Vector IDE – A fast, zero-bloat desktop IDE

For years, I searched for the right programmer’s editor for my daily work. I tried countless tools along the way, but they always fell into the same traps: either they were bloated, sluggish, and consumed gigabytes of RAM, or they were locked behind absurdly expensive enterprise licenses. In the end, I decided to build VIDE — an editor focused purely on speed, control, and zero friction for the developer.

Along the way, I integrated practical AI capabilities powered by Google’s cost-effective models. To be clear: VIDE isn’t trying to compete with massive autonomous coding agents like Antigravity, Claude Code, or OpenAI’s developer agents. Instead, the AI serves as a fast completion assistant combined with built-in code analysis tools — making it a remarkably powerful aid for exploring, dissecting, and understanding complex codebases without burning through expensive tokens or getting in your way.

Planning a complex AI initiative or high-scale platform?

VIDE showcases my architectural philosophy: lean, high-performance systems with zero bloat and disciplined engineering. Beyond tooling, I work as a senior technical advisor and systems architect, helping companies design and scale advanced AI systems, complex e-commerce platforms, and mission-critical software.

Contact: Ori Kuttner — ori@heliconbooks.com

Vector IDE (vide) is an ultra-lightweight, lightning-fast native integrated development environment designed for high-performance coding without the overhead of Electron. Built with Tauri v2 (Rust backend), Angular 21 (Signals-driven frontend), and Microsoft's Monaco Editor, Vector IDE provides minimal memory consumption (~40–80 MB RAM), and deep AI assistance powered directly by Google Gemini.

• Blazing Fast & Low Memory Footprint: Native desktop application powered by Rust and Tauri v2. Consumes a fraction of the resources required by Electron-based editors.
• Full Monaco Code Editor Integration: - Multi-cursor editing, bracket matching, code folding, mini-map, and rich language syntax highlighting.
  • Dedicated web workers for TypeScript/JavaScript, HTML, CSS/SCSS, and JSON.
  • Custom OmniFlux language support with Monarch tokenization and snippets registry.
• Direct Google Gemini AI Integration: - In-Editor Chat Assistant: Real-time chat aware of your active file, buffer content, and exact cursor coordinates.
  • Workspace Tool Calling: - list_files : Discover project structure within workspace boundaries.
    • read_file : Inspect project code safely without leaving the editor.
    • replace_text : Guarded, unique-target code modifications strictly gated by explicit user confirmation.
    • open_file : Navigate to target files across your workspace.
    • set_cursor : Jump directly to specific line and column positions.
    • highlight_lines : Open any project file, make it active, and visually highlight execution flows and line spans in Monaco.
  • Dual-Model Architecture: Configure independent models for inline code completions (e.g.gemini-3.5-flash-lite ) and conversational reasoning (e.g.gemini-3.8-flash ).
  • Bilingual & Directional Support: Seamless LTR / RTL toggle with automatic input language detection (dir="auto" ).
• Single-Instance CLI & IPC: - Open or switch workspaces directly from the command line: vide [path] .
  • External tool navigation: vide <workspace> <file> --highlight <start>-<end> focuses existing running instances and highlights targeted line spans instantly.
• Open or switch workspaces directly from the command line:
• Git Integration: Visual branch indicator, file change tracking, and integrated diff comparison.
• Workspace File Management: Fast tree explorer, multi-tab buffer management, fuzzy search, and customizable themes.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Vector IDE (vide)                    │
│                                                        │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │               Angular 21 Frontend                │  │
│  │   • Monaco Editor & Workers (TS, HTML, CSS, JSON)│  │
│  │   • AI Chat Assistant & Floating Trigger         │  │
│  │   • File Tree Explorer, Tabs & Status Bar        │  │
│  │   • Google Gemini v1beta REST Client             │  │
│  └────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┘  │
│                           │ IPC (Tauri Core)           │
│  ┌────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                 Rust Tauri Backend               │  │
│  │   • Native File System & Git Process Execution   │  │
│  │   • Single-Instance Workspace Socket (IPC)       │  │
│  │   • Window & Webview Lifecycle Management        │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

1. Node.js:v18.0.0 or higher (Node.js 20+ recommended).
2. Rust & Cargo: Stable Rust toolchain (rustup ).
3. Platform Dependencies: - Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file libxdo-dev libssl-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

• macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install ).
• Windows: Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools and WebView2.

Clone the repository and install npm packages:

git clone https://github.com/OriKuttner/vide.git
cd vide
npm install

To start the local Angular development server and launch the Tauri desktop application:

npm run desktop

Or run Tauri directly:

npx tauri dev

To compile both frontend and native desktop release binaries:

npx tauri build

The resulting packages (.deb, .AppImage, .dmg, or .msi / .exe) will be output to src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Vector IDE includes a powerful CLI parser with single-instance reuse:

vide .

vide /path/to/project

vide /path/to/project src/main.rs --highlight 42-65

1. Obtain a Google Gemini API key from Google AI Studio .
2. In Vector IDE, open Settings (Gear icon in the top header or click the settings icon inside the AI Chat window).
3. Paste your Gemini API key in the AI Chat Assistant section.
4. Select your preferred reasoning model (default: gemini-3.8-flash ) and system prompt.

Note on Vector AI Scope: Vector IDE includes an integrated coding assistant specifically tailored for in-editor software analysis, architecture comprehension, and interactive code flow tracing.

Vector AI is designed to help developers navigate complex logic, trace execution paths across files, pinpoint bugs, and understand system architecture using real-time editor line highlighting and file context.

Under no circumstances is it intended to replace autonomous agent development environments or full CLI coding tools such as Google AntiGravity, Anthropic Claude Code, or OpenAI Canvas / Operator / Cursor. Its strength lies in being a fast, lightweight, and disciplined companion inside your native desktop editor.

VIDE is proof of disciplined, zero-bloat engineering. Building complex systems correctly requires deep architectural clarity before writing a single line of application code.

I advise CTOs, founders, and engineering leaders on designing resilient, cost-effective architectures and navigating technical challenges:

• Advanced AI Strategy & Architecture: Designing practical AI architectures, intelligent RAG pipelines, and multi-agent workflows. I help teams leverage models effectively while avoiding runaway cloud bills and brittle agent frameworks.
• Complex E-Commerce & Transactional Engines: Architectural guidance for high-load digital stores, subscription engines, global payment flows, and mission-critical inventory/catalog systems built for five-nines reliability.
• System Modernization & Performance Audits: Identifying hidden bottlenecks, eliminating architecture debt, evaluating technology stacks, and guiding teams transitioning from bloated runtimes to lean, high-throughput architectures.
• Technical Strategy & Codebase Health: High-level code and architecture reviews, technology selection, and helping leadership avoid costly engineering missteps early on.

Looking for an experienced eye on your architecture? Reach out to Ori Kuttner at ori@heliconbooks.com.

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

1. Fork the repository and create your feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature .
2. Ensure code formatting is clean and tests/builds pass: npm run build && cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml .
3. Keep all UI strings, identifiers, and comments in English .
4. Open a Pull Request detailing your changes.
5. Bug fixes, documentation, and routine enhancements are welcome without any formalities under GPLv3. See CONTRIBUTING.md for full guidelines.

Vector IDE (vide) is distributed under a Dual Licensing model:

• Open Source (GPLv3): Free to use, modify, and distribute under the terms of theGNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3) . Ideal for open source projects, individual developers, and community contributions complying with copyleft requirements.
• Commercial & Proprietary Licensing: For organizations and companies requiring a dedicated custom build, white-label branding, closed-source deployment, or proprietary integrations exempt from GPLv3 copyleft obligations.

For enterprise inquiries, dedicated proprietary builds, custom feature development, or dual-license exemptions, please contact: Ori Kuttner: ori@heliconbooks.com