faro

faro is an unofficial, open-source Signal client designed for the terminal. It targets developers and system administrators who spend their day inside tmux and SSH sessions and want Signal messaging without leaving that environment. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and is not affiliated with Signal.

The client is keyboard-driven and centers on a single command palette opened with Ctrl+P, which covers chats, settings, themes, commands, and search while showing the key for each action. Network, decryption, and storage run off the UI thread so typing stays responsive even when messages arrive quickly. It also supports SSH-friendly features such as OSC 52 clipboard copy and unread counts in the tmux title.

faro suits terminal-centric users who prefer minimal graphical interfaces and want to keep messaging close to their development or server workflows. It is less suitable for those who need a full-featured graphical Signal experience or rely on features not yet implemented in this early-stage client.

To try it, you can start the browser-based demo or watch the 30-second tour without installing anything. Installation is available via Homebrew using the provided tap command. As an unofficial client at version 0.1.1, it is worth checking the changelog and documentation for current capabilities before adopting it for daily use.