Commands and shell workflows#

Automexia runs your real shell. Bash, Zsh, Fish, PowerShell, or CMD decides how a command is quoted, completed, remembered, and executed. Automexia provides the session, navigation, and optional context around it. These instructions describe the current public source↗; check your build's --help and palette because website downloads are withdrawn.

Start with an ordinary command#

Open a pane and type a command as you would in another terminal:

git status

Use the shell for pipes, redirects, aliases, functions, and scripts. For example, a test process can run in one pane while another pane shows git diff. Neither command needs a special Automexia syntax. The terminal does not parse the finished screen to guess what you ran.

To launch a particular program instead of the configured shell, use automexia --working-dir ~/work/example -e python from an invoking shell. Values after -e are exact program arguments, not shell operators. Use a normal shell if you need |, >, globs, or expansion. See Start and launch.

Find an interface action#

Open the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+P on Linux/Windows or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS. Search by the action's purpose, choose a row, and press Enter. It provides discoverable paths to tabs, panes, settings, image preview, table view, and other registered controls. It does not execute arbitrary shell text. The displayed key is the effective binding for the current profile and user configuration, which is safer than relying on an older shortcut table.

For example, when a pane is too short to show its local-tab rail, search for the local-tab action in the palette. The session is still there; the rail was only folded away.

Palette pages now have a consistent Back path. Press Esc, Alt+Left, or Backspace outside a text field to return one level. At the root, Back returns to the command menu and its query/selection when you came from there, or closes a page opened directly. Backspace in an editable field still deletes text, and Alt+Left does not interrupt IME input. For example, open Settings → Profiles, inspect one profile, then press Back once to return to the profile list without closing every menu. A held key will not skip several pages. See Shortcuts and input.

Let shell integration add context#

On a supported shell, normal launch can load session-only integration without writing a persistent profile. It publishes bounded working-directory and prompt/command information while the shell's editor and native completion stay in charge. The prompt context can help you recognize a Git branch or directory after switching panes. Treat a context label as an orientation aid—not proof of a remote identity or deployment target.

Use automexia shell-integration doctor to inspect integration health. Persistent install and uninstall are separate, explicit operations for people who need integration in nested shells; they are not required for a normal launch. If integration is unavailable, keep using the ordinary terminal and shell. Read Shell integration for supported shells and limitations.

Return to a completed command#

When the shell publishes trustworthy boundaries, use the previous/next command action (or its current palette shortcut) to move the view between retained commands. It does not recall or rerun anything. If markers are absent, search or scroll instead; Automexia does not infer boundaries from the visible prompt characters.

The Last command palette actions can copy the command, copy or select its output, jump to it, or put its text back into the input buffer without Enter. This helps when a build failed and you want to edit the exact command before trying again. Check the command and directory before pressing Enter yourself. Only retained, trusted shell-integrated command boundaries qualify; an older command can disappear when scrollback is evicted.

If you start a nested local shell and its prompt counter restarts, retained command bands keep the shell context that produced them. An older result should not inherit the new shell's tags or status. If the historical context is unavailable, Automexia leaves it unknown rather than borrowing today's labels. Use those bands to find an earlier command, but check the active shell and directory before acting on it.

Read a result without changing its bytes#

Supported integrated shells can group a finished command's output with a subtle band and known result/duration badge. An output-free command keeps a compact completion marker rather than borrowing the previous result. CMD can group output but cannot always supply a truthful generic status or duration. Recognized logs and Kubernetes fields may add optional colors. Source ANSI styling, search, and selection take priority; copied text remains the original terminal text. A green row is not a substitute for checking the tool's actual exit status.

For example, a plain kubectl server error is treated as a general command error, not as a Kubernetes resource's readiness state. Fish's unknown-command message and PowerShell's command-not-found output can likewise receive error styling. These cues help you notice a result; they do not modify its bytes or override explicit ANSI colors from the program.

For tabular results, use Table output. For visual paths, graphics, and links, use Files, output, and images.

Keep shell ownership clear#

Typing and pasting target the selected pane. Paste never adds Enter, but multiline text can still have effects in a shell that lacks bracketed-paste protection. Review untrusted text before submitting it.