Kaku

Kaku is a macOS-only terminal based on WezTerm, configured for developers who want tabs, split panes, familiar Mac shortcuts and optional AI assistance without starting from an empty configuration. Its name means “to write” in Japanese.

Features

Kaku includes JetBrains Mono, automatic dark/light themes, copy-on-selection, tab navigation, session-layout restoration and a right-click menu. Command-click opens supported URLs and file paths. Built-in zsh completion, syntax highlighting and directory jumping support shell work; optional Lazygit and Yazi integrations have their own installation requirements. Lua configuration remains available for fonts, themes, key bindings and terminal behavior.

Installation and setup

Download the official Kaku DMG and drag the app into Applications, or use brew install --cask kaku. Open the app for shell integration. The README documents kaku init for missing optional tools, kaku doctor for diagnostics and kaku --version to inspect the installed version. Review shell configuration changes before accepting them. Kaku is currently macOS-only. Static inspection of the official 0.22.0 DMG confirms a universal main application executable containing Intel x86_64 and Apple Silicon arm64 slices. Both slices declare macOS 11.0 as their Mach-O minimum; the bundle does not declare LSMinimumSystemVersion. This is executable metadata evidence, not a guarantee that every optional tool or feature works on macOS 11. No fixed RAM minimum is published. The official 0.22.0 DMG is 52,758,054 bytes, verified by its download server; installed files and optional tools need additional space.

Optional AI, accounts and cost

Configure your own AI service with kaku ai; the publisher states Kaku does not provide or relay the AI service. The assistant can suggest commands after failures, turn natural-language descriptions into commands for review, and chat about terminal output or project context. External model services require their own credentials and may charge for use. Local-model backends require separate setup and suitable hardware. Local terminal work does not require a Kaku subscription. Kaku is MIT-licensed open-source software.

Permissions and practical cautions

The terminal and shell tools use your account's permissions. Generated commands can change files or perform network operations, so read suggestions before running them. Keep copies of shell/Lua configuration before initialization or updates. Project text and terminal output used for AI can be sent to your configured provider; avoid exposing secrets and review its privacy policy. macOS can prompt for access to protected directories when your commands need them, but the inspected sources do not establish a universal Accessibility or Full Disk Access requirement. Diagnostic bundles are described as redacted in 0.22.0; inspect them before attaching them to a public issue.

The catalog currently has only two distinct versions, 0.22.0 and 0.21.0. Their official change lists are summarized separately; a third catalog version is not invented. The publisher screenshot illustrates Kaku's terminal workspace and is not a guarantee of a specific release layout.

Sources: Official project, Product documentation, 0.22.0 release, 0.21.0 release, MIT license.