Introduction

YEN is a Personal Terminal Experience (PTE) for macOS. A PTE is a GPU-accelerated terminal application designed around individual workflows, preferences, and productivity patterns rather than generic defaults.

What makes YEN a PTE

GPU-accelerated rendering - Metal backend for 60 FPS output
Native macOS integration - System fonts, colors, notifications
Visual settings - Intuitive preferences panel, no config files required
Zero defaults required - Works immediately, customize later

System Requirements

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel Mac
~50 MB disk space

Installation

Download

Download the latest release and move YEN.app to your Applications folder.

Download YEN.zip

First Launch

On first launch, macOS may display a security prompt. Right-click YEN.app and select "Open" to bypass Gatekeeper for unsigned apps.

No code signing

YEN is not currently notarized with Apple. You may need to allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Updating

To update, download the new version and replace YEN.app in Applications. Your settings are stored separately and will be preserved.

Settings

Access settings via YEN → Settings or Cmd+,. All preferences are configured visually - no manual file editing required.

Settings Sections

About - App version, homepage link
Appearance - Colors, theme, opacity, blur effects
Fonts - Font family, size, bold/italic variants
Colors - Cursor style, selection colors
Window - Size, padding, decorations
Behavior - Copy on select, mouse, bell, updates
macOS - VSync, Quick Terminal position
Advanced - Colorspace, window state

Save and Reset

Click Save to apply changes or Reset to restore defaults. Some settings apply immediately; others require a new window.

Appearance

Configure the visual look of your terminal including colors, theme mode, and transparency effects.

Background - Terminal background color picker
Foreground - Default text color picker
Cursor Color - Cursor highlight color
Theme - Auto (follows system), Light, or Dark mode
Background Opacity - Window transparency (0-100%)
Background Blur - Enable blur effect for transparent windows
Unfocused Split Opacity - Dim inactive split panes

Performance

Transparency and blur effects increase GPU usage. Disable if you experience lag.

Fonts

YEN supports any monospace font installed on your system.

Font Family - Primary font for terminal text (defaults to system monospace)
Bold Font - Separate font for bold text (or same as primary)
Italic Font - Separate font for italic text (or same as primary)
Font Size - Size in points (default: 13)
Font Thickening - Enable for better rendering on Retina displays
Synthetic Styles - Auto-generate bold and italic when not provided by font

Colors

Fine-tune cursor appearance and text selection colors.

Cursor Style - Block, Bar, or Underline
Cursor Text Color - Color of text under block cursor
Cursor Opacity - Cursor transparency (0-100%)
Selection Background - Highlight color for selected text
Selection Foreground - Text color when selected

Window

Control window dimensions, padding, and chrome.

Width - Initial window width in cells (default: 80)
Height - Initial window height in cells (default: 24)
Padding X - Horizontal padding in pixels
Padding Y - Vertical padding in pixels
Balance Padding - Automatically balance padding on window resize
Window Decoration - Show native window title bar and controls

Behavior

Configure terminal behavior and interactions.

Copy on Select - Automatically copy text when selected
Focus Follows Mouse - Focus pane under mouse cursor
Hide Mouse While Typing - Hide cursor during keyboard input
Bell Features - Configure bell notifications (system, audio, attention, title)
Auto Update - Check for updates automatically

macOS

macOS-specific features and integration options.

Window VSync - Synchronize rendering with display refresh rate (recommended for smooth scrolling)
Quick Terminal Position - Position for the dropdown Quick Terminal (Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Center)

Quick Terminal

Quick Terminal is a dropdown terminal accessible via global hotkey. Set a keyboard shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts to toggle it from any app.

Advanced

Advanced rendering and state options for power users.

Window Colorspace - Color profile (sRGB, Display P3, etc.)
Window Save State - Remember window size/position between sessions

Keyboard

YEN includes standard macOS keybindings for common terminal operations.

Default Keybindings

Action	Keybinding
New tab	`Cmd+T`
New window	`Cmd+N`
Close tab/pane	`Cmd+W`
Split horizontal	`Cmd+D`
Split vertical	`Cmd+Shift+D`
Copy	`Cmd+C`
Paste	`Cmd+V`
Increase font size	`Cmd++`
Decrease font size	`Cmd+-`
Reset font size	`Cmd+0`
Toggle fullscreen	`Cmd+Enter`
Settings	`Cmd+,`
Quick terminal	`Global hotkey`

Custom Keybindings

For advanced users, custom keybindings can be configured via the config file at ~/Library/Application Support/com.yenchat.yen/config.yen.

Custom keybindings (config file)

# Custom keybind syntax
keybind = cmd+t=new_tab
keybind = cmd+shift+t=new_window
keybind = cmd+w=close_surface

Modifiers:

cmd / super - Command key
ctrl / control - Control key
alt / opt - Option key
shift - Shift key

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

App won't open (security warning)

Right-click YEN.app and select "Open", or allow in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Fonts look blurry

Enable Font Thickening in Settings → Fonts for better rendering on Retina displays.

Settings not applying

Click Save to apply changes. Some settings like window decorations require opening a new window.

High CPU/GPU usage

Disable Background Opacity and Background Blur in Settings → Appearance. Ensure Window VSync is enabled in Settings → macOS.

Reset to Defaults

Click the Reset button in Settings to restore all default values.

To completely reset, delete the settings file:

Delete settings file

rm ~/Library/Application\\ Support/com.yenchat.yen/config.yen

Debug Logs

Launch YEN from Terminal to see debug output:

Run with logs

/Applications/YEN.app/Contents/MacOS/YEN