Raibid Labs Documentation

CURRENT_STATUS_AND_NEXT_STEPS

6 min read

Scarab Terminal - Current Status & Next Steps

Generated: 2025-11-24 Version: v0.1.0-alpha.7 Completion: ~85% of MVP

📊 Current State Analysis

✅ What’s Complete & Working

Core Terminal Engine

  • ✅ VTE Parser with caching optimization (20-40% CPU reduction)
  • ✅ GPU Rendering via Bevy + cosmic-text
  • ✅ Shared Memory IPC (zero-copy, lock-free)
  • ✅ Split Architecture (daemon + client)
  • ✅ Session Management (SQLite-backed persistence)

Plugin System

  • ✅ Fusabi VM Integration (v0.5.0)
    • Bytecode plugin support (.fzb)
    • Script plugin support (.fsx)
    • All VM hooks implemented (#12)
  • ✅ Plugin Logging & Notifications (#13)
    • Bidirectional IPC
    • Rich UI notifications
    • Integration with Rust log crate
  • ✅ Plugin API (10+ hooks, remote commands)
  • ✅ Core Plugins:
    • scarab-nav - Link hints, URL opening
    • scarab-palette - Command palette
    • scarab-session - Session management
    • scarab-platform - Platform-specific utilities

Installation & Distribution

  • ✅ Universal Installer (curl | bash)
  • ✅ Homebrew Tap (configured, needs SHA checksums)
  • ✅ GitHub Release Workflow (6 platforms)
  • ✅ Comprehensive Documentation

Performance & Optimization

  • ✅ VTE Caching (#14) - LRU cache, 60-85% hit rate
  • ✅ Release Optimization (LTO, opt-level 3, stripped)
  • ✅ Benchmark Suite (4 comprehensive scenarios)

Documentation (75+ files)

  • ✅ Architecture docs
  • ✅ Plugin development guides
  • ✅ API reference
  • ✅ Installation guides
  • ✅ Homebrew setup
  • ✅ Release process

📝 Documentation Assessment

✅ Strengths

  1. Comprehensive Technical Docs

    • Architecture well-documented
    • Plugin API thoroughly covered
    • IPC protocol detailed
    • Performance benchmarking guide

  2. Developer-Friendly

    • Plugin development guide with examples
    • Fusabi language documentation
    • Example plugins provided
    • Testing guides

  3. Installation & Setup

    • Multiple installation methods documented
    • Homebrew setup guide complete
    • Platform-specific instructions

⚠️ Gaps & Improvements Needed

1. Missing User-Facing Tutorials

  • ❌ No “Your First 5 Minutes” video/gif walkthrough
  • ❌ No “Build Your First Plugin” step-by-step tutorial
  • ❌ No common use-case examples (Git workflow, Docker, SSH)
  • ❌ No visual/screenshot-heavy guides

2. Incomplete Reference Documentation

  • ⚠️ Configuration reference incomplete (many placeholders)
  • ⚠️ Keybindings reference mentions features not yet implemented
  • ⚠️ Plugin API docs assume familiarity with Fusabi

3. Missing Quick Reference Cards

  • ❌ No cheat sheet for common commands
  • ❌ No plugin API quick reference
  • ❌ No keyboard shortcut poster

4. Limited Examples

  • ⚠️ Only 1 complex example plugin (logging-demo.fsx)
  • ❌ No real-world workflow examples
  • ❌ No integration examples (tmux replacement, SSH workflows)

🎯 Priority Features - What’s Next

Phase 6A: Essential Missing Features (High Priority)

1. Scrollback UI 🔴 CRITICAL

Status: TODO Why: Users can’t review command history effectively Effort: 2-3 days Tasks:

  • Add scrollback buffer visualization
  • Mouse wheel scrolling
  • Shift+PageUp/Down navigation
  • Search in scrollback
  • Copy from scrollback

2. Copy/Paste Enhancement 🔴 CRITICAL

Status: Partial (basic selection exists) Why: Core terminal functionality Effort: 1-2 days Tasks:

  • Implement proper clipboard integration
  • Word/line selection modes
  • Click-to-copy (X11 primary selection)
  • Paste with confirmation for multiline

3. Mouse Support 🟡 HIGH

Status: TODO Why: Modern UX expectation Effort: 3-4 days Tasks:

  • Click to position cursor
  • Drag to select text
  • Right-click context menu
  • Mouse mode passthrough (for vim/tmux)

4. Theme System 🟡 HIGH

Status: Partial (colors work, no theme manager) Effort: 2 days Tasks:

  • Built-in theme collection (10+ themes)
  • Theme preview UI
  • Hot-reload themes
  • Import/export themes

5. Tab/Pane Management 🟡 HIGH

Status: TODO (mentioned in docs but not implemented) Effort: 5-6 days Tasks:

  • Multiple tabs in one window
  • Horizontal/vertical splits
  • Tab reordering
  • Tab state persistence

Phase 6B: Polish & UX (Medium Priority)

6. Link Detection & Click 🟢 MEDIUM

Status: Partial (link hints work, click doesn’t) Effort: 1 day Tasks:

  • Click URLs to open
  • Ctrl+Click for files
  • Hover tooltip preview

7. Font Ligatures 🟢 MEDIUM

Status: TODO Effort: 2 days Tasks:

  • Enable ligature support in cosmic-text
  • Add configuration option
  • Test with popular fonts (Fira Code, JetBrains Mono)

8. Search/Find 🟢 MEDIUM

Status: TODO Effort: 2-3 days Tasks:

  • Ctrl+F search overlay
  • Regex support
  • Highlight all matches
  • Search in scrollback

9. Notification System Polish 🟢 MEDIUM

Status: Implemented but basic (#13) Effort: 1 day Tasks:

  • Notification history
  • Custom notification icons
  • Sound support
  • Desktop integration (notify-send)

10. Performance Metrics UI 🟢 LOW

Status: TODO Effort: 1-2 days Tasks:

  • FPS counter overlay
  • Render time graph
  • Cache hit rate display
  • Memory usage monitor

Phase 6C: Documentation & Onboarding (High Priority)

11. Interactive Tutorial 🟡 HIGH

Effort: 2-3 days Deliverables:

  • “First 5 Minutes” guided tour
  • Interactive plugin creation tutorial
  • Video screencasts (terminal basics, plugin demo)
  • Animated GIFs for README

12. Complete Reference Docs 🟡 HIGH

Effort: 2 days Deliverables:

  • Full configuration reference (all TOML options)
  • Complete keybindings reference
  • Plugin API quick reference card
  • Troubleshooting guide with solutions

13. Example Gallery 🟢 MEDIUM

Effort: 2 days Deliverables:

  • 5+ real-world plugin examples
  • Common workflow guides (Git, Docker, SSH)
  • Integration examples (tmux replacement)
  • Performance tuning guide

🚀 Recommended Priority Order

Sprint 1: Essential UX (Week 1)

  1. Scrollback UI (3 days) - Most critical missing feature
  2. Copy/Paste Enhancement (2 days) - Core functionality
  3. Theme System (2 days) - User delight, easy wins

Sprint 2: Advanced UX (Week 2)

  1. Mouse Support (4 days) - Modern terminal expectation
  2. Tab Management (3 days) - Workflow efficiency

Sprint 3: Polish & Docs (Week 3)

  1. Search/Find (3 days) - Power user feature
  2. Interactive Tutorial (3 days) - Onboarding critical
  3. Complete Reference Docs (1 day) - Fill gaps

📚 Documentation Action Items

Immediate (This Week)

  1. Create “TUTORIAL.md” - Step-by-step first plugin

    • Show complete workflow
    • Explain every line of code
    • Include screenshots/GIFs

  2. Add “QUICK_REFERENCE.md” - Cheat sheet

    • All keyboard shortcuts (1 page)
    • Plugin API methods (1 page)
    • Common config snippets (1 page)

  3. Record Screencasts

    • 2-minute terminal basics demo
    • 5-minute plugin creation demo
    • Upload to docs/videos/

  4. Update README.md

    • Add animated GIF demo
    • Add “Try It Now” quick start
    • Add testimonials/use cases

Next Week

  1. Create “examples/workflows/”

    • Git workflow example
    • Docker development example
    • SSH session management
    • Tmux replacement guide

  2. Plugin Template Improvements

    • Add more comments
    • Include common patterns
    • Show error handling

  3. Create “MIGRATION_GUIDES.md”

    • From Alacritty
    • From iTerm2
    • From GNOME Terminal

💡 Feature Ideas (Future Consideration)

Innovative Features (Differentiation)

  • AI Integration: Plugin that uses LLM to suggest commands
  • Replay Mode: Record and replay terminal sessions
  • Collaborative Sessions: Share terminal with WebRTC
  • Cloud Sync: Sync config/sessions across machines
  • Smart Completion: Context-aware command completion

Power User Features

  • Macro System: Record and replay command sequences
  • Pattern Matching: Auto-execute on output patterns
  • Custom Overlays: Draw custom UI on terminal
  • Layout Presets: Save/restore window layouts
  • Session Templates: Project-specific session configs

🎯 Success Metrics

Current Status

  • GitHub Stars: Check actual count
  • Weekly Downloads: Track via releases
  • Plugin Ecosystem: 3 core plugins, 1 example
  • Documentation Pages: 75+ files
  • Test Coverage: ~142 tests passing

Target Metrics (3 Months)

  • GitHub Stars: 100+
  • Weekly Downloads: 50+
  • Community Plugins: 5+
  • Documentation: Complete reference + 5 tutorials
  • Test Coverage: 200+ tests, >80% code coverage

🔥 Top 3 Immediate Priorities

  1. Scrollback UI - Blocking users from basic usage
  2. Interactive Tutorial - Critical for onboarding
  3. Complete Reference Docs - Fill documentation gaps

These three items will have the biggest impact on user experience and adoption.

📞 Questions to Consider

  1. Target Audience: Developers only, or broader user base?
  2. Killer Feature: What makes Scarab worth switching from Alacritty/iTerm2?
  3. Plugin Strategy: Build 20+ core plugins, or focus on extensibility?
  4. Platform Priority: Linux-first, or cross-platform from day 1?
  5. Monetization: Open source forever, or commercial support model?

Next Update: After Sprint 1 completion Owner: Development Team Review Date: 2025-12-01

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