# OpenTerm: full feature reference > OpenTerm is a free, keyboard-first terminal workspace for Windows 10 and 11, built for vibe coding with AI coding agents. Run Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor Agent, Grok Build, Aider and other agent CLIs side by side, one session per project. When an agent needs you, OpenTerm tells you which one. Everything is saved locally. - Website: https://openterm.app - Download: https://github.com/SurviveANDcraft/OpenTerm/releases - Source code: https://github.com/SurviveANDcraft/OpenTerm - Short index: https://openterm.app/llms.txt - Maker: Anatema ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | What it is | A terminal organizer and AI coding agent workspace for Windows | | Platforms | Windows 10 and Windows 11. Not available for macOS or Linux yet | | Price | Free. No account, no sign-up | | License | Source-available under the Elastic License 2.0. The code is public on GitHub | | Built with | Tauri 2 (Rust), ConPTY via portable-pty, xterm.js with WebGL rendering | | Shells | Windows PowerShell (default), PowerShell 7, Command Prompt, Git Bash, or a custom shell path | | One-click agents | Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor Agent, Grok Build | | Recognized agent CLIs | claude, codex, gemini, opencode, cursor-agent, grok, aider, amp, goose, crush, cline (also through npx, pnpm, yarn, bunx, uvx, pipx) | | Data storage | Local only: `%APPDATA%\com.openterm.app\state.json` | | Updates | Signed automatic updates from GitHub Releases | ## Who it is for - Developers who run several AI coding agents at the same time on Windows. - People working across several repositories who want one saved layout per project. - Keyboard-first users who want tmux-style splits and shortcuts in a native Windows app. ## 1. Sessions (one per project) - A session is a named workspace in the left sidebar. It has its own split layout, color, starting folder and task list. - The new-session wizard sets the name, number of terminals, starting folder (with a folder picker or a built-in navigator terminal) and an optional startup command. Presets: claude, codex, opencode, n8n, or a custom command. - Session settings: name, one of 8 colors, and starting directory. - Rename with a double-click or F2. Drag to reorder. Jump to sessions 1-9 with Alt+1-9, or cycle with Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab. - Inactive sessions keep running in the background, so switching is instant and scrollback is kept. - Archive a session to hide it and stop its terminals. Its layout, tasks and agent commands are kept, and you can restore it from Settings, Archived sessions. - Each session shows a status dot: an agent is working, an agent is waiting for your input, or an agent hit an error. - The session menu has Session settings, Stats (usage), Git Map, Archive and Delete. ## 2. Split terminal panes - Split any pane right or down, as many times as you like, into rows and columns. - Drag a pane's title bar onto another pane: drop on an edge to split there, or on the center to swap the two. - Drag dividers to resize panes, or resize from the keyboard with Ctrl+Alt+Arrows. - Zoom (maximize) one pane with Ctrl+Shift+Z. - Fold a pane down to its title bar with Ctrl+Shift+D. It keeps running. Click the freed space to fill it with a new terminal. - Rename a pane (for example "api" or "worker") so agents are easy to tell apart. - The title bar shows the logo of the agent or shell running there: Claude, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Cursor, Grok, PowerShell, cmd, bash, zsh, WSL. - Move focus between panes with Ctrl+Arrows. - Fast terminal rendering with WebGL, clickable links, and copy/paste through the system clipboard. - Adjust font size with Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0. ## 3. AI coding agents - The sidebar "+" menu adds a pane that launches PowerShell, Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Cursor Agent, Grok Build, or a browser. - Agent panes are ordinary terminals, so every terminal feature works with every agent. Any CLI that runs in a terminal works. - Resume after restart: OpenTerm remembers the agent command you typed in each pane and replays it when the app starts again. Claude Code and OpenCode continue their previous conversation. Claude Code, OpenCode and Codex can reopen the exact conversation by session id. You can switch this off to start fresh. - Agent CLI updates: OpenTerm checks the installed and latest versions of Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Amp (npm) and Aider (PyPI). When one is outdated, an inbox item offers a one-click update, and panes running that agent are refreshed. The status is also in Settings, Updates. ## 4. Inbox and attention alerts - The bell in the title bar (Ctrl+Shift+I) collects events from sessions you are not watching. Each item names its session and takes you to the pane or task. - Item types: approval prompts, errors, finished commands, exited processes, due tasks, delegation updates, backup notices, app updates, repos behind GitHub, and agent CLI updates. - Detects real interactive prompts, such as y/n questions, "press enter to continue", and the numbered menus agents use to ask for approval. It ignores ordinary agent chatter. - A pane that is waiting for input gets an indicator on its title bar. - Optional AI naming: with an OpenRouter key, raw terminal output (box-drawing characters, stack traces) becomes a short title and a one-sentence summary. The original text is still shown on hover. - Sound alerts with a built-in chime or your own sound file, plus a taskbar icon flash. Each can be turned off. - Each notification type can be turned off on its own. ## 5. Command queue - Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter in a pane to queue a command. It is typed in automatically as soon as the pane is idle at its prompt again. - Works with PowerShell, cmd, bash and agent CLIs like Claude Code and OpenCode. It learns each pane's prompt from your own typing. - Queue several commands in order, for example: run tests, then lint, then git push. ## 6. Task board and delegation to agents - Each session has its own task list (Ctrl+Shift+K), shown as a list or a kanban board, with a filter for this session or all sessions and a search box. - Statuses: To do, In progress, Done. Priorities: Low, Medium, High. - Each task can have a description, subtasks with checkboxes, tags, a due date (due tasks show up in the inbox) and attached local files. - Delegate a task to an AI agent: choose Claude Code, Codex CLI or OpenCode, then choose when it starts: - Start now. - At a set time. - When another terminal finishes its current work. - OpenTerm opens a pane for the agent and types the task in as a prompt, including the description, subtasks and attached file paths. Delegation status is shown on the task and in the inbox. You can cancel a delegation. - Optional: with an OpenRouter key, an AI clarifies the prompt before handing it off. ## 7. AI usage limits and cost tracking - Rate limits: panes running Claude Code or Codex show how much of the 5-hour usage window is left and when it resets. They refresh every 30 seconds. - Per-terminal usage and costs (pane menu, "Usage & Costs"): tokens split into input, output, cache write, cache read and reasoning, with estimated USD cost by model and by agent session. - Whole-folder stats: usage for every agent session run in a project folder. - Supported: Claude Code (matched exactly), OpenCode and Codex (matched by timing and folder). - Usage history stays with a pane after the agent exits, and across restarts. ## 8. Embedded browser panes - A real Chromium (WebView2) browser in a pane next to your terminals, with an address bar that also searches. Useful for previewing a dev server while an agent edits code. - Console and network capture: the pane records the page's console messages, JavaScript errors and fetch/XHR requests. - Share page context with an AI agent: Alt+drag a browser pane onto a terminal to paste its console and network log there. Alt+Shift+drag sends a screenshot. You can also copy the log to the clipboard. - Device emulation with real viewport size, pixel ratio, user agent and touch, drawn inside a device frame, plus portrait/landscape rotation and a free responsive mode. - 30 device presets: - iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 16 Plus, 16, 15 / 14 Pro, 14 / 13, 13 mini, SE (3rd gen) - Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 7a - Galaxy S24 Ultra, S24, A54 - Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Fold 5 (cover and unfolded), Galaxy Z Flip 6, Pixel Fold - iPad Pro 13", iPad Air 11", iPad (10th gen), iPad mini, Galaxy Tab S9, Surface Pro 9 - Laptop 13", Laptop 15", Desktop 1080p, Desktop 1440p - Browser panes remember their URL, device and orientation across restarts. ## 9. Files: explorer, editor and previews - The sidebar Files tab lists the active session's folder. Filter files and refresh the list. - Right-click a file for Open in Explorer, Copy Path, Rename and Delete. - Drag a file from the sidebar, from Windows Explorer or from the desktop onto a terminal to type its path, quoted when needed. - Code editor (CodeMirror) with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, bracket matching, code folding, rectangular selection, undo history and search. Save with Ctrl+S. Supports JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Rust, C, C++, Java, PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, JSON, YAML, XML, Markdown and more. - Visual Markdown editor with a toolbar (bold, italic, strikethrough, code, headings, lists, quotes, links, rules, tables). A file opens in visual mode only if it passes a round-trip check unchanged, so your Markdown is never quietly rewritten. - Read-only previews: - Images: PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, BMP, ICO, AVIF, SVG - Video: MP4, WebM, MOV, MKV, AVI and more - Audio: MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A, AAC, Opus - Documents: PDF, Word (.docx) - Spreadsheets: Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .xls), OpenDocument (.ods), CSV, TSV ## 10. Git and GitHub - GitHub freshness check: OpenTerm runs a background `git fetch` for each session's repo and tells you in the inbox when your branch is behind GitHub. It also flags local commits and uncommitted changes. It never pulls, merges or resets on its own. - "Review with AI": from that inbox item, open Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode in the session with a ready-made prompt to review the sync state. - Git Map (session menu): a read-only view of the repository. - Explorer tree: working tree, branches, remotes, tags, stashes, contributors. Nested branch names become folders. - A commit graph with branch lanes, a commit filter, zoom, and copy-sha. - Ahead/behind counts against upstream, and commits per week for the last 12 weeks. - Uses local git data only. ## 11. Search - Find in terminal (Ctrl+Shift+F): step through matches with Enter / Shift+Enter. - Highlight search (Ctrl+S): highlights every match in the focused pane and keeps them lit while you scroll, until Esc. ## 12. Windows integration - Open a folder from File Explorer: type `OpenTerm` in the address bar (the same way `cmd` works), or right-click a folder or empty space in it and choose "Open in OpenTerm". - If OpenTerm is closed, it starts with a session for that folder. - If it is open, a new session for that folder is added to the same window. - If that folder already has a session, OpenTerm switches to it instead of making a duplicate. - This uses current-user registry keys, so it needs no admin rights. Turn it off in Settings, Windows Explorer, which removes the keys. - Dock external terminals: drag a terminal window from outside OpenTerm into a pane to dock it there. This can be switched off. - Taskbar icon flash when a pane needs attention. ## 13. Backups, restore and undo - Every save also creates a backup in `%APPDATA%\com.openterm.app\backups`: the last 30 changes plus one snapshot per day, kept for 7 days. Saves made close together count as one backup. - If `state.json` is missing or corrupt, OpenTerm restores the newest valid backup and tells you in the inbox. - Backup timeline (Settings, Backups): see each backup's time, sessions and pane count, search the list, preview what a restore would bring back or remove, and restore in one click. Your current state is saved first, so you can undo a restore. - Find in backups (optional, with an OpenRouter key): describe what you are looking for, for example "the session with the DUO notes". Only timestamps and session names are sent, never terminal content. - Undo close: closing a session, pane or task shows an Undo toast. The last 3 closed items can be restored for 10 minutes with Ctrl+Shift+U. ## 14. Themes and appearance - 22 themes in three groups (Minimal, Classic, Wild): OpenTerm (default), Paper, Slate, Mono, Ice, Nord, Solarized Dark, Solarized Light, Gruvbox Dark, Dracula, One Dark, Tokyo Night, Monokai, Rosé Pine, Ocean Deep, Forest, Cyberpunk Neon, Synthwave, Matrix, Galaxy, Blood Moon, Sunset. - Themes apply to the whole app, including terminals and the code editor. - Settings: font size, terminal font (Cascadia Mono by default), cursor style (bar, block or underline), cursor blink, pane padding, scrollback lines (8,000 by default), and sidebar width. Toggle the sidebar with Ctrl+B. ## 15. Keyboard shortcuts Every action has a shortcut and every shortcut can be changed in Settings, Keybinds, which warns about conflicts. Shortcuts follow physical keys, so they also work on QWERTZ, AZERTY and other layouts. The cheat sheet opens with Ctrl+/. | Action | Default shortcut | |---|---| | New session | Ctrl+Shift+T | | Close session | Ctrl+Shift+Q | | Rename session | F2 | | Next / previous session | Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab | | Jump to session 1-9 | Alt+1 ... Alt+9 | | New terminal in session | Ctrl+T | | Split right | Ctrl+Shift+E | | Split down | Ctrl+Shift+O | | Close pane | Ctrl+Shift+W | | Focus pane left / right / up / down | Ctrl+Arrow keys | | Resize pane | Ctrl+Alt+Arrow keys | | Zoom pane (toggle) | Ctrl+Shift+Z | | Fold pane (toggle) | Ctrl+Shift+D | | Toggle sidebar | Ctrl+B | | Font size bigger / smaller / reset | Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0 | | Find in terminal | Ctrl+Shift+F | | Highlight search | Ctrl+S | | Queue command (runs when the current one finishes) | Ctrl+Shift+Enter | | Open tasks | Ctrl+Shift+K | | Open inbox | Ctrl+Shift+I | | Undo last close (session, pane or task) | Ctrl+Shift+U | | Shortcut cheat sheet | Ctrl+/ | | Open settings | Ctrl+, | ## 16. Privacy and security - No account, no sign-up, no telemetry. - Sessions, layouts, tasks, settings and keybinds are stored locally in `%APPDATA%\com.openterm.app\state.json`. - Terminal content never leaves your machine. - OpenTerm only uses the network for: checking for app updates (GitHub), checking agent CLI versions (npm and PyPI), `git fetch` for the GitHub freshness check, pages you open in browser panes, and the optional AI features. - Optional AI features (notification titles, prompt clarification, find in backups) run through your own OpenRouter API key. With no key set, nothing is sent. - Updates are signed. The app refuses any update it cannot verify against the maintainer's public key. - Agent CLI updates can only run commands from a fixed list built into the app. ## 17. Settings sections Theme, Appearance, Terminal (shell, scrollback, dragging in external terminals), AI sessions (resume conversations, AI inbox names, OpenRouter key), Notifications (sound, custom sound, taskbar flash, per-type toggles), Windows Explorer, Updates (OpenTerm and agent CLIs), Backups, Archived sessions, Keybinds, Data (state file location, reset). ## FAQ ### What is OpenTerm? A free Windows desktop app for running many terminals and AI coding agents at once. You get named sessions (one per project), split panes, a shortcut for every action, and one inbox that tells you when an agent needs you. ### Is OpenTerm free? Yes. It is free with no account. The source code is public on GitHub under the Elastic License 2.0. ### Which AI coding agents does OpenTerm work with? Any agent that runs in a terminal. Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor Agent and Grok Build open in one click. Aider, Amp, Goose, Crush and Cline are also recognized so they relaunch after a restart. ### Does OpenTerm run on macOS or Linux? Not yet. It supports Windows 10 and Windows 11. ### Does my code leave my machine? No. Everything is stored locally, and OpenTerm has no telemetry. The only exception is the optional AI features, which you turn on by adding your own OpenRouter API key. ### Is OpenTerm a tmux alternative for Windows? It covers the same ground on Windows: named sessions, split panes, keyboard navigation and saved layouts, all in a native app with no WSL needed. It adds features for AI agents, such as the inbox, command queue, task delegation and usage limits. ### Can I run several Claude Code or Codex sessions at the same time? Yes. Open as many agent panes as you want in one session or across sessions. Each pane shows its agent's logo and rate-limit usage, and the inbox tells you which one is waiting for approval. ### How do I see my Claude Code or Codex usage limit? Panes running Claude Code or Codex show how much of the 5-hour window is left and when it resets. "Usage & Costs" in the pane menu shows token and cost details. ### How do I get notified when an AI agent needs approval? OpenTerm watches every pane for approval prompts and errors. It adds an inbox item, plays a sound, flashes the taskbar icon and marks the session in the sidebar. ### Which shells are supported? Windows PowerShell (default), PowerShell 7, Command Prompt, Git Bash, or any shell executable you choose. ### How does OpenTerm update? It checks GitHub Releases at startup and installs signed updates after you confirm. ### How do I install OpenTerm? Download the latest Windows installer from https://github.com/SurviveANDcraft/OpenTerm/releases and run it.