zuse README

The project's README from github.com/swarajbachu/zuse. As one markdown file: README.md.

Zuse Alpha

A chat-first desktop app for developers who work with AI coding agents. Wraps Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Gemini, Cursor, and OpenCode in a persistent, project-aware interface — structured chat history, rich composer, file viewer, integrated terminal, git worktrees, and session management, all stored locally.

Supports macOS and x64 Linux. Requires at least one supported agent CLI installed.

Install on Linux

Zuse currently ships x64 builds for Debian/Ubuntu and other Linux distributions that can run AppImages.

Debian and Ubuntu

Install the latest .deb release directly from a terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/swarajbachu/zuse/main/scripts/install-linux.sh | sh

The installer downloads the .deb attached to the latest GitHub release, verifies its GitHub-published SHA-256 digest, and uses apt, which installs Zuse's Secret Service and Avahi runtime dependencies. You may be prompted for your sudo password.

Other distributions

Download the latest x64 .AppImage from GitHub Releases, then run:

chmod +x Zuse-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./Zuse-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

AppImage users must provide a Secret Service implementation, such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet. Install avahi-publish-service if you want nearby-device discovery.

Before starting an agent session, install and authenticate at least one of the supported agent CLIs. If a CLI installed through a version manager is not detected, set its absolute binary path in Zuse's provider settings.

Supported agents

Provider CLI
Claude claude
Codex codex
Grok grok
Gemini gemini
Cursor cursor
OpenCode opencode
Pi pi

Pi: install with npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent, then run pi and /login. See the Pi provider guide for binary settings and native permissions.

What's shipped

Agent sessions

Composer

Permission system

Sub-agents

Git worktrees

Cloud workspaces

PR & Changes pane

File viewer & editor

Layout & UI

Persistence & distribution

Tech stack
Shell Electron 42
Renderer React 19 + TypeScript + Vite
Styling Tailwind CSS v4 + shadcn/ui (zinc dark)
State Zustand (ephemeral) + SQLite (persistent)
IPC @effect/rpc with Electron IPC transport
Runtime Effect.ts (Layer, Stream, Schema)
Terminal Ghostty VT (WebAssembly/native) + node-pty
Editor CodeMirror 6
Monorepo Bun workspaces + Turbo

Monorepo layout

apps/
  desktop/     Electron shell
  renderer/    React UI (Vite)
  server/      All backend logic — Effect Layers
  web/         Next.js marketing site
packages/
  contracts/   @zuse/contracts — typed RPC contracts + branded IDs
  ui/          Shared React components
specs/
  0.01-MVP/    Foundation
  0.02-MVP/    File viewer & editor
  0.03-MVP/    Composer 2.0
  0.04-MVP/    Code index (spec complete, not yet built)
  sub-agents/  Sub-agent delegation

Documentation

Internal and contributor references

Dev setup

# Install
bun install

# Dev (renderer + Electron)
bun dev

# Build
turbo build

# Package macOS DMG (signed)
bun run dist:mac

# Package macOS DMG (unsigned, local testing)
bun run dist:mac:unsigned

# Package Linux AppImage and deb
bun run dist:linux

# Package Linux without publishing
bun run dist:linux:unsigned

Requires: Bun 1.3.10+, Node.js ≥ 22.13, and macOS or x64 Linux.

Changes to the macOS awake controller require the physical MacBook release check, including assertion and best-effort closed-lid verification.

The default install uses the public icon set and does not require registry credentials. Contributors can clone the repository and run the commands above without any additional setup.

Licensed developers can opt into the paid icon styles by exporting HUGEICONS_TOKEN before bun install. The install hook downloads the licensed packages into an isolated local directory; they are never added to the public workspace dependency graph. If lifecycle scripts were disabled, run bun run icons:install-paid, then confirm the active set with bun run icons:status --expect=paid.

The packaging commands build x64 artifacts into dist/. End-user installation instructions are in Install on Linux.

License and acknowledgements

Except where third-party terms apply, Zuse's source code is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only (AGPL-3.0-only). Small areas with close correspondence to MIT-licensed upstream software retain the applicable copyright and permission notice. Reference-driven pull requests, library foundations, and the code-level inventory are documented in Attribution and provenance.

Zuse also builds on ideas and foundations from the wider open-source community. We are grateful to the contributors whose work made this project possible.

zuse (swarajbachu/zuse)

Searching Database…

232 ·GitHub
Zuse
What is this?Zuse is a chat-first desktop app that wraps multiple AI coding agent CLIs (Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Gemini, Cursor, OpenCode, Pi) in one persistent, project-aware interface, with chat history, a file viewer, an integrated terminal, and git worktrees, all stored locally.
How do I install Zuse on Linux or macOS?On Debian/Ubuntu, run the install script in a terminal, which downloads the latest .deb release, verifies its SHA-256 digest, and installs it via apt. Other Linux distros can download the x64 .AppImage from GitHub Releases, and macOS users get a signed, notarized universal .dmg.
Do I need Claude Code, Codex, or another agent CLI installed separately?Yes — Zuse is just the wrapper UI. You must install and authenticate at least one supported agent CLI yourself (Claude, Codex, Grok, Gemini, Cursor, OpenCode, or Pi) before starting a session.
Is this alpha software, and are there install gotchas on Linux?The project is explicitly labeled 'Zuse Alpha'. On Linux, AppImage users need to supply their own Secret Service implementation (like GNOME Keyring or KWallet) for credential storage, since it isn't bundled.
Does Zuse run on Windows too?No — Zuse currently ships only for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and x64 Linux (deb/AppImage); there's no native Windows build.
How are my API keys stored?API keys are kept in the OS keychain rather than written to disk in plain text.
What are the cloud workspaces feature for?Zuse can run invited coding-agent sessions in hosted E2B workspaces that keep working after you close the desktop app, queuing messages into an encrypted mailbox and waking the workspace to deliver them, with a one-way Mac mirror kept under ~/.zuse/cloud/.
What do git worktrees give me here?Each chat session gets its own isolated git worktree with per-repo settings and scoped file mentions, so you can run several agent sessions on the same repo in parallel without them stepping on each other's changes.
What's built into the file and terminal panes?A CodeMirror 6 editor with syntax support for TS/JS, Python, Rust, Go and more, inline previews for PNG/JPEG/GIF/WebP/AVIF, and a PTY terminal powered by Ghostty VT plus node-pty, all alongside a resizable three-pane layout.
How does Zuse handle sub-agents and cost?A larger model like Opus 4.7 can spawn cheaper Haiku or Sonnet models for sub-tasks, shown as collapsible wrapper rows in the chat timeline with per-agent token accounting to help control spend.
What are similar projects?casbin-gateway, vicoa, Codync, superpowers-zh, ordewell, emdash, adhdev, claurst
Which topics is it in?worktrees, pty, turborepo, agentic-coding, shadcn-ui, electron-app, bun, agplv3, ai-coding, ssh, opencode, coding-agents
Creator
swarajbachu
Size
67.2 MB
Stars
232
Updated
CommitOct 17Releasev0.23.0Sep 30
Age
5mo
Commits · 90 Days