overview
terminator is the playwright-style sdk for automating windows gui apps. ai-native gui automation for windows, macos, linux. fast, reliable, agent-ready. automate desktop apps like a browser with 80ms ui scans and 10000x speedup via compiled workflows. because it uses os-level accessibility apis, it is 100x faster and more reliable for ai computer use than vision-based approaches like openai operator or anthropic computer use.note: built for windows, works on macos (partial support), linux support coming soon.
π§ what is terminator?
terminator is designed for ai agents, not humans. it provides:- πͺ native support for windows, partial macos compatibility
- π§ built specifically for ai agents
- β‘ uses os-level accessibility (not vision) for speed
- π§© typescript, python, and rust support
- π 80ms ui scans with massive performance advantages
benchmarks
the benchmark test illustrates how fast terminator can query the ui. it finds all edit elements in about 80 ms, showcasing a big speed advantage over vision-based tools. this form-filling app can read & fill 1000 input forms as soon as you see them in <1s end-to-end using gemini.features
AI-Native
built for windows with playwright-style api and MCP for python, typescript, and rust.
Fast & Reliable
uses accessibility apis for 100x faster automation vs vision-based tools.
Element Discovery
find ui elements by role, name, value, description, automationid, or text content.
Full Interaction
click, type, scroll, press keys, get text, check state - everything you need.
demos
check out terminator in action:- πΉ desktop copilot that autocompletes your work in real time
- πΉ ai agent that process 100 insurance claims in 5 minutes
- πΉ technical overview video
- πΉ technical overview: pdf to windows legacy app form
technical details & debugging
key dependencies
- windows: uiautomation-rs
- macos: native macos accessibility api (exploring cidre as an alternative)
debugging tools
windows:- accessibility insights for windows
- flauinspect: a recommended alternative for inspecting ui automation properties on windows.
- install:
choco install flauinspect
or download from flaui/flauinspect releases. - usage: launch
flauinspect.exe
, hover or click on elements to see properties likeautomationid
,name
, andcontroltype
. this is great for debugging selectors.
- install:
next steps
ready to start? head over to the getting started guide, then dive into the sdk references:explore further
- vercel ai sdk example: learn how to use terminator with ai in the pdf-to-form example.
- mcp: discover how to vibe work using mcp.