Warp
Modern terminal with blocks, workflows, team sharing, and AI agents
The visible AI terminal loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Warp earns its keep through model, context, integration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- IDE-wide polish and latency
- enterprise policy, telemetry, and support
- frontier coding model quality
- large-context infrastructure
Why people still pay
Warp: Developers pay for reliable context assembly, fast models, editor integration, evaluations, and safe handling of complex repositories.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Runtime and tools: SwiftUI/AppKit, a system PTY bridge to one installed shell and SQLite for explicitly retained redacted command history.
- Before starting: A Mac with Xcode, one supported shell, a documented PTY integration and an optional model key only if explanations are enabled.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule — domain: Store TerminalSession, CommandBlock, ExitStatus and RedactedHistory; the shell remains authoritative, and proposed commands never execute merely because a model suggested them.
Project rule — scope and recovery: Correct the prior repository-agent framing: start with one shell/platform and explicit execution controls. Terminal output can contain secrets; redact history and request consent before sending any context to a model.
Project rule — acceptance: Suggest a command containing a destructive option, cancel it and interrupt a long-running process; record the cancellation/status without claiming completion or replaying the command.
Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated.
Recommended skill: swiftui-expert-skill — design native SwiftUI state, accessible controls and permission/error views for the proposed Apple-platform interface. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: swift-concurrency — isolate capture, background work and UI updates, and make cancellation invalidate late callbacks. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Pin the working slice and create its example input: Build a small terminal companion that groups commands/output into blocks, searches local history and offers optional command explanations before execution. Confirm setup: A Mac with Xcode, one supported shell, a documented PTY integration and an optional model key only if explanations are enabled.
Phase 2
Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store TerminalSession, CommandBlock, ExitStatus and RedactedHistory; the shell remains authoritative, and proposed commands never execute merely because a model suggested them.
Phase 3
Connect the working view to real saved state. Treat pasted text and model-proposed commands as untrusted until reviewed. Keep process cancellation separate from successful completion and never replay a command automatically after reconnect.
Phase 4
Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Correct the prior repository-agent framing: start with one shell/platform and explicit execution controls. Terminal output can contain secrets; redact history and request consent before sending any context to a model.
Phase 5
Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Suggest a command containing a destructive option, cancel it and interrupt a long-running process; record the cancellation/status without claiming completion or replaying the command. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.
Build the following focused alternative to Warp. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service. WORKING SLICE Build a small terminal companion that groups commands/output into blocks, searches local history and offers optional command explanations before execution. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use SwiftUI/AppKit, a system PTY bridge to one installed shell and SQLite for explicitly retained redacted command history. Prerequisites: A Mac with Xcode, one supported shell, a documented PTY integration and an optional model key only if explanations are enabled. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store TerminalSession, CommandBlock, ExitStatus and RedactedHistory; the shell remains authoritative, and proposed commands never execute merely because a model suggested them. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Treat pasted text and model-proposed commands as untrusted until reviewed. Keep process cancellation separate from successful completion and never replay a command automatically after reconnect. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY Correct the prior repository-agent framing: start with one shell/platform and explicit execution controls. Terminal output can contain secrets; redact history and request consent before sending any context to a model. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Suggest a command containing a destructive option, cancel it and interrupt a long-running process; record the cancellation/status without claiming completion or replaying the command. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Warp pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | 0 bundled AI credits; core terminal and bring-your-own-inference access; limited cloud/storage features. |
| build | $20/user | $18/user | 1,500 AI credits/month, described as $20 of included usage. |
| max | $200/user | $180/user | 18,000 AI credits/month. |
| business | $50/user | $45/user | Up to 25 seats; 1,500 AI credits/user/month. |
| enterprise | — | — | Unlimited seats; custom shared credit pool, controls and support.Contact sales. |
free tier0 bundled AI credits; core terminal and BYO inference remain available with limited cloud/storage features
billingmonthly or annual for Build, Max and Business; Enterprise custom
hidden costsBundled credits expire each billing cycle. Reload credits roll over but expire after 12 months; the default monthly reload spend limit is $200 unless changed. A single agent run can consume AI, compute and platform-credit buckets separately, and BYO models do not eliminate every platform charge.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Warp
Can you build your own Warp with AI?
Partly. The visible AI terminal loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Warp earns its keep through model, context, integration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
What does the Warp build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Build a small terminal companion that groups commands/output into blocks, searches local history and offers optional command explanations before execution. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: IDE-wide polish and latency; enterprise policy, telemetry, and support; frontier coding model quality. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Warp prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Warp project take?
The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Warp?
IDE-wide polish and latency; enterprise policy, telemetry, and support; frontier coding model quality; large-context infrastructure. Warp: Developers pay for reliable context assembly, fast models, editor integration, evaluations, and safe handling of complex repositories.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Pro plan is $18/mo per seat (per user per month), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Warp?
cmux: A native Mac terminal for many agents; no cloud memory and no Windows version. Wave Terminal: A modern block terminal with workspaces and AI, minus the account requirement. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.