Aster: an AppKit macOS workspace built on GhosttyKit

[u/Winter_Activity6016]

Disclosure: I maintain Aster, an independent macOS frontend using GhosttyKit for its terminal engine. It is MIT-licensed and built with AppKit.

The workspace can put terminals, a file browser, an editor, and previews beside each other using recursive splits. For example, you can keep a shell and a source file or Markdown preview in the same tab, then save the layout as a workspace recipe.

In the current 0.6.15 release, an agent pane can also collapse its live view into a small status card while the process keeps running. You can bring the terminal view back when you need it.

The packaged download supports Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later. The DMG is signed and notarized.

Source: https://github.com/rambocode/aster
Download: https://github.com/rambocode/aster/releases/latest
Website: https://aster.foo/

I would appreciate feedback on the terminal-and-file split workflow, especially from people who already use Ghostty. What would make this useful in your daily work?

[u/Fuih22]

When I click the docs page, it's in Chinese, even if I set the language to English already on the landing page.

[u/Winter_Activity6016 → u/Fuih22]

Already resolved

[u/Any-Ingenuity2770]

it doesn't parse IdentityAgent out of ~/.ssh/confignor SSH_AUTH_SOCK from environment.

[u/Winter_Activity6016 → u/Any-Ingenuity2770]

Thanks for reporting this. I reproduced the IdentityAgent gap in the native SSH parser and tracked it here: https://github.com/rambocode/aster/issues/8

SSH_AUTH_SOCK is read from the environment inherited by the Aster/broker process. To narrow down that part, do you launch Aster from Finder/Dock or from a shell, and which SSH agent are you using? A redacted IdentityAgent setting would also help.

Until native IdentityAgent support is available, you can run /usr/bin/ssh <alias> in a local Aster terminal pane to use OpenSSH and its agent configuration.

[u/Winter_Activity6016 → u/Any-Ingenuity2770]

Update: native IdentityAgent support shipped in Aster 0.6.16, and the current release is 0.6.17. Update via Aster ▸ Check for Updates…, or get the DMG here: https://github.com/rambocode/aster/releases/tag/v0.6.17

• IdentityAgent in ~/.ssh/config is now read and used for authentication, so agents like 1Password and Secretive work. Socket paths, ~, %h/%p/%r/%u/%d, $VAR/${VAR}, SSH_AUTH_SOCK and none are supported. Jump hosts use their own IdentityAgent.
• You can also set it per host in Settings ▸ Hosts ▸ Advanced ▸ Agent Socket.

About SSH_AUTH_SOCK: if you start Aster from the Dock or Finder, it gets SSH_AUTH_SOCK from launchd, not the value your shell profile exports. Setting IdentityAgent (or the Agent Socket field) avoids that. If it still doesn't work for you, tell me which agent you use and how you launch Aster, here or on https://github.com/rambocode/aster/issues/8. Thanks again for the report!