A modern terminal for developers, infrastructure, and system administration
Zashterminal is a modern, intuitive, and innovative terminal built with GTK4 and Adwaita. It blends powerful features for developers and system administrators with a welcoming experience for newcomers. Simplified session management, an integrated file manager, automatic color highlighting, and workflow-focused tools make the command line more productive on any Linux distribution.
- Focused on real workflows: Manage SSH/SFTP sessions, panes, and layouts without leaving the terminal.
- Accessible by design: Clear UI, smart defaults, and discoverable actions help beginners get started faster.
- Optional AI assistance: Only the text you explicitly select is sent, keeping control and privacy in your hands.
- Built on modern Linux UI: GTK4 + libadwaita for a native, responsive desktop experience.
No more excuses to postpone your migration to Zashterminal:
- Import SecureCRT sessions directly from the main menu (
Import SecureCRT Sessions). - Bulk import from full directory trees (folders +
.inisessions). - SecureCRT Password V2 compatibility: Zashterminal can import and use
Password V2entries (02:<hex>), keeping credentials compatible with the Zashterminal session format. - Balabit/One Identity gateway compatibility: Zashterminal supports keyboard-interactive privileged access gateway flows commonly used in Balabit environments.
About Balabit and One Identity:
- Balabit products were integrated into One Identity and the Balabit brand was gradually discontinued.
- Example: Balabit Shell Control Box became One Identity Safeguard for Privileged Sessions.
- One Identity links:
- Company: https://www.oneidentity.com/
- Privileged Access Management (PAM): https://www.oneidentity.com/br-pt/privileged-access-management/
One Identity Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions help reduce security risk and support compliance, available both on-prem and SaaS. They provide control, monitoring, analysis, and governance for privileged access across multiple environments and platforms, including Zero Trust and least-privilege operational models.
Zashterminal creates a bridge between your shell and Large Language Models (LLMs), offering an optional and fully non-intrusive AI experience. The assistant only processes the content that you explicitly select and choose to send, ensuring full control over your privacy.
- Multi-Provider Support: Native integration with Groq, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, and Local LLMs (Ollama/LM Studio).
- Context Aware: The AI understands your OS and distribution context to provide accurate and relevant commands.
- Chat Panel: A dedicated side panel for persistent conversations, command suggestions, and "Click-to-Run" code snippets.
- Smart Suggestions: Ask how to perform tasks and receive ready-to-execute commands directly in the UI.
- Integrated Side Panel: Browse local and remote file systems without leaving the terminal.
- Remote Editing: Click to edit remote files (SSH/SFTP) in your favorite local editor. Zashterm watches the file and automatically uploads changes on save.
- Drag & Drop Transfer: Upload files to remote servers simply by dragging them into the terminal window over (SFTP/Rsync)
- Transfer Manager: Track uploads and downloads with a detailed progress manager and history.
- Input Broadcasting: Type commands in one terminal and execute them simultaneously across multiple selected tabs/panes.
- Quick Prompts: One-click AI prompts for common tasks (e.g., "Explain this error", "Optimize this command").
- Session Management: Save, organize (with folders), and launch Local, SSH, and SFTP sessions.
- Flexible Layouts: Split panes horizontally and vertically; save and restore complex window layouts.
- Directory Tracking: Updates tab titles automatically based on the current working directory (OSC7 support).
- Deep Customization: Visual theme editor, font sizing, transparency (window and headerbar), and extensive keyboard shortcuts.
Zashterminal includes built-in palettes ranging from classic terminals to modern editor-inspired themes.
- Current default theme:
GitHub Dark - All available built-in schemes (30):
Ayu Mirage(ayu_mirage)Catppuccin Mocha(catppuccin)Catppuccin Latte(catppuccin_latte)Dark(dark)Dracula(dracula)Everforest Green(everforest)Everforest Dark(everforest_dark)Everforest Light(everforest_light)GitHub Dark(github_dark)GitHub Light(github_light)Gruvbox Dark Hard(gruvbox_dark_hard)Gruvbox Light(gruvbox_light)Horizon Dark(horizon_dark)Kanagawa Wave(kanagawa_wave)Light(light)Material Ocean(material_ocean)Monokai(monokai)Moonfly(moonfly)Night Owl(night_owl)Nord(nord)One Dark Pro(onedark_pro)Oxocarbon Dark(oxocarbon_dark)Palenight(palenight)Pink Light(pink_light)Rosé Pine(rose_pine)Solarized Dark(solarized_dark)Solarized Light(solarized_light)System Default(system_default)Tokyo Night(tokyonight)VS Code Dark+(vscode_dark_plus)
You can switch themes and create your own custom palettes from the appearance/preferences dialog.
To build and run Zashterminal, you will need:
- Python 3.9+
- GTK4 and Adwaita 1.0+ (
libadwaita) - VTE for GTK4 (
vte4>= 0.76 recommended) - Python Libraries:
PyGObject(GTK bindings)pycryptodomex(SecureCRT-compatible password encryption/decryption)requests(For AI API connectivity)pygments(For syntax highlighting)psutil(Optional, for advanced process tracking)regex(Optional, for high-performance highlighting patterns)
AUR (recommended on Arch-based systems):
yay -S zashterminal # or
paru -S zashterminalLocal installer (same flow used on other distros, system-wide with venv):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leoberbert/zashterminal/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bashThe installer detects the distro, installs the required system packages, and installs Zashterminal system-wide using a virtual environment in /opt/zashterminal/venv.
# Quick install (no clone required)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leoberbert/zashterminal/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bash
# Alternatively, download and run
curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leoberbert/zashterminal/refs/heads/main/install.sh
bash install.shZashterminal can run on WSL, but this is still experimental and may present issues depending on your WSLg/graphics/input setup.
- Tested environment: Ubuntu 24.04 on WSL
- Installation method: same Debian/Ubuntu flow using
install.sh
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leoberbert/zashterminal/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bashIf you use a language other than English (default), configure locale and keyboard (example for Brazilian Portuguese):
# ~/.bashrc
export LANG=pt_BR.UTF-8
export LC_ALL=pt_BR.UTF-8
export LANGUAGE=pt_BR:ptsudo apt update
sudo apt install x11-xkb-utils
setxkbmap brAlso add to ~/.bashrc:
if [ -n "$DISPLAY" ]; then
setxkbmap br
fiAfter changing your ~/.bashrc, close WSL completely and open it again.
zashterminal [options] [directory]| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-w, --working-directory DIR |
Set initial working directory |
-e, -x, --execute COMMAND |
Execute command on startup (all remaining args are included) |
--close-after-execute |
Close the terminal tab after the command finishes |
--ssh [USER@]HOST |
Immediately connect to an SSH host |
--new-window |
Force opening a new window instead of a tab |
# Open terminal in a specific directory
zashterminal ~/projects
# Execute a command
zashterminal -e htop
# SSH connection
zashterminal --ssh user@server.example.com
# Execute command and close after completion
zashterminal --close-after-execute -e "ls -la"Configuration files are stored in ~/.config/zashterminal/:
| File/Directory | Description |
|---|---|
settings.json |
General preferences, appearance, terminal behavior, shortcuts, and AI configuration |
sessions.json |
Saved SSH/SFTP connections and session folders |
session_state.json |
Window state and session restore data |
layouts/ |
Saved window layouts (split panes configuration) |
logs/ |
Application logs (when logging to file is enabled) |
backups/ |
Manual encrypted backup archives |
Note: Syntax highlighting rules are bundled with the application in data/highlights/ and include rules for 50+ commands (docker, git, systemctl, kubectl, and more).
Contributions are welcome!
- Fork the repository.
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature). - Commit your changes.
- Push to the branch.
- Open a Pull Request.
This project is licensed under the GNU GPL v3 (or later) - see the LICENSE file for details.
If you enjoy Zashterminal and it improves your workflow, a contribution helps cover development time and ongoing costs. Any support is appreciated and goes directly into making the project better:
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/leoberbert
- Email: leo4berbert@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/leoberbert
- Developers of GNOME, GTK, VTE, and Pygments.
Made with code, coffee, and curiosity through long nights of lines of code, by Leonardo Berbert.
