terminal · ai · connections

The AI terminal with SSH client, database connections & built-in file editor

yaw is a free terminal for Windows, macOS, and Linux from Yaw Labs - split panes, a built-in SSH client and database connection manager, a file editor, and an AI assistant that works with the provider keys you already have. Yaw Labs also ships Yaw MCP and the free MCP in Production book. No account, no usage tracking.

Install yaw

v2.0.25 - 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.

Free to use - see pricing for the optional supporter license.

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 →