Rysh vs zellij
zellij is the modern, friendly take on the terminal multiplexer — Rust, discoverable keybindings, KDL layouts and WASM plugins. Rysh shares that modern feel but adds agent fleets spawned from files on disk, each agent in its own git worktree, plus real-time collaboration and web, desktop and mobile clients.
What each one is
zellij is a modern terminal multiplexer written in Rust. It leans into discoverability — on-screen keybinding hints, sensible defaults, a status bar, floating panes, session resurrection, and layouts described in KDL. It is extended with sandboxed WASM plugins and is free and open-source.
Rysh is an agentic terminal multiplexer (Go) with the same modern tabs/panes/layout ergonomics. It runs fleets of agents spawned from files on disk — each in its own git worktree, with 40+ tools and an approval flow — and adds real-time sharing of a pane, lane or group, external channels, pipelines, and web/desktop/mobile clients backed by an optional cloud server.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Rysh | zellij |
|---|---|---|
| Core multiplexing (tabs, panes, splits) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Persistent detach / reattach sessions | ✓ | ✓ (resurrection) |
| Discoverable, modern keybinding UX | ✓ | ✓ |
| Language / footprint | Go — heavier (agent runtime) | Rust — light |
| Layouts | Layout tree + modes | KDL layout files |
| Agent fleet, each agent in its own git worktree | ✓ (40+ tools, approvals) | ✗ |
| Autonomous / multi-agent workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real-time collaboration (share pane/tab) | ✓ built-in | ✗ |
| External channels (Slack, email) | ✓ (“humanoids”) | ✗ |
| Pipelines / event automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Web terminal + desktop + mobile app | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugin model | MCP client + Rysh Forge (API→tools) | WASM plugins |
| Maturity | Newer | Modern, fast-moving |
| License / cost | Local CLI single-binary; paid cloud tiers | Free, open-source |
Which should you choose?
Choose Rysh if…
- You want to spawn a fleet of agents from files on disk, each in its own git worktree, with approvals, plus autonomous and multi-agent workflows.
- You need real-time collaboration — share a pane, group, lane or whole tab — and web/desktop/mobile access.
- You want channel-connected automations (Slack/email) and event pipelines out of the box.
Choose zellij if…
- You want a modern, discoverable multiplexer that stays fully open-source with no cloud account.
- You value a light Rust footprint and a sandboxed WASM plugin ecosystem.
- You don’t need AI or collaboration — just great, ergonomic panes.
You can use both: Rysh locally for the AI + collaboration, zellij where you want a minimal open-source multiplexer. Rysh doesn’t depend on zellij; it has its own engine.
FAQ
Is Rysh a zellij replacement?
For multiplexing — tabs, panes, layouts, detach/reattach — Rysh covers the same ground with a similarly modern UX, and adds AI agents, collaboration and GUI clients. It is a superset in features, not a drop-in clone of zellij’s config or plugin API.
Does Rysh have plugins like zellij’s WASM plugins?
Rysh extends the agent instead of the multiplexer: an MCP client consumes external MCP servers, and Rysh Forge turns API specs into agent tools. It is a different extension model aimed at AI tooling rather than UI plugins.
Is Rysh open-source and free like zellij?
The local CLI is a single binary you run yourself. The hosted cloud features (sharing, workspaces, billing) are a paid product — see pricing.
Which is lighter?
zellij (Rust) has a smaller footprint. Rysh carries an agent runtime, so it is heavier — the trade-off for the built-in AI and collaboration.
Try Rysh
Share a pane, a lane or a group with a teammate on another machine — see it in short videos or the written guides.
Get started free →