Kakoune is a scriptable, modal text editor for the terminal that employs a client-server architecture. This model allows multiple terminal windows to connect to a single editing session, providing a programmable environment for managing source code and text.
The editor is distinguished by its selection-first logic, where a text region must be predefined before a command is applied. It leverages regular expressions to manage multiple cursors and perform bulk edits across complex text patterns, and it integrates deeply with the shell by piping selections through external programs and filters.
The system includes a unified command language for both interactive use and automation, supported by event hooks, macro recording, and a hierarchical configuration system. It further provides regex-based syntax highlighting, a flexible key mapping system with custom modal namespaces, and various buffer management primitives including atomic writing and asynchronous output handling.
