I’ve just released Ramen 2026.09.1, and this one feels like a pretty big step forward for the project.
Most of the work in this release went into how Ramen looks and feels. I rebuilt the application UI, reworked the branch selector, fixed a number of terminal issues, and added a small feedback form so it’s easier to report things directly from the app.
This release is less about adding a long list of new features and more about making the parts of Ramen that you use every day feel better.
A completely new UI
The biggest change is the UI redesign.
The dialogs, editor chrome, title bars, workspace layout, navigator, and light and dark themes were all rebuilt. I also took the opportunity to clean up some of the older UI decisions that had accumulated as the application grew.
The result is a much simpler layout with less visual noise and more space for the things that actually matter when you're working.
Along with the redesign, I also fixed a few editor and LSP issues, including completion popup handling, diagnostics, and LSP lifecycle problems.
I also removed the workspace and project title text blocks from the interface. They were taking up space without adding much, and removing them helped the new layout feel cleaner.
The branch selector got a complete rewrite
The other big piece of work in this release is the branch selector.
The old dropdown has been replaced with a much larger popup inspired by the branch workflows found in IDEs like Rider.
It took several passes to get this right. I wanted it to be useful when you have a handful of branches, but also hold up when a project has a much larger and more complicated branch list.
Branches can now be grouped into folders based on their names. For example, branches such as feature/auth, feature/settings, and feature/editor can be grouped under a feature folder.
Nested folders are supported too.
The current branch is shown first in each section, and the popup also includes upstream tracking information and a Recent section based on the Git reflog.
There is also a search field that filters the branch list and automatically expands folders when matching branches are found.
Creating a branch is now possible without leaving the popup as well. The new branch field validates the name and shows an error directly in the popup when something isn't right.
I also added full keyboard navigation. You can move through branches with the arrow keys, expand and collapse folders, move between sections, create a branch, and close the popup without reaching for the mouse.
The branch data is refreshed every time the popup opens, and checkout and branch creation now go through the Git service properly.
After getting all of that working, I spent some extra time going back over the popup for performance and usability. There were a few places where the first version worked but didn't feel quite right, so this part of the release went through several iterations.
Terminal fixes
The terminal also got some attention in this release.
One of the more annoying issues was on macOS, where Command key shortcuts weren't being handled correctly. Command was never being mapped properly, which meant shortcuts could end up typing letters into the terminal instead.
That is now fixed.
On macOS:
-
Cmd+Ccopies -
Cmd+Vpastes -
Cmd+Aselects the full scrollback -
Ctrl+Csends SIGINT as expected
Ctrl+V paste also now works across platforms.
There is also an option for copying text automatically when selecting it in the terminal.
Sending feedback from Ramen
I also added a small feedback form under the Help menu.
The new Send Feedback... option lets you submit feedback directly from the application and choose what kind of feedback you're sending, whether that's a bug, an improvement, or an adjustment.
It's a small feature, but I wanted there to be an easy way to send feedback without having to leave Ramen and figure out where to report something.
A few other fixes and cleanup
There were also a few smaller changes that aren't as visible but were worth doing.
The branch popup had a bug where its chevron could disappear after expanding and collapsing sections. That's fixed now.
I also removed the .idea/ folder from source control and cleaned up a number of duplicate files that had been created by iCloud, including duplicate build scripts, styles, and wiki pages.
There was also a leftover comment in Ramen.csproj that got cleaned up along the way.
Version 2026.09.1
The release is now pinned to 2026.09.1 throughout the application.
The version in the project files, macOS Info.plist, and About window all match, so the version shown inside Ramen should now always line up with the version shown by Finder.
The macOS release is packaged as:
Ramen-2026.09.1-macos-arm64.dmg
It's a self-contained Apple Silicon build that is ad-hoc signed and verified.
Because the app is ad-hoc signed, macOS may show a warning the first time you open it. Right-click the application and choose Open to launch it.
What's next
This release was a good chance to step back and spend time on the foundation of Ramen's interface rather than constantly adding more to it.
There is still plenty I'd like to improve, but the new UI gives me a much better base to build on. The branch popup in particular was one of those features that started as a simple dropdown and gradually turned into something much more useful.
Ramen 2026.09.1 is available now.
I'm looking forward to using this version myself and seeing what starts standing out now that the bigger UI work is out of the way.
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