yaw - AI terminal with SSH, database connections, and file editor

Install yaw

v2.0.14 - One command. Pick your platform.

Windows (x64 & ARM64)

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

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

macOS (Apple Silicon)

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

Linux (any distro - .deb / .rpm, or AppImage everywhere else)

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

Debian / Ubuntu get a .deb, Fedora / RHEL a .rpm; every other distro (Arch, NixOS, Gentoo…) gets the universal AppImage - same one command.

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)
Try Claude Code Yaw Mode - Settings → Yaw Mode → Augment or Fresh to layer an opinionated bundle of rules, skills, and agents onto Claude Code sessions launched from yaw. Learn more
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 →

Claude Code Yaw Mode

An overlay-style Claude Code harness that pre-bakes the context-discipline patterns Anthropic recommends - skills load on demand, sub-agents keep their reads isolated, and the always-on rule bundle is built to be cache-stable. Toggle Yaw Mode on and the next Claude Code session you launch from a yaw pane inherits a curated working style without touching your ~/.claude/. Augment layers the bundle over your own config; Fresh runs only the bundle. Conversation history writes straight through to your real home either way, so --resume keeps working across both modes.

Read about Yaw Mode →

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 →