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

Get the latest release for your platform from cogno.rocks.

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