RELAY

Beta · Linux

A Linux terminal with a rich prompt and bring‑your‑own‑key agents

Relay embeds Konsole's real terminal and adds a text editor for your commands. Type a shell command or ask for something in plain language. The agent runs on your own API key, and its commands and diffs print right in the terminal.

Install the beta Source on GitHub
Relay window: the agent writes done.txt, shows the diff and runs cat in the terminal, with the prompt editor below.

What it does

  • A prompt that edits like an editor

    Mouse selection, multi-line commands, undo, clipboard and history in a real text field. Commands stay plain text.

  • The real Konsole terminal

    Relay embeds KonsolePart, not an imitation. vim, less, ssh and password prompts get your keys directly while they run.

  • Shell or agent, detected locally

    git status goes to the shell; why is this build failing? goes to the agent. Routing never calls a model, and you can force either side.

  • Agent work shown inline

    Every command the agent runs, every file it reads and every diff it writes prints in the terminal as it happens. Nothing enters your shell history.

  • Tabs, splits and file panes

    Each pane has its own shell, prompt and conversation. Open a folder explorer or a file preview next to the terminal with relay open PATH.

  • Keyboard first

    An actions palette and shortcut presets for Relay, Warp, VS Code and Konsole habits.

Three split panes, each with its own shell and prompt editor.
Split panes, each with its own shell and prompt
Terminal next to a folder explorer and a rendered Markdown preview.
Folder explorer and file preview
Actions palette listing agent, terminal and pane actions with their shortcuts.
Actions palette

Install

Coming with the first beta release. The commands below are what installation will look like once v0.1.0-beta.1 is published on GitHub Releases. Until then, build from source. Packages are available for x86_64 and arm64.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Qt 5 / KDE Frameworks 5 build.

v=0.1.0-beta.1
wget https://github.com/elliottash/relay-terminal/releases/download/v$v/relay_${v}_ubuntu24.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./relay_${v}_ubuntu24.04_amd64.deb

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Qt 6 / KDE Frameworks 6 build.

v=0.1.0-beta.1
wget https://github.com/elliottash/relay-terminal/releases/download/v$v/relay_${v}_ubuntu26.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./relay_${v}_ubuntu26.04_amd64.deb

Debian 13 (trixie)

Qt 6 / KDE Frameworks 6 build.

v=0.1.0-beta.1
wget https://github.com/elliottash/relay-terminal/releases/download/v$v/relay_${v}_debian13_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./relay_${v}_debian13_amd64.deb

Arch Linux (AUR)

Release and development packages.

yay -S relay-terminal
# or the latest main branch
yay -S relay-terminal-git

Fedora and others: from source

Needs Qt 6, KF6 Parts and CoreAddons, the Konsole part, CMake, Python 3.10+ and Bash.

sudo dnf install cmake gcc-c++ qt6-qtbase-devel kf6-kparts-devel \
  kf6-kcoreaddons-devel konsole-part python3
git clone https://github.com/elliottash/relay-terminal
cd relay-terminal && ./scripts/build.sh
cmake --install build

Verify the download

Each release lists SHA-256 checksums.

v=0.1.0-beta.1
wget https://github.com/elliottash/relay-terminal/releases/download/v$v/SHA256SUMS
sha256sum --check --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS

Replace amd64 with arm64 on ARM machines. Then start Relay from your application menu or run relay --workspace ~/project. For API keys in the desktop keyring, install libsecret-tools (Debian/Ubuntu) or libsecret (Arch).

Your key, your provider

What stays with you

  • No telemetry, no analytics, no crash reporting.
  • No Relay account and no Relay server. Relay connects to the network only to reach the provider you configure, when you use the agent.
  • API keys are stored in your desktop keyring (GNOME Keyring or KWallet, through secret-tool), or read from an environment variable.
  • Shell commands you send to the terminal stay on your machine.

What goes to your provider

  • Your agent prompts, the conversation, and the results of the agent's tools (command output, file contents it reads) go to the provider you configure: Kimi, GLM, OpenRouter or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Their privacy policy applies.
  • Agent tools currently run without asking for approval. The agent can run commands and write files in your workspace as your user. Every action prints in the terminal, and you can stop the agent at any time, but review what you ask it to do.

Status

Beta. Relay is usable day to day on Linux, but expect rough edges and changes between releases. Please report problems on GitHub Issues.

Rich prompt integration covers Bash. With zsh, fish, tmux or over SSH, use native terminal input (F12).

Platforms. Linux with KDE Frameworks 5 or 6. Flatpak is planned next. macOS and Windows need a portable terminal engine and are on the roadmap, not in this beta.

License. GPL-3.0-or-later. Relay uses Konsole's part as installed on your system and does not include Warp or other proprietary code.