Getting started

Cogno is a lightweight terminal for daily shell work. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and supports Bash, Zsh, and PowerShell.

Download

Cogno is currently in closed alpha. Public release binaries are not yet available.

To get access:

1. Join the Cogno Discord and request closed alpha access.
2. Or build Cogno from source yourself right away.

Once Cogno moves to public release, this page will be updated with direct download links.

Build from source

Cogno is open source. During closed alpha, building from source is the fastest way to try it without Discord access.

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• pnpm
• Rust toolchain
• Tauri prerequisites for your platform

Clone and run

git clone https://github.com/biberklatsche/Cogno.git
cd Cogno
pnpm install
pnpm dev

Build a desktop bundle

pnpm build:desktop

This produces a platform-specific binary (e.g. .msi/.exe on Windows, .AppImage/.deb on Linux, .dmg/.app on macOS) under .\src-tauri\target\release\bundle\....

See CONTRIBUTING.md in the repository for the full contributor setup, checks, and code style guidelines.

First launch

Start Cogno from your applications folder or by running:

cogno

On first launch Cogno creates its home directory at ~/.cogno and writes a default config. Your shell opens immediately — no setup wizard required.

Essential shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Command+T	New tab
Command+P	Command palette
Command+F	Search terminal
Control+Space	Trigger autocomplete
Command+,	Open config file

Use the command palette (Command+P) to discover and run any action by name.

Supported shells

Shell	Platform
Zsh	macOS, Linux
Bash	macOS, Linux
PowerShell	Windows

Cogno detects your default shell automatically. Additional shell profiles can be configured in the config file.

Config file

Your settings live at ~/.cogno/cogno.config. The file only needs to contain the values you want to override — Cogno merges them with built-in defaults.

cogno config show --defaults   # see every available setting and its current value
cogno config get font.size     # read a single value
cogno config path              # print the config file path

See the Config reference for all available settings.

Features

• Workspaces — save and restore your tabs, split panes, and layout
• Autocomplete — context-aware command suggestions from your history
• Notifications — see at a glance which agent or script needs attention
• Search — find text across your terminal output
• Command Palette — trigger any action by name from a single input
• Coding Agents — track and manage AI coding agents across tabs
• AI — connect a local or remote model for in-terminal assistance
• Git — view repository status and changes without leaving the terminal

Next steps

• Config — customize fonts, colors, keybindings, and more
• CLI — automate Cogno from scripts