Getting Started

teru is a terminal emulator, multiplexer, and tiling manager in a single 1.3MB binary. Written in Zig 0.16, it uses CPU SIMD rendering — no GPU, no OpenGL, no EGL. Frame times under 50μs.

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

The easiest way to install teru on Arch Linux:

# Install Zig 0.16 (required — teru uses Zig 0.16 APIs)
paru -S zig-master-bin

# Install teru
paru -S teru

Optional clipboard support:

# X11
paru -S xclip

# Wayland
paru -S wl-clipboard

Build from Source

Requires Zig 0.16+ and system libraries.

Dependencies

Package	Arch Linux	Debian/Ubuntu	Fedora
Zig 0.16	`zig-master-bin` (AUR)	ziglang.org/download	ziglang.org/download
libxcb	`libxcb`	`libxcb1-dev`	`libxcb-devel`
libxkbcommon	`libxkbcommon`	`libxkbcommon-dev`	`libxkbcommon-devel`
wayland	`wayland`	`libwayland-dev`	`wayland-devel`

git clone https://codeberg.org/ng/teru.git
cd teru

# Release build (recommended)
make release              # 1.3MB binary at zig-out/bin/teru

# Install system-wide
sudo make install         # installs to /usr/local/bin/teru

# Or copy manually
cp zig-out/bin/teru ~/.local/bin/

Minimal Builds

make release-x11          # X11-only (no wayland-client dep)
make release-wayland      # Wayland-only (no libxcb dep)

Running teru

teru                      # windowed mode (X11/Wayland auto-detected)
teru --raw                # TTY mode (over SSH, like tmux)
teru --attach             # restore saved session layout

Key Concepts

Prefix Key

teru uses a prefix key system (default: Ctrl+Space) for multiplexer commands. Press the prefix, then a command key. For example:

Ctrl+Space then c — open a new pane
Ctrl+Space then x — close the active pane
Ctrl+Space then 1 — switch to workspace 1

Workspaces

teru provides 9 independent workspaces, each with their own pane layout. Switch with Ctrl+Space, 1–9.

Tiling Layouts

Four layouts are available, cycled with Ctrl+Space, Space:

master-stack — one large pane left, stack of panes right
grid — equal-size grid
monocle — single full-screen pane
floating — free placement

Session Persistence

Save your layout with Ctrl+Space, d (detach). Restore it later with teru --attach.

AI Integration

teru implements native Claude Code agent protocol. When Claude Code spawns agent teams, teru manages their panes automatically — no tmux, no manual layout management. See AI Integration for details.

First Session

Run teru to open a windowed session
Your default shell starts in the first pane
Press Ctrl+Space, c to open a second pane
Press Ctrl+Space, Space to cycle tiling layouts
Press Ctrl+Space, d to save and exit

That’s it. See Keybindings for a full reference.