zchat.zsh
A full-screen, split-pane AI chat client that pushes modern Zsh to its limits: native TCP, JSON, persistence, streaming, Markdown rendering, and a responsive curses interface without an application framework.
No hidden runtime: the application itself does not invoke curl, jq, Python, fold, coreutils, or another external runtime utility.
A Terminal Interface, Not a Prompt Loop
Live Reasoning
Reasoning and response tokens stream separately; completed thinking collapses into a toggleable summary line.
Rich Markdown
Headings, code fences, tables, lists, blockquotes, links, and inline styles render directly in the terminal.
Responsive Panes
Sessions, transcript, multiline input, model state, and shortcuts adapt as the terminal resizes.
Persistent Sessions
Private XDG-backed sessions retain the full visible transcript and bounded continuation checkpoints.
Native All the Way Down
A background Zsh worker consumes Ollama's chunked NDJSON stream through zsh/net/tcp. The curses event loop reads incremental output, reuses rendered transcript prefixes, and refreshes every window as one frame.
Model Picker
Browse installed Ollama models and switch without leaving the interface.
Context Control
Automatic checkpoints preserve a recent raw tail while keeping long conversations within budget.
Safe Streaming
Malformed, incomplete, and cancelled streams fail closed instead of persisting partial assistant messages.
Compile It. Feel the Difference.
Run make compile to turn zchat's Zsh libraries into .zwc wordcode. Zsh can load that compiled code directly instead of parsing every library at launch, making startup feel dramatically faster. Current wordcode is used automatically; stale files are ignored, so compilation stays an optional optimization.
make compile # Generate lib/*.zwc
make clean # Remove compiled wordcodeQuick Start
zchat connects to Ollama at localhost:11434 by default. Export OLLAMA_HOST, pass --host, or use /host inside the TUI to talk to another server. Zsh 5.8 or newer and its standard loadable modules provide the complete client runtime.
ollama pull gemma4:12b
git clone https://github.com/ZaguanLabs/zchat.zsh.git
cd zchat.zsh
make compile
./zchat.zsh
# Use a remote Ollama server
export OLLAMA_HOST=RemoteHost:11434
./zchat.zsh --model MODEL_NAMESmall Surface, Full Conversation
zchat is deliberately focused on conversation rather than coding tools. It keeps model selection, system prompts, context inspection, chat history, cancellation, and reasoning control one keystroke—or one slash command—away.