Termcast is a framework for building terminal user interfaces (TUIs) using React and an API inspired by Raycast. It's designed for developers who want to create TUI applications, especially those who already have Raycast extensions and want to port them to the terminal.
# IMPORTANT! this package requires Bun. does not work in Node.js
bun install -g termcast Termcast provides a Raycast-like API for building terminal applications. If you're familiar with Raycast extension development, you can use that knowledge to create TUIs that run anywhere—including Linux and remote servers.
This is not a way to run arbitrary Raycast extensions in the terminal. Instead, it's a tool for developers who want to:
- Build TUIs using a familiar, React-based API
- Port existing Raycast extension code to the terminal
- Create standalone CLI tools that can be distributed independently
- Take advantage of terminal-native capabilities
Create a new extension and start developing:
termcast new my-extension
cd my-extension
termcast devCreate a new extension from the template:
termcast new <name>Run your extension in dev mode with hot reloading:
termcast devThis watches for file changes and rebuilds automatically.
Build a standalone executable:
termcast compileBuild and publish to GitHub releases for all platforms:
termcast releaseThis creates binaries for macOS (arm64, x64), Linux (arm64, x64), and Windows, then uploads them to a GitHub release. After release, you'll get an install script URL:
Install script:
curl -sf https://termcast.app/owner/repo/install | bash
Share this URL so others can install your TUI with a single command.
You can use termcast as a library to render TUI components programmatically, without the CLI or extension system. Use renderWithProviders to mount any React component with all termcast infrastructure (navigation, dialogs, storage, query cache, theme):
import { renderWithProviders, List, Action, ActionPanel } from 'termcast'
function MyApp() {
return (
<List>
<List.Item
title="Hello World"
actions={
<ActionPanel>
<Action title="Greet" onAction={() => console.log('hi')} />
</ActionPanel>
}
/>
</List>
)
}
await renderWithProviders(<MyApp />, {
extensionName: 'my-app',
})Options:
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
extensionName |
'termcast-app' |
Used to derive storage paths and extension metadata |
extensionPath |
~/.termcast/compiled/{extensionName} |
Where LocalStorage, Cache, and data.db are stored |
packageJson |
{ name, title, description: '', commands: [] } |
Extension metadata for preferences, environment, etc. |
All options are optional. Without any options, storage goes to ~/.termcast/compiled/termcast-app/.
Pass extensionName to isolate storage between different apps. Pass packageJson if you need preferences or command metadata.
Raycast extensions are limited to macOS and the Raycast app. Termcast lets you use similar patterns to build terminal applications that work cross-platform.
Termcast is a superset of the Raycast API—it supports what makes sense in a terminal context, while also enabling terminal-native features that Raycast can't provide:
- Current working directory — your TUI knows where it was invoked from
- Command-line arguments — accept input directly from the command line
- stdin — pipe data into your application
- Environment context — full access to the terminal environment
These capabilities make Termcast ideal for building developer tools that integrate naturally with terminal workflows.
If your team already has a Raycast extension, you can use Termcast to create a terminal version that shares code with your existing extension. For example:
- A deployment tool that works both as a Raycast extension and a CLI
- An internal tool that needs to run on Linux servers
- A utility you want to distribute without requiring users to install Raycast
- Uses Bun instead of Node
- Renders in a terminal instead of a macOS app
- Cross-platform (macOS, Linux)
- No store—distribute your TUI however you want
- Best-effort API compatibility (not a drop-in replacement)
