# A Go editor for macOS, built light.

gopls in every surface, Bazel rules_go and nogo, a debugger, tests, a terminal and remote folders over SSH. On a small Go module it uses about a third of the memory VS Code does (perf.md).

## Install

$ brew install --cask s7i-labs/tap/aero

Or download the DMG (0.2.0) · Apple silicon · macOS 14 Sonoma or later

## Look around

This page is laid out like Aero. Open a file in the tree, or press ⌘K to jump between them. demo/shortlink runs the real app, right here.

#!/bin/sh

# Aero needs Apple silicon on macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

# Homebrew: installs Aero.app and links the aero CLI.

brew install --cask s7i-labs/tap/aero

# Or the DMG (0.2.0): open it and drag Aero to Applications.

open https://releases.aero.s7i.dev/aero/stable/0.2.0/Aero-macos-arm64-0.2.0.dmg

# Then, from any terminal:

aero file open main.go:42

// Package aero is a Go editor for macOS. Everything below ships today.

package aero

// gopls everywhere. The Go language server drives every surface, not just a hover popup.

// - Completion, signature help, hover docs, inlay hints

// - Go to definition, references, implementations, call hierarchy

// - Rename, code actions, format and organize imports on save

// - ⌘T workspace symbols, ⌘⇧O file outline, breadcrumbs

func Gopls() {}

// nogo and Bazel rules_go. Bazel monorepos open like any Go module.

// - gopls resolves packages through the rules_go packages driver

// - Run your nogo analyzers on demand; findings land in Problems

// - staticcheck and gopls analyzers per workspace; disable a noisy one from its finding

func NogoAndBazel() {}

// Debugger. Delve, built in. No launch.json to write.

// - Breakpoints (conditional too), step in / over / out, call stack, variables

// - Values inline in the editor while stopped

// - “debug test” right above any test function

func Debugger() {}

// Tests. Run a test, a subtest or a package from the line it lives on.

// - Run / debug lenses on tests, table-driven subtests included

// - Results stream into a tree from go test -json

// - Failures link back to the file and line

func Tests() {}

// Terminal. A real shell, with the project's Go on PATH.

// - bash, zsh and fish in tabs

// - The same Go toolchain and env the editor uses

// - file:line in the output opens in the editor

func Terminal() {}

// Remote over SSH. Edit on the Mac, build on the Linux box.

// - aero remote ssh user@host:/path, or File › Open Remote Folder…

// - gopls, tests, terminal and debugger run on the remote host

// - Your ssh config and keys; Aero opens no ports

func RemoteOverSSH() {}

// The aero CLI. Every window is scriptable from the shell.

// - aero file open main.go:42 from any terminal

// - aero diagnostics list, aero instance list

// - aero doctor check explains your Go setup

func CLI() {}

# Measured against VS Code

Aero canary vs VS Code 1.144.0 + Go extension 0.58.0, both on gopls v0.24.0 and Go 1.27.2, on an Apple Silicon Mac (darwin arm64), 2026-11-02. Every row we measured is here, including the ones VS Code wins.

## Small module: the shortlink demo module, 7 Go files

Lower is better	Aero	VS Code
Memory, all processes (steady)	314 MB	959 MB
Memory, all processes (peak)	318 MB	1337 MB
Idle CPU	3.2 %	7 %
Processes	8	13
Cold start → file shown	772 ms	811 ms
Keystroke → paint	14 ms	14 ms
⌘P → first results	15 ms	22 ms
Find in files → first results	41 ms	23 ms

## Large repo: kubernetes v1.37.1, ~18k Go files

Lower is better	Aero	VS Code
Memory, all processes (steady)Mostly gopls: Aero runs fewer analyzers by default (staticcheck and modernize off)	1293 MB	2415 MB
Memory, all processes (peak)	1492 MB	4138 MB
Idle CPU	4.4 %	11 %
Processes	8	13
Cold start → file shown	846 ms	790 ms
Keystroke → paint	11 ms	4 ms
⌘P → first results	33 ms	23 ms
Find in files → first results	157 ms	179 ms
Open a 9.4k-line file → painted	94 ms	74 ms

## Download and load

Lower is better	Aero	VS Code
App on diskVS Code: + 13 MB Go extension	71 MB	902 MB
UI code at startup, gzip	0.31 MB	5.5 MB

## Method

Medians of 5 runs (kubernetes: 3). Memory is the macOS footprint of every process each app is responsible for, gopls included, sampled every 15 s for 4–5 minutes after the workspace loads: steady is the median of the last minute, peak the highest sample. Idle CPU averaged over the 60 s after that. Interactions: 250 keystrokes, 5 tries of the rest.