Note: We don't have an alpha release yet. See docs/TODO.md for what's left to be done before that happens.

the-editor is a modern, high-performance text editor written in Rust, inspired by Helix. It combines the powerful modal editing paradigm of Helix/Kakoune with a native GUI built on a custom WGPU renderer.

• Helix-inspired modal editing: Selection-first editing model where you select first, then act
• Native multicursor support: Built-in support for multiple cursors following the helix-kakoune model (selection → action)
• Custom WGPU renderer: GPU-accelerated rendering for smooth, responsive UI
• Full LSP integration: Built-in Language Server Protocol support with:
  • Code completion
  • Diagnostics (errors, warnings, hints)
  • Hover information
  • Signature help
  • Go to definition/declaration
  • And more...
• Extremely fast: Optimized for performance with minimal overhead
• Low memory footprint: Efficient memory usage even with large files
• Lightweight: Minimal dependencies, fast startup time

Currently, the-editor only supports installation through Nix flakes.

Add the-editor to your flake inputs:

{
  inputs = {
    # ... your other inputs
    the-editor = {
      url = "github:misterclayt0n/the-editor";
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    }; 
  };
}

In your Nix configuration (e.g., home.nix or configuration.nix):

home.packages = [
  the-editor.packages.${system}.default
];

Or if you're using it as a flake input in your system configuration:

environment.systemPackages = [
  inputs.the-editor.packages.${system}.default
];

Then rebuild your system/home-manager configuration:

# For NixOS
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#your-hostname

# For home-manager
home-manager switch --flake .#your-username@your-hostname

See the Repository Guidelines for build, test, and development commands.

the-editor is currently in active development and has not reached alpha status yet. For a detailed list of what's remaining before the first release, see docs/TODO.md.