Runebender

Install

Runebender runs in a browser with nothing to install. Build the native application with cargo to open your own files.

StatusSource-first; no packaged release yet
StabilityThe install command is stable; the browser build is experimental

In the Browser

Open runebender.org/gpui. The editor loads as WebAssembly and runs on WebGPU. Nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded.

The browser build is experimental. Some parts do not work there yet: text fields outside the glyph search box cannot take focus, in-window menu items do not activate, and paste is unavailable. Use the native application for real work.

Native

You need a Rust toolchain. Install one from rustup.rs if you do not have it.

Install the editor.

cargo install --git https://github.com/eliheuer/runebender-gpui

Then open a font.

runebender-gpui path/to/Font.designspace

Runebender opens .designspace files, .ufo directories, and a directory that holds them. Start it without a path to get an empty window, then use File → Open.

Every git dependency is pinned to a revision, so a fresh install resolves the same graph every time. No --locked needed.

The Command Line

The same operations run without a window. Install the core and you get a runebender command alongside the editor.

cargo install --git https://github.com/eliheuer/runebender-corerunebender info Font.uforunebender check --a Light.ufo --b Bold.uforunebender color Font.ufo

check compares two masters for interpolation compatibility. color finds glyphs that read darker or lighter than the rest of their case. Every command takes --json, and the exit codes are 0 ok, 1 findings, 2 usage, 4 failed.

This is the same code the editor runs, so a check in a build and a check in a window cannot disagree. See Agents for driving it from a script.

Toolchain Notes

The repository pins a stable Rust toolchain in rust-toolchain.toml, and cargo respects that pin automatically. Do not force a nightly toolchain: a GPUI dependency, pathfinder_simd, does not compile on current nightlies.

Every dependency comes from crates.io or a public git repository, so a plain clone builds with no extra setup.

A New Font

Press Cmd+N to start a new font. Runebender creates an untitled UFO with Google Fonts metrics and the Latin Core glyph set as empty encoded glyphs, then asks where to save it.