What it does
Kakoune is a modal terminal editor whose selection-first model makes multiple selections a central part of editing. Users select text and then apply commands, including operations that transform several selections together. The official site describes regex-based selection, filtering, splitting, alignment, and other text-manipulation primitives. Kakoune suits programmers who want keyboard-driven editing in a terminal and are willing to learn a different command order from Vim.
Kakoune reverses the familiar Vim pattern of entering a verb and then choosing an object: first make a selection, then act on it. In normal mode, the official rationale gives examples such as w to move to the next word, y to copy the current selection, p to paste, and u to undo. A new user can open a source file, select a word or line, and practice an operation on that selection before changing a larger block. ### Work on more than one match
Multiple selections let an edit apply to several pieces of text at once. The product page describes using regular-expression matches and primitives for filtering, splitting, and aligning selections. This can make repetitive edits efficient, but the editor asks the user to think in terms of the selected text rather than composing a long sequence of cursor movements.
Kakoune is a terminal application, not a graphical IDE. Its official release list includes a May 2026 release, so it is a current project rather than an abandoned Vim-style clone. The project publishes its source under the Unlicense, which dedicates it to the public domain. No install or editing session was performed for this listing.
Strengths
- Makes multiple selections and selection transformations the main editing model rather than an optional extension.
- The official site describes regex, filtering, splitting, and alignment operations for selecting and editing text.
- The public release list shows ongoing releases, including one in May 2026.
Watch out for
- Its selection-first modal commands differ from the more familiar verb-first Vim workflow and take practice.
- The product is terminal-based, so users who need a graphical editor interface should choose a different tool.
Best for
- Developers who prefer editing code from a terminal
- Keyboard-focused users who want to transform several text selections together
- Vim users interested in a selection-oriented modal editor
Sources
- Kakoune - Official site (Oct 25, 2026)
- mawww/kakoune README (Oct 25, 2026)
- Why Kakoune: The quest for a better code editor (Oct 25, 2026)
- Releases - mawww/kakoune (Oct 25, 2026)
- The Unlicense (Oct 25, 2026)