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https://github.com/barewalker/yuhitsu

local desktop GUI editor for Typst, with first-class Japanese typography support.
https://github.com/barewalker/yuhitsu

codemirror desktop-app editor gui japanese japanese-typography tauri tauri-app typesetting typst typst-editor

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local desktop GUI editor for Typst, with first-class Japanese typography support.

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README 

          
# Yuhitsu (右筆)



**A local desktop GUI editor for [Typst](https://typst.app), with first-class Japanese typography support.**



> πŸ‡―πŸ‡΅ [ζ—₯本θͺžη‰ˆγ―こけら](./README.md) / Japanese version



> 🚧 **Currently in development toward v0.1.0-alpha.** Early feedback is welcome, but not recommended for production use yet.



---



## What is this?



Yuhitsu is a desktop GUI editor for the [Typst](https://typst.app) typesetting system. It targets users who would benefit from Typst's quality but find IDE-style tools (VS Code + Tinymist) intimidating β€” office workers, business writers, technical authors who don't live in the terminal.



The name comes from **YΕ«hitsu** (右筆), the title of professional scribes who drafted and copied official documents for daimyō and shoguns from the Muromachi to Edo periods of Japan.



## Why?



Typst is gaining traction as a modern LaTeX alternative, but the existing tooling has gaps:



| Tool | OSS | Local | GUI | First-class Japanese |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| Typst (web app) | ❌ | ❌ | βœ… | ❌ |

| Typstify | ❌ | βœ… | βœ… | ❌ |

| Typstudio | βœ… | βœ… | βœ… | ❌ (long-stalled) |

| VS Code + Tinymist | βœ… | βœ… | ❌ (IDE) | ❌ |



Yuhitsu fills the **OSS Γ— Local Γ— GUI Γ— first-class Japanese Γ— practical** quadrant. It is a general-purpose Typst editor that happens to invest heavily in the parts most other editors neglect: Japanese typography, ergonomic templates for business documents, and a UI that doesn't assume you live in a terminal.



## Features (v0.1 alpha)



### Typst editor

- **Live preview** β€” even unsaved buffer changes reflect in real time (via `tinymist preview`)

- **LSP integration** β€” completion, diagnostics, hover docs (via `tinymist lsp`)

- **Syntax highlighting** for Typst

- **PDF export** β€” Ctrl+E

- **Find / Replace** β€” Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H, regex / case / whole-word

- **Insert helpers** β€” bold / italic / heading / list / math / code / link / footnote / quote / image / table / bibliography (toolbar buttons)



### Editor modes (switchable)

- **Default** (OS-standard keybindings)

- **vim** (experimental β€” known issues with IME / WebKit, advanced users only)

- **emacs**



### Files & projects

- **Tabs** β€” multiple files at once, drag-reorder, hot exit (tabs restored on next launch)

- **Project sidebar** β€” file tree, git status badges, right-click menu (new / rename / delete)

- **Image / PDF tabs** β€” view `.png` / `.svg` / `.pdf` etc. directly in tabs (Typst can `#image()` them)



### Built-in templates (ja / en)

- Business report / Technical report / Meeting minutes / Slides / Empty

- **Form-based template editing (lite)** β€” template function arguments are exposed as input fields; typing fills the document



### UI / customization

- **Command palette** (Ctrl+Shift+P / F1) β€” fuzzy search across all commands

- **Hamburger menu** (top-left) β€” categorized access to every feature

- **Toolbar editor** β€” drag to reorder, add / remove items, presets (standard / minimal / academic)

- **Keybindings editor** β€” every command rebindable

- **Dark / light themes** β€” auto (follow OS) or manual

- **Japanese / English UI** β€” auto (`navigator.language`) or manual

- **Custom title bar (CSD)** β€” file name, cursor position, character count consolidated at the top



### Bundled fonts

- **Harano Aji Mincho / Gothic** (Regular + Bold) β€” [trueroad/HaranoAjiFonts](https://github.com/trueroad/HaranoAjiFonts), SIL Open Font License 1.1



For the full list and roadmap, see [PROGRESS.md](./PROGRESS.md) (Japanese only for now).



---



## Download & install



> 🚧 v0.1.0-alpha is being prepared. After release, binaries will be available on the [Releases](https://github.com/barewalker/yuhitsu/releases) page.



### Linux



`.AppImage` (works on any distro) or `.deb` (Debian / Ubuntu) from Releases.



```bash

# AppImage

chmod +x yuhitsu_*.AppImage

./yuhitsu_*.AppImage



# .deb

sudo dpkg -i yuhitsu_*.deb

```



> πŸ’‘ **If Japanese / CJK IME doesn't work**

>

> On Linux distros installed in a non-Japanese locale where fcitx5 / ibus was added later, the IME-bridge environment variables may not be set in your session, which can break kanji conversion in the editor. This is general WebKit2GTK + fcitx5 / ibus behavior, not Yuhitsu-specific.

>

> On Ubuntu, the standard fix is `im-config -n fcitx5` (or `ibus`). Alternatively, set the variables when launching:

>

> ```bash

> # fcitx5

> GTK_IM_MODULE=fcitx XMODIFIERS=@im=fcitx yuhitsu

> # ibus

> GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus XMODIFIERS=@im=ibus yuhitsu

> ```

>

> To persist them, add to `~/.profile` or `~/.config/environment.d/im.conf`.



### Windows



Download the `.msi` installer from Releases and run it.



> ⚠️ **About the SmartScreen warning**

> Yuhitsu is an unfunded personal OSS project, so we don't carry a Microsoft code-signing certificate (which costs hundreds of USD per year). On first launch you'll see the blue SmartScreen warning β€” click **"More info" β†’ "Run anyway"** to start. Helix, Alacritty, and many other OSS desktop apps work the same way.

> We're considering [SignPath.io's free OSS signing](https://signpath.io/) for the future.



### macOS



> 🚧 Not in distribution scope for alpha. The CI builds successfully but the maintainer doesn't have a Mac to test on. If you want to try it, see [Building from source](#building-from-source).



---



## Quick start



1. **Launch** β†’ on first run, a template picker appears

2. Pick a template (business report / minutes / etc.) β†’ content drops into the editor

3. **Top-left hamburger** β†’ all commands by category

4. **F1** or **Ctrl+Shift+P** β†’ command palette

5. **Ctrl+S** β†’ save as `.typ`

6. **Ctrl+E** β†’ export PDF



For more, open the **hamburger β†’ Help β†’ About Yuhitsu** dialog inside the app for documentation links.



---



## Building from source



### Prerequisites



- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) 1.77+

- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) 20+ + [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/) 10+

- Linux: `libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev`, `libssl-dev`, `libgtk-3-dev`, etc. (Tauri's Linux build deps)

- macOS: Xcode CLT

- Windows: Microsoft C++ Build Tools + WebView2



`tinymist` is bundled as a sidecar binary, so contributors do not need to install it separately. `scripts/fetch-tinymist.sh` downloads the binary for your host target triple.



### Setup



```bash

git clone --recursive https://github.com/barewalker/yuhitsu.git

cd yuhitsu

./scripts/fetch-tinymist.sh   # fetch the tinymist sidecar

cd app

pnpm install

pnpm tauri dev

```



> ⚠️ **`--recursive` matters**: the bundled Harano Aji fonts are pulled in as a git submodule.

>

> πŸ’‘ **`fetch-tinymist.sh`** is idempotent (skips if already present). Override the pinned version with `TINYMIST_VERSION=v0.14.16 ./scripts/fetch-tinymist.sh`.



### Release build



```bash

cd app

pnpm tauri build

# Artifacts: app/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

```



---



## Roadmap



- **Phase 0** (done): research & PoC, technology selection

- **Phase 1** (current): MVP β€” editor / templates / preview / distribution

- **Phase 2** (planned): UX polish, built-in AI features, friendly git UI

- **Phase 3** (planned): WYSIWYG-lite mode, `.typz` single-file bundle format, Yuhitsu as MCP server (external agent integration)



Details in [PROGRESS.md](./PROGRESS.md) (Japanese).



---



## Tech stack



- **Shell**: [Tauri 2](https://tauri.app/) (Rust + OS WebView)

- **Editor**: [CodeMirror 6](https://codemirror.net/)

- **Typst engine**: [Typst](https://github.com/typst/typst), used via [tinymist](https://github.com/Myriad-Dreamin/tinymist) (LSP / preview / compile)



---



## License



- Yuhitsu itself: **[Apache-2.0](./LICENSE)**

- Bundled fonts (Harano Aji Mincho / Gothic): **SIL Open Font License 1.1** (Copyright Β© trueroad)



---



## Author



[barewalker](https://github.com/barewalker)



A personal project that started from frustration with existing options for producing business documents. If you have similar pain points, hopefully Yuhitsu helps.



---



## Related



- [Typst](https://typst.app/)

- [Tinymist](https://github.com/Myriad-Dreamin/tinymist)

- [Harano Aji Fonts](https://github.com/trueroad/HaranoAjiFonts)



---



## Acknowledgements



Implementation of this project was assisted by [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) (Anthropic). Technical decisions, design, and quality responsibility lie with the author.