Ghost in Shell — the free AI terminal for macOS

Ghost in Shell is a free, AI-powered terminal app for Mac. It runs your real zsh or bash, turns plain English into shell commands, puts a git-aware file editor beside the prompt, and supervises every AI coding agent you have running (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, aider, goose, Copilot) from one floating, always-on-top panel. Bring your own model: OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, any custom model id, or a fully local model through Ollama. No account required. Version 0.2.2, updated September 2026.

Natural language to shell commands, right at the prompt

There is no mode to switch into. A line your shell can run goes to the shell untouched. A question is answered inline, where you typed it, opened by a violet "ghost >" label so the source is never in doubt. A task ("compress the logs folder into a tarball named for today") comes back as a ready-to-run command staged on your prompt; Ghost never presses Enter for you. A typo the shell would reject ("nmp run dev") gets a second look instead of dying as command not found. Start a line with a space to force the shell, or with ? to force the AI. Press Cmd K to describe a command and have it streamed straight into your prompt. Every answer already knows your shell, your directory, your git branch and the kind of project you are in.

One dashboard for every AI coding agent (Cmd J)

Run claude, codex, gemini, aider, goose or copilot in as many tabs and windows as you like. The agents panel is a small floating window in frosted glass that lists every one of them across all windows: working, finished, or blocked on a permission prompt ("needs you"). Blocked agents jump to the top, the panel lights up and raises itself, and a click on a row brings that window forward on that exact tab. When nobody needs you it shrinks to a slim rail of state orbs; hover an orb for a card with the agent, its folder and how long it has been working or inactive. It stays in the foreground, follows the colors of the window that summoned it, and covers every agent vendor together rather than one tool's own sessions. No more cycling through nine terminal windows to find who asked.

Files and editor beside the shell (Cmd E)

Press Cmd E and your working directory unfolds next to the prompt: a directory tree with live git status (modified, added, untracked), a search box that matches folder names, file names or file contents, and a syntax-highlighted editor with five code themes. Fix the config, save, rerun. The panel follows the terminal as it changes directory, can be docked left, right or bottom, and pops out into its own window when you want the room.

Bring your own model, cloud or local

GPT-5.x and Claude Opus, Sonnet or Haiku in the cloud, any custom model id, or fully local LLMs through Ollama, browsed and installed from Settings. You pick the brain; the terminal stays the same. Every AI behavior can be switched off, and the system prompt behind it can be opened and edited.

Local-first privacy

Nothing leaves your machine until you ask. Your directory, recent commands and a slice of output travel only with the question you asked. With a local Ollama model, not even that. API keys are stored on this Mac only.

A real terminal, a native Mac app

  • Your actual zsh or bash on a true PTY, not a shell re-implementation
  • Tabs named for their folder, each wearing a chip for its foreground process (claude, codex, node, python, vim, git, docker...) colored by family; agent chips show a spinner while working, a ? when blocked and a check when done
  • Drag tabs to reorder, tear one off into its own window, or drop it onto another window; hover a tab for its full path and what it is doing
  • A custom titlebar in your profile's colors that leads with the folder you are in
  • Ten color profiles (Ghost, Homebrew, Basic, Pro, Novel, Ocean, Man Page, Grass, Red Sands, Solid Colors) and adjustable fonts
  • Drag a file from Finder and its path is typed for you
  • Native macOS app, Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 13 or later, distributed as a free beta .dmg from ghostinshell.co

Ghost in Shell vs Warp, iTerm2, Ghostty and Wave

iTerm2 and Ghostty are excellent terminal emulators without an AI layer. Warp bundles its own cloud AI with usage limits. Wave adds AI widgets around the terminal. Ghost in Shell keeps the terminal a terminal: your real shell, no account, whichever model you bring including a free local one, every prompt readable and editable, plus a file editor and a cross-window dashboard for AI coding agents that none of the others have. If you are looking for a Warp alternative for Mac without an account, a terminal that manages multiple Claude Code sessions, or an AI terminal that works with local Ollama models, this is it.

Install

  1. Download the .dmg for your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel) from ghostinshell.co
  2. Drag Ghost in Shell Terminal into Applications
  3. First launch of the unsigned beta: right-click the app and choose Open
  4. Open Settings, add an OpenAI or Anthropic key or pick a local Ollama model, then type at the prompt or press Cmd K

Frequently asked questions

What is Ghost in Shell? A free, AI-powered terminal for macOS. It runs your real zsh or bash, and when you type plain English at the prompt a question is answered inline while a task comes back as a ready-to-run command staged for review. It also puts a git-aware file editor beside the shell and a floating panel that supervises every AI coding agent you have running.

Is Ghost in Shell free? Yes. It is a free public beta with no account. You bring your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, or run a local model through Ollama at no cost.

Which AI models can I use? GPT-5.x and Claude Opus, Sonnet or Haiku in the cloud, any custom model id, or fully local models through Ollama, browsed and installed from Settings.

Does it work with Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI? Yes. The Cmd J panel is a floating, always-on-top list of every agent across every window, showing who is working, finished, or blocked on a permission prompt. It raises itself when one needs you, and a click lands you in that tab. It covers claude, codex, gemini, aider, goose and copilot together.

Is it private? It is local-first. Nothing leaves your Mac until you ask a question, and then only your directory, recent commands and a slice of output travel with it. With a local Ollama model, nothing leaves at all.

How is it different from Warp, iTerm2 or Ghostty? iTerm2 and Ghostty are excellent emulators with no AI layer. Warp bundles its own cloud AI with usage limits. Ghost runs your real shell with whichever model you bring, including a free local one, shows you every prompt it uses, and adds a file editor and a cross-window agents dashboard on top.

What Macs does it run on? macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel, shipped as a .dmg. The beta is unsigned: right-click the app and choose Open on first launch.

How do I contribute? Press Join as contributor on ghostinshell.co or write to contributor@ghostinshell.co. Contributors are named in the co-builder list and get avant-premiere access to new features.

Join us as a contributor

Ghost is co-built in the open by builders, coders, engineers, data scientists, designers, product owners and testers. Own your shell: write to contributor@ghostinshell.co and shape it into the terminal that makes sense to you.

Guides and reference

Download Ghost in Shell for macOS · llms.txt · llms-full.txt