Skip to main content

​
Welcome to Monolex

Monolex is a next-generation AI-native terminal built for the era of LLM-powered development. It combines the performance of native Rust with the flexibility of modern web technologies.

​
Why Monolex?

​
The Problem

Traditional terminals weren’t designed for AI workloads:
  • LLM streaming causes crashes - VSCode terminal freezes, Claude Code crashes
  • High CPU usage - Standard xterm.js causes high CPU during streaming
  • Visual jitter - Fast output causes visible tearing and flickering

​
The Solution

Monolex introduces ACK-based flow control - a unique architecture that:
  • Significantly reduces CPU compared to standard xterm.js
  • Eliminates crashes during high-output scenarios
  • Provides smooth scrolling even during bulk output
Standard Terminal:              Monolex:
─────────────────               ─────────────────
100 chunks → 100 renders        100 chunks → 5-10 renders
CPU: High                       CPU: Low
Result: Jitter, crashes         Result: Smooth, stable

​
Key Features

Native Performance

Rust backend with native VTE parser. Fast native ANSI processing.

AI-Optimized

Consumer-driven flow control designed for LLM streaming workloads.

Crash Resilient

PTY daemon survives app crashes. Sessions are recoverable.

Modern UI

Built on Tauri 2.0 with WebGL rendering. Beautiful and fast.

​
Architecture at a Glance

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  MONOLEX ARCHITECTURE                                     │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                           │
│  PTY Daemon (Rust, 953KB)                                 │
│       ↓ Unix Socket                                       │
│  Tauri Backend (Rust)                                     │
│       ├── SessionActor (lock-free concurrency)            │
│       ├── Native VTE Parser (fast native parsing)         │
│       └── Cell Converter (native → xterm format)          │
│       ↓ Tauri IPC                                         │
│  Frontend (TypeScript)                                    │
│       └── Direct Buffer Injection                         │
│       ↓                                                   │
│  xterm.js WebGL                                           │
│                                                           │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

​
What Makes Monolex Unique?

​
1. Hybrid Architecture

We combine a native VTE parser with the best renderer (xterm.js WebGL):
ComponentTechnologyBenefit
VTE ParserNative RustFaster than JS parser
Rendererxterm.js WebGLGPU-accelerated
IntegrationMonolexDirect buffer injection

​
2. ACK-Based Flow Control

The only terminal that implements rendering-completion-based backpressure: 
Other terminals:                 Monolex:
─────────────────               ─────────────────
Parse → Render → Parse → ...    Parse → [ACK gate] → Render
                                         ↑              │
                                         └──── ACK ─────┘

Result: Renderer overwhelmed    Result: Render controls rate

​
3. Lock-Free Concurrency

The SessionActor pattern eliminates all locks:
  • No deadlocks possible
  • No lock contention under load
  • Guaranteed message ordering
  • Simple to reason about

​
Quick Start

1

Download

Get Monolex from monolex.ai
2

Install

Drag to Applications folder (macOS)
3

Launch

Open Monolex and start your first terminal

​
Learn More

Quickstart Guide

Get running in 5 minutes with practical examples.

Architecture Deep Dive

Understand how Monolex achieves its performance.

5-Tier Grid Mode

The technical details of our rendering pipeline.

Research: AI-Native UX

Why traditional terminals fail at AI workloads.
“Consumer-driven backpressure is the missing piece in terminal architecture for AI-native workloads.”