README
¶
Keel
English | 简体中文
Build desktop UIs in pure Go, without HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or a WebView. Gio draws the interface; native/ provides permissions, screenshots, synthetic input, global hotkeys, system notifications, and a rich clipboard. Keel runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, compiles to WebAssembly for the browser, and supports Mobile (iOS / Android).
Create an application:
go install github.com/dyike/keel/cmd/keel@latest
keel new my-app && cd my-app
keel run # Run
keel build # Package for the current platform (.app / .exe / Linux package with icons)
Start developing in the generated app.go. To explore the repository examples and component gallery:
go run ./examples/hello
go run ./examples/components # Component gallery: sidebar navigation and search
go run ./examples/chat -sample=all
go test -race ./...
Requires Go 1.26+. On macOS, install Xcode Command Line Tools. On Linux, install the Wayland/X11 development packages; keel doctor checks the environment. Browse the documentation and live gallery.
Documentation
- Overview: find guides for your development task.
- Getting started: create, develop, run, and package an application with the scaffold.
- Mobile (iOS / Android): build and run iOS and Android apps, with platform capability limits.
- Components: browse components by purpose, with APIs and interactive examples.
- Automation: let an agent click, type, scroll, and take screenshots.
- Architecture: modules, dependency boundaries, and threading rules.
Licensing
Keel is licensed under the MIT License, free for commercial and closed-source use. See LICENSING.md and the contribution guide.
Directories
¶
| Path | Synopsis |
|---|---|
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cmd
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keel
command
Command keel creates, runs and packages Keel apps for desktop, web, iOS and Android.
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Command keel creates, runs and packages Keel apps for desktop, web, iOS and Android. |
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keel-mcp
command
Command keel-mcp is an MCP server that lets an agent run end-to-end tests against a Keel app: launch it, read what is on screen, click, type, press keys, scroll and take screenshots.
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Command keel-mcp is an MCP server that lets an agent run end-to-end tests against a Keel app: launch it, read what is on screen, click, type, press keys, scroll and take screenshots. |
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examples
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chat
command
Chat shows streaming Markdown answers the way an AI assistant produces them: text arrives a few characters at a time, the view follows it to the bottom unless you scroll up, and the answer can be stopped.
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Chat shows streaming Markdown answers the way an AI assistant produces them: text arrives a few characters at a time, the view follows it to the bottom unless you scroll up, and the answer can be stopped. |
|
components
command
Components is the kit gallery: a sidebar of every component, the selected one beside it.
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Components is the kit gallery: a sidebar of every component, the selected one beside it. |
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frameless
command
Frameless draws its own title bar: the window has no system title bar, the app puts a search box and buttons in the bar, and its empty part moves the window.
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Frameless draws its own title bar: the window has no system title bar, the app puts a search box and buttons in the bar, and its empty part moves the window. |
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glass
command
Glass demonstrates a native macOS backdrop beneath a transparent Gio UI.
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Glass demonstrates a native macOS backdrop beneath a transparent Gio UI. |
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hello
command
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hotkey
command
Hotkey shows a system-wide shortcut and a background goroutine updating the UI.
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Hotkey shows a system-wide shortcut and a background goroutine updating the UI. |
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multiwindow
command
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notification
command
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orders
command
Orders is a small order desk: search and filter a table, sort it, select rows with the mouse or keyboard, delete with confirmation, add orders through a form, and see totals per status.
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Orders is a small order desk: search and filter a table, sort it, select rows with the mouse or keyboard, delete with confirmation, add orders through a form, and see totals per status. |
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internal
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appicon
Package appicon cuts full-bleed app artwork into each platform's icon shape: Apple's macOS template, Microsoft's Windows grid, GNOME's template.
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Package appicon cuts full-bleed app artwork into each platform's icon shape: Apple's macOS template, Microsoft's Windows grid, GNOME's template. |
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deps
Package deps only holds a test that enforces the module boundaries listed in docs/architecture.md: each module may import only what its README declares.
|
Package deps only holds a test that enforces the module boundaries listed in docs/architecture.md: each module may import only what its README declares. |
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site
command
Command site builds Keel's documentation website: every Markdown file in docs/ and every module and example README becomes a static HTML page, the component pages embed the live component gallery (the WebAssembly build of examples/components), and a search index covers all of it.
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Command site builds Keel's documentation website: every Markdown file in docs/ and every module and example README becomes a static HTML page, the component pages embed the live component gallery (the WebAssembly build of examples/components), and a search index covers all of it. |
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svgicon
Package svgicon rasterizes the small SVG subset app icons use into PNG.
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Package svgicon rasterizes the small SVG subset app icons use into PNG. |
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Package native holds the errors shared by Keel's platform capabilities.
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Package native holds the errors shared by Keel's platform capabilities. |
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clipboard
Package clipboard reads a bounded snapshot of text, encoded images and file paths without linking to the UI.
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Package clipboard reads a bounded snapshot of text, encoded images and file paths without linking to the UI. |
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hotkey
Package hotkey registers system-wide shortcuts that fire even when another application is in front.
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Package hotkey registers system-wide shortcuts that fire even when another application is in front. |
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input
Package input synthesizes mouse and keyboard events.
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Package input synthesizes mouse and keyboard events. |
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internal/sys
Package sys binds the platform code.
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Package sys binds the platform code. |
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internal/wlclip
Package wlclip reads the Wayland clipboard through an application's own wl_display.
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Package wlclip reads the Wayland clipboard through an application's own wl_display. |
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notification
Package notification posts local operating-system notifications independently of Keel's UI.
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Package notification posts local operating-system notifications independently of Keel's UI. |
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permission
Package permission checks and requests macOS privacy permissions.
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Package permission checks and requests macOS privacy permissions. |
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process
Package process provides terminal foreground process and working-directory queries without a UI dependency.
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Package process provides terminal foreground process and working-directory queries without a UI dependency. |
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screen
Package screen lists displays and captures screenshots.
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Package screen lists displays and captures screenshots. |
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ui
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base
Package base holds the behavior of Keel's components without their look: keyboard navigation over a list, type-to-find, multi-selection with ranges, and open/closed state.
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Package base holds the behavior of Keel's components without their look: keyboard navigation over a list, type-to-find, multi-selection with ranges, and open/closed state. |
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core
Package core is the foundation every UI module builds on: what a Widget is, how a component runs a user callback, and how other goroutines change the UI.
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Package core is the foundation every UI module builds on: what a Widget is, how a component runs a user callback, and how other goroutines change the UI. |
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highlight
Package highlight colors source code in CodeEditor, TextView and Markdown code blocks.
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Package highlight colors source code in CodeEditor, TextView and Markdown code blocks. |
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internal/editorstyle
Package editorstyle supplies the shared input appearance for widget and el.
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Package editorstyle supplies the shared input appearance for widget and el. |
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internal/imageload
Package imageload loads images off the UI thread and draws them with a placeholder until they arrive.
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Package imageload loads images off the UI thread and draws them with a placeholder until they arrive. |
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internal/inputcontent
Package inputcontent keeps editable text and atomic references together.
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Package inputcontent keeps editable text and atomic references together. |
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internal/loop
Package loop owns the state shared by every window: one lock that serializes rendering and callbacks, a queue of updates from other goroutines, and the windows to redraw.
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Package loop owns the state shared by every window: one lock that serializes rendering and callbacks, a queue of updates from other goroutines, and the windows to redraw. |
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internal/uitest
Package uitest drives UI code without a window: it lays it out through a real Gio input router, so tests click and type as the platform would.
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Package uitest drives UI code without a window: it lays it out through a real Gio input router, so tests click and type as the platform would. |
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kit
Package kit provides components built on ui/el.
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Package kit provides components built on ui/el. |
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locale
Package locale holds the text Keel itself shows or reports to agents: button captions such as 确定 and 复制, accessible names such as 关闭, placeholders and counts.
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Package locale holds the text Keel itself shows or reports to agents: button captions such as 确定 and 复制, accessible names such as 关闭, placeholders and counts. |
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markdown
Package markdown renders Markdown as ui/el elements, built for AI chat: text that streams in a few characters at a time.
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Package markdown renders Markdown as ui/el elements, built for AI chat: text that streams in a few characters at a time. |
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netimage
Package netimage lets Keel load images from http and https URLs.
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Package netimage lets Keel load images from http and https URLs. |
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plot
Package plot provides scales, data layouts and immediate-mode chart drawing.
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Package plot provides scales, data layouts and immediate-mode chart drawing. |
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theme
Package theme holds the colors, text sizes and fonts every UI module reads.
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Package theme holds the colors, text sizes and fonts every UI module reads. |
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