Terminal experience#

Automexia gives different parts of a command-line task their own place. Use window tabs for larger contexts, split panes for work you need to see together, and pane-local tabs when one area needs another session. Search helps you return to retained output while the shell continues to own commands.

This guide explains the interface and its intended behavior. The first-session guide and development status explain the current evaluation boundary. Windows and macOS support is planned; examples for those systems are not package-availability claims.

Read this page by concept: terminal programs and retained output, workspace and focus, shell-provided context, search and selection, or image display. For a procedure, follow the linked user-guide page rather than treating visual labels as commands or proof of a remote target.

Run real terminal programs#

Automexia starts a real shell or an explicitly chosen program in a terminal session. The program receives its own input and window size; Automexia shows its output and reports when it exits. Try git status for ordinary output, then a full-screen application such as less or an editor to see cursor movement, alternate-screen drawing, and color. The terminal understands common VT control sequences; the program still decides what to print. The shell, not Automexia, handles quoting, history, completion, and execution.

Wide characters, combining marks, and wrapped text have grid-aware display, search, and selection. Narrowing a pane can reflow retained lines instead of turning each old screen row into a permanent line. If you are inspecting a long log, search or scroll to a result before resizing; the view tries to keep your place. It cannot recover output already discarded by the scrollback limit, or reconstruct a program's state after it exits.

Full-screen applications may request mouse reporting. In that case clicks and wheel input belong to the application, not terminal text selection. Hold the documented host-interface modifier where supported when you deliberately need Automexia's own selection or scroll action. This is particularly useful when comparing a text editor in one pane with a build log in another.

Start with a clear workspace#

Start with one shell. Add a split when another session needs to remain visible. Use a new window tab when the task itself changes. A large number of unnamed sessions is harder to follow, even when the layout can accommodate them.

See Workspaces, tabs, and panes for practical layouts.

Know which session receives input#

The selected pane receives typing and clipboard actions. Click the intended pane or use a focus shortcut before pasting.

In the Linux development build, Alt+Arrow moves to a neighboring pane. Ctrl+Tab changes the window tab; Alt+PageUp and Alt+PageDown change the selected pane's local tab. Use the command palette when the current scope is unclear.

Closing a pane or tab can stop its running process. Check the selected session first. Closing one window is different from quitting the whole application.

Fresh splits and cloned splits#

A fresh split starts the default configured shell. A cloned split starts a new, independent session using the current launch context and validated directory. It does not duplicate a running process or reconnect an existing SSH session.

See Shortcuts and input for the complete guide.

Read context without treating it as authority#

Integrated shells can provide a directory, shell identity, Git branch, command boundaries, and result information. Optional tool context can identify a selected local environment or provider profile when the information is available.

Use these labels for orientation. They are not permission checks, proof of a remote connection, or a guarantee that a destructive command targets the right system. Confirm sensitive operations with the tool that performs them.

Missing integration or an unsupported shell can leave context incomplete. Automexia should not invent a result or replace real output to fill a gap. See Shell integration for setup and limitations.

Keep shell behavior familiar#

The shell owns command editing, history, completion, quoting, expansion, scripts, and process execution. The terminal provides the surrounding workspace.

Normal launch is designed to use session-only integration rather than silently rewriting shell profiles. Persistent integration is a separate, explicit choice. Check your source revision's options and back up profiles before changing them.

Commands without trustworthy shell markers may not receive command-jump targets, duration labels, or grouped output. Visual decoration is not a substitute for a program's exit code or structured output.

Search the output you can see#

Use Ctrl+F to search the selected pane in the Linux development build. Ctrl+Shift+F switches to all visible panes. This is not a command sent to the shell or a search of files on disk.

All-pane search covers the active local tab of each visible split. It does not activate hidden local tabs or search every other window tab.

1. Type the text to find.
2. Use Enter and Shift+Enter for the next and previous matches.
3. Switch scope when the output belongs to another visible pane.
4. Press Esc to leave search.

Search only finds output still retained in scrollback. Long sessions may discard older lines according to the configured limit. Use a tool's own logging when durable records are required.

Select, copy, and paste deliberately#

Drag to select terminal text or use supported keyboard selection. On Linux, Ctrl+Shift+C copies and Ctrl+Shift+V pastes. With a non-empty selection, Ctrl+C copies; without one, it remains available to interrupt a shell command.

Clipboard text is untrusted. Review multiline commands before pressing Enter. Copied text should reflect terminal output, not decorative backgrounds or badges. Paste goes to the selected pane through the terminal's bounded, filtered bracketed-paste path and does not add Enter. A shell or program without bracketed-paste support may still interpret embedded newlines; inspect pasted text before submitting it.

A full-screen terminal application may own mouse input. Use the documented host-interface modifier when you deliberately want terminal selection or a preview instead of that application's mouse action.

Use file icons as hints#

Interactive listings may show file and folder icons when shell integration and the required tools support them. On supported Bash/Zsh setups, eza can provide icon-aware listings. Without it, the native listing remains available.

An icon or color based on a filename is a scanning aid. A lock icon does not mean a file is encrypted, safe, or access-controlled. Inspect permissions with an appropriate tool when those facts matter.

Use command ls to bypass an interactive wrapper, or set AUTOMEXIA_PLAIN_LS=1 before integration loads when plain listings are wanted. Pipelines and scripts should use explicit commands when exact output matters.

Interpret output styling carefully#

Recognized warnings, errors, tool states, and completed commands may receive visual emphasis. Application-provided styling and actual output remain authoritative. A colored row does not execute a command, change its result, or establish that the output is safe.

Use documented status codes and structured output for automation. Do not infer success from a color.

Preview an image using the right method#

The broader graphics reference covers Kitty, iTerm2 inline images, and Sixel. Protocol support does not guarantee that every application recognizes Automexia. Use an explicitly supported adapter rather than impersonating another terminal. Multiplexers must also pass the selected protocol through.

For local quick look, hover a supported path or select it and use Preview Selected Image from the palette. Click to pin; use arrow keys to navigate visible image paths and Esc to close.

Quick look is intended for local raster files such as PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and WebP. It preserves aspect ratio. SVG, PDF, URLs, directories, symbolic links, pipes, and device files need a different, explicit application.

File size, dimensions, and memory use are bounded. A rejected preview is not a reason to disable safety checks. Confirm the format and path, or use a trusted external viewer. See Image previews and Files, output, and images.

Resize without losing the task#

The interface prioritizes usable terminal rows. At small sizes, secondary tab rails or footer details can disappear and return when the pane grows. Hidden chrome does not imply that a session was closed.

The footer can show encoding, newline convention, grid dimensions, and session information. It is a status surface, not a set of hidden buttons. Use the palette, shortcuts, or scrollbar for actions.

If a development layout stays incorrect after resizing, simplify the splits and try a new tab. Record the display scale, window size, and safe reproduction without sharing private terminal output.

Customize incrementally#

Start with defaults, then change one setting at a time. Back up configuration before editing. Runtime font-size and appearance preferences persist in the Linux development build, but that does not promise restoration of open sessions or processes.

Read Configuration and customization for settings, Accessibility for interaction considerations, and Troubleshooting when a workflow fails.