Get Ultra running in minutes. A terminal-native code editor that works anywhere — including over SSH.
Before installing Ultra, make sure you have the following:
Ultra is built on Bun for maximum performance. Install from bun.sh
256-color support minimum, true color (24-bit) recommended for best experience.
iTerm2 Kitty Alacritty Windows TerminalmacOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL. Native Windows support coming soon.
Choose your preferred installation method
One command to download and install Ultra:
curl -fsSL https://ultra.dev/install.sh | bashThis installs Ultra to ~/.ultra/bin and adds it to your PATH.
Clone and build for development:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zorz/ultra.git
cd ultra
# Install dependencies
bun install
# Run in development mode
bun run dev
# Or build for production
bun run buildLaunch Ultra in any directory to start editing:
# Open current directory
ultra .
# Open a specific folder
ultra ~/projects/my-app
# Open a specific file
ultra src/index.tsUltra uses familiar keyboard shortcuts. Here are the essentials:
Ultra stores all configuration in ~/.ultra/. Settings use
JSONC format (JSON with comments) for easy customization.
Edit ~/.ultra/settings.jsonc to customize behavior:
{
// Editor settings
"editor.tabSize": 2,
"editor.wordWrap": "on",
"editor.lineNumbers": "on",
"editor.minimap": true,
// Terminal settings
"terminal.scrollback": 1000,
// Theme
"workbench.colorTheme": "Catppuccin Frappé"
}Customize shortcuts in ~/.ultra/keybindings.jsonc:
[
{
"key": "ctrl+s",
"command": "file.save",
"when": "editorFocus"
},
{
"key": "ctrl+k ctrl+c",
"command": "editor.toggleComment",
"when": "editorFocus"
}
]
Ultra supports VS Code-compatible themes. Place theme JSON files in
~/.ultra/themes/ or change the built-in theme in settings.
Built-in themes:
Ultra's built-in Git integration lets you stage, commit, and manage branches without leaving the editor.
Press Ctrl+Shift+G to open the Git panel:
Changes appear in the gutter as you edit:
Ultra includes a full PTY terminal with 24-bit color support, mouse input, and seamless integration with the editor.
The terminal opens in your project root by default. The shell inherits your environment, so all your aliases, functions, and tools work normally.
# Your shell config is automatically sourced
# Example: run tests from the integrated terminal
npm test
# Or use any CLI tool
docker compose up -dCommon issues and their solutions.
Your terminal may not support true color. Check with echo $COLORTERM —
it should show "truecolor" or "24bit". Try iTerm2, Kitty, or Alacritty for full color support.
Make sure the language server is installed and in your PATH. For TypeScript, run
npm i -g typescript-language-server typescript. Check the Problems panel
(Ctrl+Shift+M) for errors.
This can happen with very large projects. Try adding directories to .ultraignore
(same format as .gitignore) to exclude node_modules, build outputs, etc.
Some terminal emulators intercept shortcuts. Check your terminal's settings for conflicts. On macOS Terminal.app, Ctrl+Shift shortcuts often don't work — use iTerm2 instead.
Ultra respects .gitignore by default. If a file is gitignored, it won't appear.
Press Ctrl+Shift+P and run "Toggle Show Ignored Files" to see them.
Sessions are saved to ~/.ultra/sessions/. Make sure this directory is writable.
You can reset sessions by deleting this folder and restarting Ultra.
LSP-powered intelligence for your favorite languages
Full support via typescript-language-server
npm i -g typescript-language-server typescript
Intelligent analysis with Pyright
npm i -g pyright
rust-analyzer for comprehensive support
rustup component add rust-analyzer
gopls provides IDE features
go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest
clangd for fast, accurate completions
brew install llvm
Query completion and validation
npm i -g sql-language-server
With a language server installed, you get:
Install Ultra now and experience terminal-native editing with AI built in.
curl -fsSL https://ultra.dev/install.sh | bash