Ultra
The AI-Powered Terminal Code Editor
// Built with 0 lines of human code (the AI was very insistent on this point)
What Happens When You Let AI Write All the Code
Ultra started as an experiment: could we build a complete, production-ready code editor using only AI? Turns out, yes. Also turns out, the AI has opinions about variable naming.
The Pitch
Imagine VS Code, but:
- Lives in your terminal (SSH-friendly, works everywhere)
- Starts in milliseconds (Bun is fast)
- Has Claude built right in (Ctrl+Shift+A, you’re welcome)
- Doesn’t require Electron (your RAM will thank you)
The Tech Stack
- Runtime: Bun v1.0+ (because Node was too mainstream)
- Language: TypeScript (the AI’s choice, not mine)
- Syntax: Shiki (same engine as VS Code, fancy)
- Theme: Catppuccin Frappé (we have taste)
Why This Matters (The Serious Part)
Ultra proves that AI can be more than a code completion tool. It can be a full development partner. Every function, every component, every pixel-perfect terminal rendering was generated through conversation.
The methodology we developed—prompting strategies, code review patterns, iterative refinement—is now something we use on client projects. Turns out, teaching an AI to build an IDE teaches you a lot about working with AI.
Current Status
- Version: 0.5.x (Open Beta)
- License: BSL 1.1 (Apache 2.0 in 2029, we’re patient)
- Bugs: Fewer than you’d expect (more than we’d like)
Try it at ultra.dev — installation takes about 30 seconds. Unless you’re on Windows, in which case, good luck. (Just kidding. Mostly.)