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AnmiTaliDev/kiro

Kiro Terminal Emulator

GTK4 LibAdwaita License Vala

Kiro is a modern and elegant terminal emulator built with GTK4 and LibAdwaita, designed to integrate seamlessly with the GNOME desktop environment. It offers a clean, contemporary interface with extensive customization options while maintaining excellent performance.

Features

Core Functionality

  • Modern GTK4 and LibAdwaita interface - Native GNOME integration with adaptive design
  • Tabbed interface - Support for multiple terminal sessions in a single window
  • Full VTE integration - Robust terminal emulation with complete feature support
  • Unicode and UTF-8 support - Proper handling of international characters and emojis

Appearance & Theming

  • System theme integration - Automatically adapts to light/dark themes
  • Custom color schemes - Full color palette customization
  • Font configuration - Choose any monospace font with size adjustment
  • Transparency support - Configurable background and window transparency
  • Multiple cursor styles - Block, I-beam, and underline cursor shapes with blinking options

User Experience

  • Copy on select - Optional automatic clipboard copying
  • Hyperlink detection - Click to open URLs and file paths
  • Drag & drop support - Drop files directly into terminal
  • Context menu - Right-click menu with common actions
  • Keyboard shortcuts - Full set of configurable shortcuts
  • Mouse autohide - Hide cursor while typing

Advanced Features

  • Configurable scrollback - Up to 100,000 lines of history
  • Custom shell support - Use any shell or run custom commands
  • Bell notifications - Audible and visual bell options
  • Window management - Remember size, always-on-top, and more
  • Multi-language support - Currently supports English and Russian

Screenshots

Kiro Terminal Emulator

Installation

From Source

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following dependencies installed:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install build-essential meson ninja-build valac
sudo apt install libgtk-4-dev libadwaita-1-dev libvte-2.91-gtk4-dev
sudo apt install libglib2.0-dev gettext appstream-util desktop-file-utils

Fedora:

sudo dnf install gcc meson ninja-build vala
sudo dnf install gtk4-devel libadwaita-devel vte291-gtk4-devel
sudo dnf install glib2-devel gettext appstream desktop-file-utils

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S base-devel meson ninja vala
sudo pacman -S gtk4 libadwaita vte4
sudo pacman -S glib2 gettext appstream desktop-file-utils

Build Instructions

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/AnmiTaliDev/kiro.git
    cd kiro
  2. Configure the build:

    meson setup builddir
  3. Compile:

    meson compile -C builddir
  4. Install:

    sudo meson install -C builddir
  5. Update system databases:

    sudo update-desktop-database
    sudo glib-compile-schemas /usr/local/share/glib-2.0/schemas/

Uninstalling

sudo ninja uninstall -C builddir

Usage

Basic Usage

  • Launch Kiro: kiro or find it in your applications menu
  • New tab: Ctrl+Shift+T
  • Close tab: Ctrl+Shift+W
  • Copy: Ctrl+Shift+C
  • Paste: Ctrl+Shift+V
  • Preferences: Ctrl+,

Command Line Options

kiro --new-window    # Open a new window
kiro --new-tab       # Open a new tab
kiro --preferences   # Open preferences dialog

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Shortcut
New Tab Ctrl+Shift+T
Close Tab Ctrl+Shift+W
Copy Ctrl+Shift+C
Paste Ctrl+Shift+V
Select All Ctrl+Shift+A
Zoom In Ctrl++
Zoom Out Ctrl+-
Reset Zoom Ctrl+0
Reset Terminal Ctrl+Shift+R
Clear Terminal Ctrl+Shift+K
Preferences Ctrl+,
Quit Ctrl+Q

Configuration

Kiro stores its settings using GSettings. You can access preferences through the GUI (Ctrl+,) or modify settings directly:

Via GUI

Open preferences with Ctrl+, or through the main menu. Settings are organized into categories:

  • General: Shell and window behavior
  • Appearance: Fonts, colors, and cursor settings
  • Behavior: Scrolling, mouse, and bell options
  • Advanced: Text selection and performance settings

Via Command Line

# View current font setting
gsettings get dev.anmitali.kiro font

# Set a custom font
gsettings set dev.anmitali.kiro font 'JetBrains Mono 14'

# Enable copy on select
gsettings set dev.anmitali.kiro copy-on-select true

# Set custom colors
gsettings set dev.anmitali.kiro use-theme-colors false
gsettings set dev.anmitali.kiro foreground-color '#ffffff'
gsettings set dev.anmitali.kiro background-color '#1e1e1e'

Reset Settings

# Reset all settings to defaults
gsettings reset-recursively dev.anmitali.kiro

Development

Building for Development

# Configure with debug symbols
meson setup builddir --buildtype=debug

# Build and run
meson compile -C builddir
./builddir/src/kiro

Adding Translations

  1. Add your language code to po/LINGUAS
  2. Create a new .po file: cp po/en.po po/your_lang.po
  3. Translate the strings in your .po file
  4. Test the translation: LANG=your_lang ./builddir/src/kiro

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Make your changes
  4. Test thoroughly
  5. Submit a pull request

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • OS: Linux with GTK4 support
  • GTK: 4.8.0 or newer
  • LibAdwaita: 1.2.0 or newer
  • VTE: 0.70.0 or newer (GTK4 version)
  • GLib: 2.66.0 or newer
  • Vala: 0.56.0 or newer (for building)

Recommended

  • GNOME: 42 or newer for best integration
  • Compositor: For transparency effects
  • Fonts: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, or any good monospace font

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Build fails with "Package not found":

  • Ensure all development packages are installed
  • Check that you have the GTK4 versions of VTE (vte-2.91-gtk4)

Terminal doesn't start:

  • Check your shell configuration
  • Try with a different shell in preferences
  • Verify $SHELL environment variable

Colors look wrong:

  • Try toggling "Use System Theme Colors" in preferences
  • Reset color settings to defaults
  • Check your system theme compatibility

Fonts not working:

  • Install the desired font system-wide
  • Use the full font name in preferences
  • Try with a standard monospace font first

Debug Mode

Run with debug output:

G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=all ./builddir/src/kiro

License

Kiro is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. See LICENSE for the full license text.

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Modern and elegant terminal emulator built with GTK4 and LibAdwaita, designed to integrate seamlessly with the GNOME desktop environment.

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