{"slug": "show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust", "title": "Show HN: Neptune, a free and open-source terminal built in Rust", "summary": "Developer zevem released Neptune, a free and open-source native terminal built in Rust, available at neptune.rs with published stable builds and prereleases. Neptune offers independent shell sessions, GPU rendering, workspaces, tabs, split panes, 715 built-in themes, and optional resumption of Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, pi and Oh My Pi agent sessions on local Unix terminals, plus a Projects feature where a lead agent plans work and runs other agents in their own terminals. Linux is the local verification platform, while macOS and Windows still need native runtime verification before a production release, and builds use the pinned Rust 1.97.1 toolchain.", "body_md": "[neptune.rs](https://neptune.rs) · [Downloads](https://neptune.rs/download) · [User guide](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/usage.md)\n\nA native Rust terminal for focused work, inspired by cmux and Ghostty. Independent shell sessions, GPU rendering, and a quiet workspace interface, with no webview.\n\n- Workspaces, tabs, split panes, and groups with drag-and-drop organization.\n- Local shells and SSH workspaces backed by real PTY sessions.\n- Scrollback, terminal search, selection/clipboard, and a command palette.\n- [Custom keybindings](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/usage.md#custom-keybindings) configured in TOML.\n- 715 built-in themes and custom themes shared by the window and terminal.\n- Terminal notifications with optional native desktop banners.\n- Saved workspace layouts and directories, plus optional Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, pi and Oh My Pi session resumption on local Unix terminals, where an agent's pull requests appear on its tab with their checks, unresolved review comments and merged state beside the screenshots and files it attaches, and a panel lists which agents are working, idle or waiting for you. Either agent can start the other out of view and work with it.\n- [Projects](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/projects.md) : a lead agent that plans work in a chat panel,\nstarts and follows other agents in their own terminals, keeps shared notes\nfor them and wakes on schedules or pull request changes while Neptune is\nopen. Local Unix workspaces, with Claude Code or Codex installed.\n\nGet [published stable builds](https://neptune.rs/download) or\n[prereleases](https://neptune.rs/download/beta). See the\n[installation guide](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/installation.md) for platform packages, AppImage launch\ninstructions, and download verification.\n\nLinux is the local verification platform. macOS and Windows need native runtime\nverification before a production release; see the\n[remaining release gates](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/verification.md#remaining-production-release-gates).\n\nUse the pinned Rust 1.97.1 toolchain through rustup. A graphical desktop and a working graphics driver are required. On Debian/Ubuntu:\n\n```\nsudo apt-get install pkg-config libxkbcommon-dev libxkbcommon-x11-0 libwayland-dev libxcb-render0-dev libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev\ncargo run --release --locked --bin neptune\n```\n\nSee [building from source](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/installation.md#build-and-run) for macOS and\nWindows prerequisites, executable locations, and desktop integration.\n\nBuild job limits, optional compiler caching, and scoped verification are in the\n[development guide](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/development.md#development-builds).\n\n| Guide | Contents | \n|---|---|\n| [Installation](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/installation.md) | Downloads, source builds, and desktop integration | \n| [User guide](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/usage.md) | Workspaces, SSH, shortcuts, preferences, and restoration | \n| [Configuration example](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/config.example.toml) | Supported settings and defaults | \n| [Notifications](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/notifications.md) | Terminal alerts and coding-agent setup | \n| [Agent sessions](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/agent-sessions.md) | Coding-agent session resumption and activity, locally and on SSH hosts | \n| [Projects](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/projects.md) | A lead agent that runs other agents: chat, shared context, watches, limits and what is stored | \n| [Development](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/development.md) | Build tooling, native inspection, CI, and artifacts | \n| [Architecture](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/architecture.md) ·[Interface design](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/design.md) | Ownership, terminal engine, renderer, and UI direction | \n| [Verification](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/verification.md) ·[Performance](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/performance.md) | Native evidence, release gates, and reproducible measurements | \n| [Releases](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/docs/releases.md) ·[Changelog](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md) | Packaging, signing, updates, and What's New | \n| [Website](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/website/README.md) | The neptune.rs site and download pages | \n\nNeptune is [MIT licensed](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/LICENSE). Bundled fonts retain their SIL Open Font\nLicense notices; third-party dependencies and vendored development skills retain\ntheir respective licenses. See [third-party notices](https://github.com/zevem/neptune/blob/main/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md) for\nskill attribution and the full upstream license texts.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/zevem/neptune", "published_at": "2026-10-07 07:31:45+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-07 07:49:10.580366+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-agents", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Neptune", "zevem", "Rust", "Claude Code", "Codex", "OpenCode", "Ghostty", "cmux"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-neptune-a-free-and-open-source-terminal-built-in-rust.jsonld"}}