GitHub's duanebester has released Gooey, a GPU-accelerated UI framework for the Zig programming language targeting macOS, Linux, and web browsers. Using Metal on macOS, Vulkan on Linux, and WebGPU in browsers, it delivers high-performance rendering for cross-platform applications. This fills a gap in Zig's GUI ecosystem, which has lacked mature UI solutions.

The framework features a hybrid immediate/retained mode design with declarative UI components built on flexbox-style layout primitives. It separates Cx state management from ui layout primitives, includes an animation system, and provides prebuilt widgets. Zero dependencies means it links only against system frameworks, making it lightweight and portable across platforms.

Gooey supports Zig 0.16's new std.Io stack for async HTTP, demonstrated in a Claude AI chat client example. The project includes dozens of example apps showing virtualized lists handling 10k items, file dialogs, clipboard integration, and accessibility support for screen readers. Text rendering uses CoreText on macOS and FreeType/HarfBuzz on Linux.

Currently in early development with an evolving API, Gooey offers a compelling option for developers seeking native performance across platforms. The framework builds without external Zig package dependencies, relying solely on system libraries.