- Platform
- Mac
- Category
- Productivity
- Status
- Under Development
- Price
- Free
Cría is a native macOS app that packages the cria Vikunja terminal client (TUI) into its own window and icon using SwiftTerm. It is the desktop companion to Quipu for keyboard-driven Vikunja task management. In development.
What it does
Rather than a wrapper around Ghostty or iTerm, Cría.app is a real AppKit application that embeds a terminal and runs the cria TUI inside it: its own icon in the Dock, the title “Cría”, a single window, and the app quits when you leave the TUI.
- Embedded terminal built on SwiftTerm 1.20, rendered with CoreText (Metal available).
- Starts cria with your home directory as working directory and your shell environment, so it finds its configuration exactly as it would from the shell.
- Reads the same configuration as the CLI: ~/.config/cria/config.yaml and your Vikunja API key.
- Built from source on each Mac with an install script that produces ~/Applications/Cría.app; signed ad hoc, not notarised.
- Requires macOS 13 or later, Xcode with the Metal toolchain, and the cria binary in ~/.local/bin.
The current version is 1.1, migrated to Swift 6 and compatible with macOS 27.
Version 1.1 also fixed the dropped child-exit event of fast-exiting processes, so the app now always quits when the TUI exits, and dropped the activation API deprecated in macOS 14.
Who it is for
People who already run the cria TUI against their own Vikunja server and want it to behave like a Mac app — pinned to the Dock, launched from Spotlight, one window — without giving up the keyboard-first workflow.
Privacy and data
Cría.app stores nothing itself: the TUI talks directly to your Vikunja server using the API key in your local cria configuration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cría and Quipu?
Quipu is the iPhone and iPad app: a native SwiftUI client for Vikunja with its own interface, widgets and Apple Watch app, published on the App Store. Cría is the Mac side: a native macOS app that embeds a terminal and runs the cria TUI — the keyboard-first Vikunja terminal client — with its own Dock icon and window. Same server, same keyboard-first philosophy, two different apps.
Does Cría need the cria command-line client?
Yes. Cría.app is a wrapper: it launches the cria binary from ~/.local/bin inside an embedded SwiftTerm terminal and expects the CLI’s configuration in ~/.config/cria (config.yaml plus your Vikunja API key). It inherits your shell environment so cria finds everything exactly as it would from a terminal window.
How do I install Cría on my Mac?
It is built from source on each Mac: clone the repository and run the install script, which checks for Xcode’s Metal toolchain, compiles the Swift package and installs ~/Applications/Cría.app, ready to launch from Spotlight or pin to the Dock. The app is signed ad hoc rather than notarised, which is why each Mac compiles its own copy. It requires macOS 13 or later. It is in development; join the waitlist for a packaged release.
Does Cría store my tasks?
No. The app stores nothing: the cria TUI running inside it talks directly to your Vikunja server — self-hosted or hosted by a provider you choose — using the API key in your local configuration. Closing the TUI closes the app.
Get notified at launch
Cría is under development. Leave your email and I'll let you know the moment it ships — no spam.