# Bitig · Features & Differentiators
Version 1.1.4 · Workspaces ("Otağ"), WebGL GPU acceleration, Draggable Split Panes, Settings Search
README · Changelog · Roadmap
Template schema (%APPDATA%/Bitig/snippets.json)
```jsonc
{
"snippets": [
{
"id": "docker-run-volume",
"name": "Start Docker Container (Port & Volume)",
"description": "Runs a container with port forwarding and a bind mount",
"category": "Docker",
"command": "docker run -d -p {{host_port}}:{{container_port}} -v \"{{host_dir}}\":{{container_dir}} --name {{name}} {{image}}",
"variables": {
"host_port": { "label": "Host Port", "default": "3000" },
"container_port": { "label": "Container Port", "default": "3000" },
"host_dir": { "label": "Local Directory","default": "%CD%" },
"container_dir": { "label": "Target Directory","default": "/app" },
"name": { "label": "Container Name", "default": "app-dev" },
"image": { "label": "Docker Image", "default": "node:20-alpine" }
}
}
]
}
```
---
## 5. Live Port & Service Sniffer
Shipped v0.9.0
**Problem.** After `npm run dev`, `cargo run` or `docker compose up`, finding the
port the app came up on means scanning a wall of scrolling logs.
**Solution.** `src/renderer/src/portSniffer.ts` analyses the PTY output stream:
- **ANSI escape sequences are stripped** before scanning, so color codes never
break the regex.
- A **per-pane rolling buffer** (512 characters) keeps URLs that are split across
PTY chunks from being lost.
- The moment a port opens, a pulsing, clickable badge appears in the tab title and
status bar. One click opens `http://localhost:PORT` in the default browser.
- Millisecond values such as `ready in 153 ms` are never mistaken for ports.
---
## 6. Smart Links & IDE Integration
Shipped v0.9.0
**Problem.** When a build error prints `at src/renderer/src/main.ts:42:15`, a
standard terminal shows it as flat text. Hunting the file down in your editor and
jumping to the line breaks your flow.
**Solution.** `src/renderer/src/smartLinks.ts` registers a custom link provider
with xterm.js. It recognizes stack-trace patterns (`src/main.ts:42:15`,
`C:\Users\...\file.py:102`) and `Ctrl + Left click` opens the file at the exact
line and column:
```
vscode://file/c:/Users/samet/Desktop/Bitig/src/renderer/src/main.ts:42:15
```
The handoff goes through the `cockpit:open-file` channel via `shell.openExternal`.
---
## 7. Secret Shield
Shipped v0.9.0
**Problem.** On a stream or in a screen share, `cat .env` or `echo $STRIPE_KEY`
exposes live credentials. Worse, those commands are written to command history in
plain text and stay there.
**Solution.** `src/renderer/src/secretShield.ts` and
`src/main/history/historyStore.ts` work together.
| Detected pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| JWT token | `eyJhbGciOi...` |
| AWS access key | `AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}` |
| GitHub PAT | `ghp_[0-9a-zA-Z]{36}` |
| OpenAI / Anthropic key | `sk-...`, `sk-ant-...` |
| Private key block | `-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----` |
Values are masked to `ghp_************` before the command is persisted, so
searching your history never carries a leak risk.
---
## 8. Bitig Bilge: Local, Privacy-First AI Assistant
`Ctrl+I` · Shipped v0.9.8
**Problem.** Copying an unfamiliar error into a browser search breaks your flow,
and pasting company code or logs into a cloud AI service violates most data
security policies.
**Solution.**
- **100% local, or BYOK.** With Ollama (`http://localhost:11434`) nothing ever
leaves the machine; alternatively bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or
DeepSeek key. Bitig never forwards data to servers of its own, because there
are none.
- **Natural language to command.** Press `Ctrl+I`, type *"find and delete all .log
files larger than 100MB"*, and get a command appropriate for the active shell.
`Enter` runs it, `Tab` sends it to the terminal for editing.
- **Smart error explainer.** The last command and the relevant error lines are
analysed into an actionable fix.
- **Key handling.** API keys live only in `%APPDATA%/Bitig/settings.json`, are
entered masked in the settings panel, and can be verified with a live
connection test.
---
## 9. Quake / Dropdown HUD
`Win+~` or `Ctrl+~` · Shipped v0.9.5
**Problem.** Digging a terminal out from behind a dozen windows for one quick Git
command is pure overhead.
**Solution.** On the hotkey, Bitig drops down from the top edge of the screen as a
translucent, always-on-top HUD. It is controlled at runtime through the
`quake:toggle` and `quake:set-hotkey` channels and auto-hides on blur. Since
v1.0.1 the HUD window is created lazily on first use, so it never keeps the app
alive in the background.
---
## 10. Broadcast Input
`Alt+Shift+I` · Shipped v0.9.5
**Problem.** With four split panes connected to four servers, typing `git pull` or
`systemctl restart` into each one by hand is tedious and error-prone.
**Solution.** With broadcast mode on, every keystroke in the focused pane is sent
to every PTY session in the tab simultaneously. A pulsing red frame around the
window and a banner dropping from the top edge make the mode impossible to miss.
Turning it off restores independent panes.
---
## 11. Sandboxed Plugin System
Shipped v1.0.0
**Problem.** Plugin support is usually either absent or grants plugins full Node
access, turning every plugin into a potential security hole.
**Solution.** A plugin is a `plugin.json` manifest plus an entry script under
`%APPDATA%/Bitig/plugins//`. The script runs in an isolated Node `vm` context
with no `require`, `process` or `fs`. The only reachable surface is the explicitly
allowlisted `bitig` object:
| API | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `bitig.ui.setStatusBarWidget` | Adds a live widget to the status bar |
| `bitig.actions.register` | Adds an action to the command palette and keybinding system |
| `bitig.getGitBranch` | Returns the Git branch of the active directory |
| `bitig.getSystemMemory` | Returns system memory usage |
| `bitig.openUrl` | Opens a URL in the default browser |
| `bitig.setInterval` | A timer that is cleaned up automatically when the plugin unloads |
Three reference plugins ship in the box: `git-status` (current branch),
`system-monitor` (live RAM usage) and `quick-web-search` (universal actions for
Google and Stack Overflow searches).
---
## Architectural Principles
Every feature added to Bitig has to obey these four rules.
1. **Zero latency.** Terminal text flows directly between the PTY and xterm.js.
Additional analysis (port sniffer, secret shield, telemetry, suggestions) runs
asynchronously and may never add perceptible input lag.
2. **Keyboard first.** Every action is bound to an `actionId`, is rebindable, and
is reachable from the Command Palette (`Ctrl+Shift+P`).
3. **Data sovereignty.** User data — snippets, history, settings, API keys — stays
on the user's own machine as plain JSON.
4. **Isolated plugin architecture.** Plugins run inside a Node `vm` with access
only to allowlisted Bitig APIs; they can never reach the operating system
directly.
---
Bitig · Old Turkic for "writing, script, written text".