A GUI for the Helix editor

Helix, with a GUI.

ghelix puts the real hx binary in a native desktop window with menus, tabs, split panes, and a mouse. Your config, plugins, and keymaps come along for the ride.

Install ghelix View source

Linux · Wayland & X11 KDE & GNOME BSD-2-Clause

src/main.rs ×

src/ui.rs ×

README.md ×

src/main.rs NOR

1use anyhow::Result;
2use clap::Parser;
3use eframe::egui;
4
5fn main() -> Result<()> {
6let args = Args::parse();
7
8eframe::run_native(
9"ghelix",
10native_options,
11Box::new(|cc| {
12Ok(Box::new(
13ui::GhelixApp::new(cc, args.files),
14))
15}),
16)?;
17
18Ok(())
19}

NOR src/main.rs utf-8 rust 18:5

src/ui.rs NOR

41pub struct Chrome {
42background: Color32,
43surface: Color32,
44accent: Color32,
45}
46
47impl Chrome {
48fn for_theme(t: &Theme) -> Self {
49// tone-on-tone surfaces
50let bg = theme.color("ui.background");
51let accent = theme.color("ui.cursor");
52
53Self { background: bg, .. }
54}
55}

NOR src/ui.rs rust 55:1

Theme-aware chrome · split panes · real Helix

Not a reimplementation. ghelix drives the real hx binary.

Your config Your keymaps Your plugins

Features

A desktop home for Helix.

All the conveniences of a GUI editor, without replacing the editor underneath. ghelix stays out of Helix’s way and adds the window, tabs, and input handling around it.

Tabs that feel native

Every tab is its own hx instance. Drag to reorder, open a whole folder, or let an untitled tab adopt the file you open inside Helix.

Real split panes

Split the ghelix window vertically or horizontally, drag the dividers, and give each pane its own Helix session.

Theme-aware chrome

Surfaces, borders, and the focused-pane ring come from your active Helix theme. Switch the chrome between light and dark whenever you want.

The mouse works too

Scroll the pane under the cursor, drag to select, copy on release, and use a right-click menu for cut, copy, and paste.

Real terminal input

Helix renders in a real terminal emulator, so modes, prompts, and every TUI detail behave exactly as they do in your terminal.

Keyboard-first by design

GUI actions get shortcuts. Everything else goes straight to hx, so Helix never loses a key it expects.

At home on your desktop

The installer adds a .desktop launcher and hicolor icons, so ghelix shows up with its own logo in KDE and GNOME.

Open folders, not just files

Open a directory through Helix’s own file picker and work relative to that project.

Workflow

Your Helix. Your keys. Your config.

ghelix only binds GUI commands. Every other keystroke goes straight to hx, so the editor you already know is the editor you get.

Helix config, plugins, and keymaps load exactly as they do in a terminal
:theme still changes the editor theme, not just the window around it
GUI shortcuts avoid the keys Helix relies on
Relative paths and new files resolve against the directory you launched from

Set it up

GUI shortcuts Helix stays untouched

New tab CtrlShiftN

Save CtrlShiftS

Focus pane Alt←↑↓→

Find CtrlShiftF

Next tab CtrlTab

Everything else goes to hx.

Themes

Your theme, all the way through.

ghelix derives its chrome from the active Helix theme. Surfaces, borders, the focus ring, and the accent color all move together instead of fighting a fixed blue-gray UI.

Tone-on-tone surfaces from ui.background
Focused-pane ring in the theme accent
Light, dark, and transparent window modes
Editor theme stays Helix’s choice

Helix is still Helix. Switch themes with :theme and the window follows.

gruvbox

ui.background ui.cursor

catppuccin

ui.background ui.cursor

tokyonight

ui.background ui.cursor

Your theme loads from Helix

Install

Give Helix a window.

Build from source with the installer, or install with Cargo and add the launcher. ghelix runs on Linux under both Wayland and X11.

Install ghelix and the launcher

The recommended path. Builds a release binary, installs ghx, and adds the application menu entry and icons.

shell

git clone https://gitlab.com/roguehashrate/ghelix.git
cd ghelix
./install.sh

Installs ghx to ~/.local/bin and desktop assets to ~/.local/share. Launch ghelix from your app menu or run ghx.

FAQ

Good questions.

Short answers to the things people ask before giving Helix a window.

Is ghelix a fork or a reimplementation of Helix?

Neither. ghelix spawns the real hx binary in a PTY, emulates the terminal, and sends menu actions as Helix commands and key sequences. Your editor is still Helix.

Do my Helix config, plugins, and keymaps work?

Yes. ghelix never edits editor keybinds and every keystroke goes to your own hx. Base Helix binds apply when you have no Helix config, and your ~/.config/helix/config.toml applies when you do.

Does it work on Wayland and X11?

Yes, on Linux. ghelix uses native Wayland or X11 windows and includes a .desktop launcher and icons for KDE and GNOME.

How do I update ghelix?

Pull the latest changes and run ./install.sh again. If you installed with Cargo, use cargo install --path . --force, then refresh the desktop entry with ./install.sh --desktop-only.

Where are GUI settings stored?

In ~/.config/ghelix/config.toml, or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ghelix/config.toml. Font, font size, transparency, light/dark mode, and pane-focus keys live there. The editor theme stays in Helix’s own config.

What is the license?

ghelix is BSD-2-Clause. Helix is separate software under the MPL-2.0; ghelix does not bundle or link against it.

Ready?

Helix was already great.
Now it has a window.

Install ghelix Browse the code

Helix, with a GUI.

A desktop home for Helix.

Tabs that feel native

Real split panes

Theme-aware chrome

The mouse works too

Real terminal input

Keyboard-first by design

At home on your desktop

Open folders, not just files

Your Helix. Your keys. Your config.

Your theme, all the way through.

Give Helix a window.

Install ghelix and the launcher

Good questions.

Helix was already great.Now it has a window.

Helix was already great.
Now it has a window.