Getting Started

Before you start

• A macOS or Windows computer and a project folder you can open. There is no public Linux installer yet.
• Install and sign in to your chosen AI CLI separately. Termdock does not include model subscriptions or replace each CLI’s account setup.
• Choose a bounded first task, such as reviewing a README for missing installation steps, rather than an irreversible deployment.

1. Install and open a project

Install the build for your computer’s architecture. Drop a project folder onto Termdock to create a workspace; switch workspaces with Cmd+P on macOS or Ctrl+P on Windows. Existing Git worktrees can be opened too. Before two agents edit the same project, arrange their branches or worktrees and file ownership yourself.

2. Open a terminal and start an agent

Press Cmd+T (macOS) or Ctrl+T (Windows) in the project workspace. Check the directory with pwd or Windows Get-Location, then launch your installed AI CLI. Managed agents support Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, GitLab Duo, and OpenCode. Answer sign-in and project-trust prompts yourself.

Send your first task and read the result. Split panes to watch multiple terminals, park one in the dock, or use API-created background sessions without occupying a tab or pane.

3. Hand off a bounded task

Open another terminal and launch a second agent. Specify the files it owns, the completion check, and the expected reply. The first agent can also create a terminal, send a task, and read the reply through the termdock CLI. Conversation context is not shared automatically, so include what the receiving agent needs.

Use these read-only commands to identify your targets first. If termdock is not found, install the command-line tool using the CLI guide. Check the actual changes and test results before accepting the agent’s work.

termdock identify --json
termdock workspace list --json
termdock session list --json

4. Know what keeps running

From 1.23, local terminals use a background process by default and can survive app quit, crashes, and updates. In 1.24, peer terminals can reconnect after the host app restarts too. Signing out or shutting down ends processes; SSH terminals still end with the app. Closing a regular terminal tab ends that terminal, unlike quitting the app.

Schedules, dispatch queues, workflows, phone access, and bot control need the desktop app running and reachable. Pair your phone before leaving; terminal persistence is not persistence of every app service.

Essential shortcuts

Use Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows. Number shortcuts select layouts, not numbered terminal tabs.

• Cmd/Ctrl+T: new terminal; Cmd/Ctrl+W: close the current terminal.
• Cmd/Ctrl+P: workspace picker; Cmd/Ctrl+B: toggle the sidebar.
• Cmd/Ctrl+1: single pane; +2: horizontal split; +3: vertical split; +4: quad layout.
• Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F: file search; Cmd/Ctrl+,: Settings.

Next steps