unstablebuild/rune

What it is

Rune is a native IDE that doubles as a terminal multiplexer. It targets developers who want to move between projects and machines without losing their terminal-and-editor layout. On Linux it renders through OpenGL and on macOS through Metal, with no Electron shell.

Its organizing model is a screen multiplexer: nine workspace slots, plus unlimited terminals, tabs and windows. Instead of just a local editor, Rune instances can form an end-to-end encrypted peer network via headscale networking, so a laptop can open projects running on a workstation or headless node. Language intelligence packages are installed on demand, and the UI can host a built-in coding agent or work alongside external agents, which is why the project markets itself for both automatic and manual programming.

Quick start

On macOS or Linux, install the latest self-updating release:

curl -fsSL https://rune.build/install.sh | sh

Package-manager alternatives are Homebrew (brew install unstablebuild/tap/rune), a Debian/Ubuntu .deb from the latest release, or the rune-ide AUR package for Arch/Omarchy. Check prerequisites and first steps in the getting started guide.

To run a remote workspace, start a headless node in Docker:

docker run -d --name rune \
  --hostname devpod \
  -v /src/projects:/home/rune/projects \
  unstablebuild/rune
docker logs -f rune   # prints the sign-in code

Then, from a connected machine, open the mounted project:

workspaceopen rune://devpod/home/rune/projects

Development

Clone the repository, then run go run ./cmd/rune. make rune-dmg produces a macOS app bundle, and make -j16 compiles all executables into ./bin. Build requirements are in the building guide.

Constraints

• Desktop support is macOS and Linux; the install script and package options above assume those platforms.
• Installing with the script gets a self-updating release, while package-manager installs update through the package manager instead.
• The remote-workspace features require the Rune peer network and a configured node; headless deployment guidance covers service managers such as systemd, launchd, OpenRC and runit.
• Extensions can be installed from a Git repository or the official package index, so trust of community packages is up to the user.
• The project is GPL-3.0-or-later, which matters if you plan to modify or redistribute it.

HotRepo's take

Rune appeared at #10 on the Go daily list on 11 November 2026 with 38 stars added that day, against a total of 1,739 stars and 116 forks. That single snapshot shows it reaching the Go chart's top ten while still young, but gives no basis for claiming a longer trend. What makes it worth watching is the combination rather than one feature: a Go/TUI editor and terminal multiplexer with a native graphics backend and an encrypted machine network, aimed squarely at the remote-agent workflow that developers are already assembling from separate tmux, SSH and IDE tools.

Project source and documentation