the active configuration:

kettle --write-default-config
kettle --config-path
kettle --check-config
kettle --list-keybinds

Kettle reloads its plain key = value configuration when you save it. See Configuration for every setting and Settings for the in-app editor.

Common keys

Action	Key
New tab	Ctrl+Shift+T
Split left or right	Ctrl+Shift+E
Split top or bottom	Ctrl+Shift+O
Focus next or previous pane	Ctrl+Shift+N or Ctrl+Shift+P
Directional pane focus, Linux (passes through to the program at an edge or while zoomed)	Alt+Arrow
Directional pane focus, macOS	Cmd+Opt+Arrow or Ctrl+Cmd+Arrow
Search (the grid stays selectable while the bar is open)	Ctrl+Shift+F
Command palette	Ctrl+Shift+K
Copy or paste	Ctrl+Shift+C or Ctrl+Shift+V
Settings	Ctrl+,
Delete word or line on macOS	Opt+Backspace or Cmd+Backspace

Use kettle --list-keybinds for the effective map. macOS also provides Cmd+T, Cmd+C/V, Cmd+F, and Cmd+,. Getting started covers pane movement, tabs, search, and first-run troubleshooting.

Features

• Tabs, splits, multiple windows, pane movement, and broadcast input
• A macOS Dock menu for new tabs, new windows, and open windows
• GPU rendering, bounded scrollback, search, and inline image protocols
• Shell-driven completion cards
• File drop, copied media paths, and private image or video previews
• Session restore, recording, SSH profiles, and signed updates
• A bundled font and more than 500 themes
• An optional local control API and MCP server, both off by default

Privacy and local automation

Media paste sends a quoted local path to the pane, not the file contents. Read Terminal client compatibility for shell quoting, temporary-file privacy, and client behavior.

Enable the local control API or MCP server only if every process running as your operating system user is trusted. Once enabled, any same-user process can connect without a pairing prompt. read-only permits inspection. full permits input and arbitrary command execution as your user. Read Automation and MCP before using either interface.

Build and test

Kettle requires Rust 1.89 or newer. macOS needs a stable Rust toolchain. Linux contributors should install the dependencies listed under source builds.

git clone https://github.com/Reddimus/kettle
cd kettle
cargo build --locked --release -p kettle

Run the repository gate before sending a change:

cargo fmt --all --check
just gauntlet

Read Contributing for the change workflow and Testing for prerequisites, native checks, and the larger verification gates. Performance work follows the benchmark methodology.

Documentation

• Getting started and Installation
• Configuration and Settings
• Shell integration and Automation
• Architecture and Testing
• Release process
• Security and vulnerability reporting
• Changelog and older-release index

License

Kettle is available under the MIT license. Third-party code, assets, protocol sources, and design references are listed in NOTICE.