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~ ❯ forktty

Multi-agent terminal for Linux._

A GTK/VTE terminal written in Rust. Each workspace is a tiling pane layout you can dedicate to one agent — Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or anything else that runs in a shell. Your keys, your subscription, your machine.

Download for LinuxView source
main·~·Pane 1/3·AGPL-3.0·no telemetry
SCREENSHOT

One window. Many workspaces. Many agents.

ForkTTY on Linux. Each workspace owns a tiling pane layout — switch with a single shortcut and pick up exactly where you left off.

ForkTTY GTK terminal on Linux: a workspace sidebar lists 'main' (active, 5 panes) plus workspace-2, -3 and -4 under ~/forktty. The window holds three terminal panes — one on the left, two stacked on the right — each running the FORGE agent on gpt-5.5. A bottom status bar reads 'main · ~ · Pane 1/3 · Ctrl+Shift+P'.
forktty · GTK4 / VTE · Linuxworkspaces · tiling panes · per-pane agents
DOWNLOAD

Latest release

Pre-built binaries for x86_64 Linux. Verify checksums against SHA256SUMS, then install the .deb on Debian/Ubuntu, or run the AppImage if you’re on another distro.

v0.2.0-alpha.5prereleasePublished May 22, 2026Release notes

.deb package

recommended

Debian / Ubuntu — the tested path

forktty_0.2.0.alpha.5_amd64.deb
2.4 MB
Download .deb package

AppImage

experimental

Experimental portable Linux build

forktty-0.2.0-alpha.5-x86_64.AppImage
49.0 MB
Download AppImage

SHA256SUMS

verify

Always verify downloads before running them.

SHA256SUMS

All assets

manifest

Source tarballs and additional artifacts.

No additional assets in this release.

Browse every release
WHY

Native Linux, not a port.

ForkTTY is a GTK4 application that uses VTE — the same terminal widget behind GNOME Terminal and Tilix — so xterm emulation, true colour, ligatures, and scrollback work the way every other VTE terminal does. No Electron, no web shell, no embedded browser.

The orchestration sits in Rust on top of that: workspaces hold tiling pane layouts, each pane is a real PTY, and the agent CLI talking to it has no idea it’s being multiplexed.

Bring your own CLI

ForkTTY ships no model, no proxy, no API key. Install Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, aider, or a custom script and run it in a pane. Your credentials, your rate limits, your bill.

Workspaces, not tabs

A workspace is a saved pane layout you can dedicate to one task or one agent. Switch with a single shortcut; the panes stay attached to their PTYs in the background.

Local-first, no telemetry

Sessions, history, and keys live on your machine. ForkTTY makes zero outbound connections for analytics, updates, or crash reporting. It’s open source under AGPL-3.0 — fork it, audit it, patch it.

INSTALL

Install & verify

ForkTTY is distributed as standard Linux artifacts. No account, no cloud setup, no first-run wizard.

Verify checksums

Always do this before running an unknown binary.

# Download both the artifact and SHA256SUMS
$ sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing

.deb package

Recommended on Debian / Ubuntu and derivatives.

$ sudo apt install ./forktty_*.deb
$ forktty

AppImage

Experimental portable Linux build. Prefer the .deb on Debian/Ubuntu.

$ chmod +x forktty-*.AppImage
$ ./forktty-*.AppImage

Build from source

Requires Rust toolchain and GTK4 / VTE 0.74+ development packages.

$ git clone https://github.com/Lucenx9/forktty.git
$ cd forktty
$ cargo build -p forktty-ui-gtk --features gtk-vte --release
$ ./target/release/forktty
ALPHA

This is early software.

ForkTTY is in early alpha. Expect rough edges, breaking changes, and the occasional crash. We’d rather ship honestly than ship a polished facade.

If you hit something, please open an issue on GitHub — minimal repro > long thread.

  • experimentalAppImage builds are best-effort and not yet signed. Prefer the .deb if you’re on Debian/Ubuntu.
  • breakingConfig format, keybinds, and CLI flags will change without migration paths during alpha.
  • linux onlyNo macOS, no Windows, no WSL build. Wayland and X11 both work via GTK4.
  • no telemetryForkTTY does not collect or transmit usage data. Crashes stay local unless you choose to share them.
  • byo keysAgent CLIs use your own credentials and subscriptions. ForkTTY never proxies your prompts.
FAQ

Common questions

What is ForkTTY, in one sentence?
A Linux-native GTK/VTE terminal, written in Rust, designed to run multiple coding agents — like Codex, Claude Code, or Gemini CLI — side by side.
Does ForkTTY ship with an AI model?
No. ForkTTY is bring-your-own-CLI: you install the agent of your choice, authenticate with your own keys or subscription, and ForkTTY just hosts the PTYs. Nothing is proxied.
Why GTK/VTE instead of a web stack?
VTE is the same terminal widget that powers GNOME Terminal and Tilix. It's fast, faithful to the xterm spec, and lets us focus on the orchestration layer instead of reimplementing a terminal in JavaScript.
Will there be a macOS or Windows build?
Not in alpha. ForkTTY is unapologetically Linux-first; portability isn't a near-term goal.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. ForkTTY itself has no telemetry, no auto-update server, no analytics. Agent CLIs talk to whatever endpoint you configure them to.
Can I script it / extend it?
Yes. ForkTTY is open source under AGPL-3.0. Fork it, add panes, wire your own orchestrator on top — that's exactly the point.
AppImage or .deb?
If you're on Debian/Ubuntu, prefer the .deb — it's the most tested path. AppImage is an experimental Linux build and may not work on every distro yet.