AuraPad

A fast, lightweight text and code editor for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Open a folder, edit files, commit your changes — AuraPad stays out of your way. No plugins to configure, no accounts, no telemetry: even voice dictation and read-aloud run entirely on your machine.

Download & Install

macOS / Linux — one command installs (or updates) the latest release and starts it:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/roman-struchev/aura-pad/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows — download the -setup.exe from the latest release.

macOS: a .dmg downloaded in a browser shows "AuraPad is damaged" (builds aren't notarized yet). Use the command above instead, or run xattr -cr /Applications/AuraPad.app.

Highlights

• Real editor engine — Monaco (the editor behind VS Code): syntax highlighting for ~30 languages, multi-cursor editing, find & replace.
• Voice dictation — press Cmd+D, speak, and the text lands at the cursor. Powered by Whisper running on-device; audio never leaves your machine.
• Read aloud — have any document read to you with natural neural voices, with automatic language switching and 1×/1.5×/2× speed.
• Translate in place — select text and hit Option+Cmd+T: Google Translate for best quality, or fully offline local models.
• Git built in — status badges, diffs, stage/commit/push/pull without leaving the editor.
• Work Together — share a live link to any open tab; others edit or view it in a plain browser, no install needed.
• Instant startup, small footprint — opens folders and large files without ceremony.

Features

Editing

• Syntax highlighting for ~30 languages, multi-cursor editing, find & replace.
• Tabs with pinning and drag-to-reorder; reopen the last closed tab with Cmd+Shift+T.
• Autosave a moment after you stop typing (can be turned off).
• Error checking for TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python; uses your project's own ESLint setup if it has one.
• One-click Markdown and HTML preview.
• Themes: dark, light, system, Monokai, and Solarized; adjustable UI density and editor look.

Voice & language

• Dictation (Cmd+D): speak, and the text appears at the cursor. Works fully offline — speech recognition (Whisper) runs on your machine.
• Read aloud: natural-sounding voices read your document, switching between English and Russian automatically. Also fully offline (Piper). Speed toggle 1×/1.5×/2×, Esc stops.
• Translate (Option+Cmd+T or right-click a selection): Google Translate for best quality, or local offline models if the text should never leave your machine.
• Voice and translation models are downloaded once (after you confirm) and cached for offline use.

Files

• Open several folders side by side in one tree.
• Create, rename, copy, and delete files; drag & drop between folders or in from Finder/Explorer.
• Quick open with a double-tap of Shift; full-text search across all folders (Shift+Cmd+F).
• Stays in sync with changes made outside the app — and warns instead of losing your unsaved edits.
• Respects .gitignore.

Git

• See changed files at a glance, view diffs, stage, commit, push, and pull — right in the editor (Cmd+K).
• Works with several repos open at once; can be turned off entirely in Settings.

Terminal

• A real terminal inside the app: multiple tabs, resizable panel, opens at any folder from the file tree.

Work Together

• Share any open tab as a live link — others edit or read it in a regular browser, no install needed, with read-only/read-write and an expiry you set.
• Self-hostable backend: aura-server.

The full list of keyboard shortcuts is available in the app under Settings.

Development

Install deps and run in dev mode.

npm install
npm run dev

Build for your platform:

npm run build:mac

Release a new version (bumps the minor version, tags, and pushes — CI builds and publishes):

npm run release