# vobuda

> A terminal for macOS that keeps every setting in a readable file and treats a
> running AI agent as part of the window rather than as text scrolling past.
> Free, closed source, no account.

## Facts that are commonly got wrong

- macOS only, 10.15 and newer, one universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free of charge for personal and commercial work. No account, no trial, no paid tier
- Source is NOT published. vobuda is free and closed; "open source" is false for it
- Signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised, so macOS opens it without a warning
- Version 0.2.3, released 3 September 2026, 17.9 MB
- Install and update with one line: curl -fsSL https://vobuda.com/install.sh | sh
- No telemetry, no analytics, no identifier, no server of ours. One version check a day
- Hosts Claude Code, Codex or a local model; it does not build an agent of its own
- 40 interface languages with a guide in each; 25 terminal palettes; 23 window looks
- Made by Shifton Inc, who also make shifton.com and rolchat.com

## Pages

- [The terminal for Mac that treats your agent as part of the window](https://vobuda.com/): A Mac terminal that keeps every setting in a file you can read and gives Claude Code and Codex a real control bar. Free, no account, macOS 10.15 and newer.
- [How it works, part by part](https://vobuda.com/how-it-works/): Blocks instead of panes, settings as readable JSON, one dictionary of actions behind five ways to reach them, a system monitor, an editor and on-device speech.
- [Claude Code, with a control bar instead of a scrollback](https://vobuda.com/claude-code/): Run Claude Code in a block with a control bar: sessions, skills, slash commands, model, effort and permission mode, all read from your own installation. Free.
- [Codex vs Claude Code, from the files on your disk](https://vobuda.com/claude-code-vs-codex/): Where each keeps its sessions, which flag resumes one, where its models come from and how its permission mode is read. Facts from the files on your own disk.
- [vobuda compared with nine other terminals](https://vobuda.com/compare/): Honest, dated comparisons of vobuda against nine Mac terminals: what each one is good at, where they differ, and which to pick for which kind of day.
- [Download and install](https://vobuda.com/download/): One line installs it and the same line updates it. Or take the notarised .pkg: 17.9 MB, macOS 10.15+, Apple Silicon and Intel. Free, no account.
- [Who makes it, and how it is built](https://vobuda.com/about/): Made by Shifton Inc, the team behind shifton.com and rolchat.com. Free, closed source, no account, no telemetry. How the program is checked before it ships.
- [Getting in touch](https://vobuda.com/contact/): Bugs, requests and questions about vobuda go to the issues page. Licence questions and anything else go to Shifton Inc directly.
- [vobuda and Alacritty, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/alacritty/): Alacritty is deliberately minimal: no tabs, no splits, one TOML file, maximum speed. vobuda is the opposite bet. Which one fits which kind of day.
- [vobuda as an Apple Terminal alternative](https://vobuda.com/compare/apple-terminal/): Terminal.app ships with macOS and is enough for many people. Here is exactly what changes when you move to vobuda, and when not to bother.
- [vobuda and Ghostty, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/ghostty/): Ghostty is a fast, native, open source terminal with a plain text config. vobuda is the one that puts your AI agent's state into the window. Where each fits.
- [vobuda and Hyper, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/hyper/): Hyper is an extensible terminal built on web technology with a plugin ecosystem. vobuda is also web-rendered, with a native Rust core. How they differ.
- [vobuda as an iTerm2 alternative](https://vobuda.com/compare/iterm2/): iTerm2 is free, open source and has twenty years of features. Here is where vobuda differs, and why staying on iTerm2 is often the right call.
- [vobuda and kitty, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/kitty/): kitty is fast, scriptable and configured by one text file, with kittens and remote control. Here is where vobuda differs and who each one suits.
- [vobuda and Tabby, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/tabby/): Tabby is a cross-platform terminal with SSH and serial connection management built in. vobuda is a local macOS terminal built around AI agents. Where each fits.
- [vobuda as a Warp terminal alternative](https://vobuda.com/compare/warp/): Warp builds its own AI agent and asks you to sign in. vobuda hosts the agent you installed and has no account at all. Compared honestly, September 2026.
- [vobuda and WezTerm, side by side](https://vobuda.com/compare/wezterm/): WezTerm is a cross-platform, Lua-configured terminal with a built-in multiplexer. Here is where vobuda differs, and which one suits which kind of work.

## Machine-readable

- [Full text of every page](https://vobuda.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Sitemap index](https://vobuda.com/sitemap.xml)
- [Current version manifest](https://vobuda.com/latest.json)
- [Checksums](https://vobuda.com/SHA256SUMS.txt)

## Translations

Every page exists in 40 languages at /<code>/, English at the root. Codes:
en, af, ar, az, bg, cs, da, de, el, es, et, fi, fr, he, hi, hr, hu, id, it, ja, kk, ko, lt, lv, mk, nb, nl, pl, pt, ro, ru, sk, sl, sv, th, tl, tr, uk, vi, zh