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tenere

Free

Terminal interface (TUI) for ChatGPT written in Rust.

FreeFree tier
Inputs: textOutputs: text
Type
Open Source
Visit Website GitHub (40 stars)

About tenere

Tenere is a terminal-based TUI (Terminal User Interface) for interacting with large language models (LLMs), written in Rust. It supports multiple backends including ChatGPT, llama.cpp, and ollama, allowing users to chat with AI models directly from their terminal without a browser. Features include syntax highlighting, chat history persistence, saving chats to files, vim keybindings, clipboard copy, and customizable configuration via TOML files. It is open source and can be installed via binary releases, crates.io, Homebrew, Nixpkgs, or built from source. Tenere is lightweight and designed for developers and power users who prefer terminal workflows.

Key Features

Syntax highlights
Chat history
Save chats to files
Vim keybinding for most common operations
Copy text from/to clipboard (on prompt)
Multiple backends (ChatGPT, llama.cpp, ollama)
Automatically load the last saved chat into history
Customizable key bindings via TOML config

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Open source and free to use
  • Written in Rust for performance and reliability
  • Supports multiple LLM backends (ChatGPT, llama.cpp, ollama)
  • Customizable key bindings and configuration
  • Persists chat history across sessions and saves to files
  • Lightweight TUI that works in any terminal
  • Available via several package managers (crates.io, Homebrew, Nixpkgs)
  • Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android (via nix-on-droid)
Cons
  • Requires an OpenAI API key for ChatGPT backend (paid usage)
  • Configuration file needed for setup, may be complex for beginners
  • Limited to terminal interface, no graphical UI
  • No built-in support for image or multimodal models
  • Backend setup for llama.cpp/ollama requires separate installation and configuration

Best For

Interacting with ChatGPT from the terminal without a web browserUsing local LLMs via llama.cpp or ollama in a terminal environmentRunning LLM chats on Android using nix-on-droidIntegrating AI chat into terminal-based workflows and scriptsQuickly testing prompts or querying models with a lightweight interface

FAQ

How do I install tenere?
Tenere can be installed via binary releases from the GitHub releases page, via crates.io with 'cargo install tenere', via Homebrew with 'brew install tenere', via Nixpkgs, or built from source using Rust and Cargo.
Which LLM backends are supported?
Tenere supports ChatGPT (OpenAI), llama.cpp, and ollama backends.
How do I configure tenere?
Tenere uses a TOML configuration file located at $HOME/.config/tenere/config.toml on Linux, $HOME/Library/Application Support/tenere/config.toml on macOS, or ~/AppData/Roaming/tenere/config.toml on Windows. You can specify a custom path with the -c flag.
Does tenere support vim keybindings?
Yes, tenere includes vim keybinding for most common operations like navigation and editing.
Can I save my chat history?
Yes, chats can be saved to files and tenere automatically loads the last saved chat into history on startup.
Is tenere free?
Yes, tenere is open source and free to use. However, using the ChatGPT backend requires an OpenAI API key which may incur costs depending on usage.