MuType

菩提本无树，

明镜亦非台；

本来无一物，

何处惹尘埃？

六祖慧能 “Originally there is not a single thing—where could dust alight?”

What is MuType?

Type into stillness. Calm rhythm. Low distraction. Steady flow.

Emacs 25.1+ • No external runtime deps • MIT
Install See demo

Name: Mu (無)

MuType can be read as “type into stillness”. The “Mu” comes from the Chinese character “無” (simplified: “无”).

In Chan/Zen, “mu” points to letting go of rigid judgments and returning to a clear, unforced mind.

MuType uses this as a reminder: focus on the current character, keep a calm rhythm, and let mistakes pass.

Demo

Screenshot of a MuType session in Emacs
A MuType session in *MuType*.

Features

Install

MELPA (recommended)

Once MuType is available on MELPA, install with: 

M-x package-install RET mutype RET

If you don't have MELPA enabled:

(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/") t)
(package-initialize)

Manual (load-path)

(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/mutype")
(require 'mutype)

straight.el (optional)

(use-package mutype
  :straight (mutype :type git :host github :repo "suxiaogang223/mutype")
  :commands (mutype-mode mutype-mode-custom))

Start

Run M-x mutype-mode to jump into *MuType* and start typing.

To choose mode/duration/source, use C-u M-x mutype-mode or M-x mutype-mode-custom.

Modes
  • flow — mistakes do not block progress.
  • precision — you must type the correct character to advance.

During a session

The MuType HUD lives in the mode line and shows:

Common keys and commands

Key / Command Action
C-c C-p Pause/resume
C-c C-q Stop session
C-c C-n Next source (restart)
C-c C-b Previous source (restart)
M-x mutype-select-source Pick a source (restart)
M-x mutype-report-last-session Open the last report

Typing follows MuType's sequential index. If point is moved, input snaps back to the current training position.

Text sources

MuType intentionally reads plain text from the bundled sources/*.txt directory.

To add or tweak training text, edit or add .txt files under sources/. Since this directory is part of the installed package, upgrades may overwrite local changes—keep a copy of your custom texts.

Customization

Put something like this in your init file:

(setq mutype-default-mode 'flow
      mutype-default-duration-minutes 15
      mutype-enable-guidance-text t
      mutype-prompt-on-start nil)

Report

MuType shows a report buffer when you stop a session or when the time limit is reached. Reopen the last report with M-x mutype-report-last-session.