Real shells (PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash, WSL) with an always-available bundled Bash, GPU rendering, and one-click profiles for AI coding CLIs like Claude, Codex, and Gemini. A terminal that actually looks and feels good.
Kernel is KVRNL's own terminal — the studio's namesake. It runs real Windows shells over ConPTY (PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash, WSL) with GPU-accelerated rendering, clickable links, search, and a clean, configurable look. Bash always works, even on a fresh machine, thanks to a bundled Bash environment.
It's also built for AI-assisted work: when you have Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini installed, Kernel offers them as one-click profiles and renders their full-screen interfaces perfectly. Right-click any folder to “Open Kernel here.” Themes, fonts, cursor, and opacity are all yours to tune. Free to use; claim your license key and download it straight from this page.
- GPU-accelerated rendering with real ConPTY shells
- Auto-detected profiles + a bundled Bash so bash always works
- One-click AI CLI profiles — Claude, Codex, Gemini
- Clickable links, find, themes, fonts, opacity & “Open Kernel here”
Kernel is completely free. Each install needs its own license key, which you get with a free KVRNL account.
- Go to kvrnl.io/products/kernel/
- Create a free account — email verification, nothing else
- Claim your license key — instant, no waiting
- Download and install
Note
Kernel isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you on first run. Click More info → Run anyway. Code signing is on the roadmap.
- Free, one per product, issued from your KVRNL account.
- A key activates on one machine. The first device to activate it claims it.
- Switching computers? Hit Release device on your account page and the key is free to use again.
- Keys are checked over HTTPS at launch. See Privacy.
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
- A free KVRNL account for your license key
Kernel sends KVRNL only what's needed to validate your license: the key, the product name, and a hardware ID. No telemetry, no analytics, no tracking, and none of your files. Full policy: kvrnl.io/privacy
v1.0.27 — 2026-09-26
- Kernel now shares basic usage stats with KVRNL to help us improve it: which shells and AI tools you start, which settings you change, your Windows version and screen setup, and any errors. It's linked to your KVRNL account.
- Never shared: anything you type or see in the terminal, file names, or folder paths.
- You can turn it off anytime in Settings, under App: "Share usage stats with KVRNL". Turning it off stops it right away.
v1.0.26 — 2026-09-25
- Kernel's routine license check now also says which version you're running and whether Kernel just started. That helps us see that updates are reaching everyone and spot misuse of license keys.
- Nothing you type or run in Kernel is ever sent. Only the license check itself.
v1.0.25 — 2026-09-25
- Stronger tamper protection. Kernel now checks its own files every time it starts, and won't run if they've been modified.
- Kernel can no longer be started in debugging mode, closing off one more way around activation.
v1.0.24 — 2026-09-25
- Brand-new activation screen with clear, step-by-step instructions for getting your free key. Each step has a button that takes you straight to the right page on kvrnl.io.
- New Paste button, and keys are tidied up for you. Extra spaces, line breaks or punctuation copied along with your key no longer cause a "key not found" error.
- Every activation message now tells you exactly what to do next, like releasing your key from another PC, with a button to get there.
- Tighter license protection. Kernel stays fully locked until it's activated, and an offline license can no longer be copied to another PC or stretched past its grace period.
- Opening Kernel again while the activation screen is up now brings that screen to the front, instead of seeming to do nothing.
v1.0.23 — 2026-09-05
- A hiccup on our license server no longer locks you out. If the server is having a bad moment, Kernel now treats it like being offline and keeps working, instead of showing an activation screen for a key that's perfectly fine.
- Pressing Esc in the search box now actually closes it. Before, it closed and immediately reopened.
- Closing Settings hands the keyboard straight back to the terminal, so you can keep typing without clicking first.
- The maximize button now shows whether the window is maximized or not, and flips between maximize and restore.
- Smoother window-opacity slider, and lighter background license checks.
Full history → kvrnl.io/changelog/kernel
Setup guides and how-tos → kvrnl.io/docs/kernel
Important
We don't use GitHub Issues. Report bugs from inside the app — it's the fastest route to us and it attaches the details we need automatically.
- 🐛 Found a bug? Use Report a Problem inside Kernel
- 💬 Chat with us → Discord
- ✉️ Anything else → kvrnl.io/contact
- ❓ FAQ → kvrnl.io/faq
Proprietary freeware — free to use, not open source.
This repository hosts the documentation and license for Kernel. The application source code is not published. See LICENSE for the full terms.
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