Fast · Minimal · Native

A code editor that belongs on your Mac.

Pine is a code editor for macOS purists. Native SwiftUI + AppKit, Liquid Glass on macOS 26, zero Electron.

No Electron Minimal dependencies Full terminal emulator Git-aware workflow

Download Pine View on GitHub

Install in 10 seconds

brew tap batonogov/tap && brew install --cask pine-editor

Native

SwiftUI + AppKit

Built like a real Mac app, not a browser pretending to be one.

Focused

Repo-first workflow

Open a folder, browse files, edit fast, run commands, keep moving.

Lean

Minimal footprint

One dependency (SwiftTerm), no plugin marketplace, no configuration sprawl.

Practical

Git where it matters

Status in the tree, branch switching, and diff markers directly in the editor.

Why Pine

Built for the gap between bloated editors and full IDEs.

Pine keeps the parts that matter in day-to-day coding and cuts the layers that usually slow editors down.

What Pine keeps

Native project tree and Mac window behavior
Syntax highlighting, line numbers, and find
Multiple terminal tabs powered by a real PTY
Git status, gutter diffs, and branch switching

What Pine cuts

Browser engine overhead
Plugin sprawl and extension dependency chains
Settings archaeology before real work starts
Chrome-heavy UI that competes with the code

What that feels like

You spend less time shaping the editor and more time writing, running, and reviewing code. Pine stays in the background and keeps the loop tight.

Open fast Stay focused Ship sooner

Features

The essentials, done like a Mac app.

Pine is not trying to become a platform. It is trying to cover the everyday loop with less friction.

Open a repo and start working immediately.

Folders-first file tree, clean empty states, hidden files skipped by default, editor tabs, and unsaved-change protection.

Write code without visual drag.

Line numbers, current-line highlight, minimap, bracket matching, line commenting, font zoom, undo, find bar, smart indent, and syntax highlighting for 16 languages.

Run commands in the same window.

Multiple terminal tabs powered by SwiftTerm — a full VT100/xterm emulator with colors, oh-my-zsh, and TUI app support.

See git context where decisions happen.

Status in the file tree, diff markers in the gutter, branch switching, and a compact status bar summary.

Preview Markdown and non-text files.

Native Markdown preview with source, rendered, and split modes. Quick Look for images and binary files without leaving the editor.

Stays current without getting in the way.

Built-in auto-updates via Sparkle, large file warnings before opening, and session restore that picks up right where you left off.

Screenshots

See Pine in action.

Pine welcome window with recent projects — Welcome window with recent projects

Pine code editor with syntax highlighting and file tree — Code editor with syntax highlighting and git gutter

Pine built-in terminal — Built-in terminal powered by SwiftTerm

Pine Markdown preview in split mode — Markdown preview in side-by-side mode

Positioning

Pine is not trying to be the biggest editor on your machine. It is the one that opens fast and never gets in the way.

If VS Code feels heavy and Xcode feels like overkill for everyday editing, Pine is the middle ground.

No Electron No plugin marketplace No settings maze Minimal dependencies

Origin

Built in 12 days by a DevOps engineer who had never written a line of Swift.

"I just wanted a fast native editor for my Ansible and Helm files. VS Code felt too heavy. So I built one."

Pine started as a personal experiment. Working daily with Ansible, Helm, and Terraform meant editing YAML, not writing apps. VS Code felt too heavy for the task. Zed was promising but not native enough. No editor felt right. Over 12 days — with AI assistance and no prior Swift knowledge — Pine was built. That experiment became a real product. It is now open source and growing with its community.

Get Started

Install Pine in 10 seconds.

Use Homebrew, grab the latest DMG, or build from source in Xcode. The stack stays small: SwiftUI, AppKit, JSON grammars, and SwiftTerm for the terminal.

Download the latest release Read the source

macOS 26+ Xcode 26+ SwiftUI + AppKit

Homebrew

brew tap batonogov/tap && brew install --cask pine-editor

Build from source with xcodebuild -project Pine.xcodeproj -scheme Pine build if you want the full native stack on your machine.