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Terminal & IDE IntegrationsEmbedded Terminal

Embedded Terminal Workspace

WorktreeWise includes a hardware-accelerated terminal workspace powered by XTerm.js. Each terminal pane opens with its working directory rooted in a specific worktree, enabling you to run build commands, start local servers, execute tests, or perform Git operations without managing external console windows.

Three terminals at once

Launch a Terminal

To open an embedded terminal for any worktree:

  1. In the Worktrees panel, locate the target worktree.
  2. Select the three-dot Actions menu and choose Open in Terminal.
  3. A terminal pane initializes immediately with its working directory set to that worktree’s root folder.

Multi-Pane Grid Layout

WorktreeWise supports concurrent multi-terminal workflows with configurable grid tiling:

Adding Terminal Panes

Select New terminal in worktree in the top toolbar to add additional panes:

  • Same Worktree: Run multiple processes concurrently (for example, running a Vite dev server in pane 1 while running tests in pane 2).
  • Different Worktrees: Compare commands or build outputs across different branches simultaneously.

Layout Columns

Use the layout selector in the top toolbar to adjust the grid:

Layout ModeBehavior
AutoDynamically adjusts the number of columns based on window width.
1 ColumnStacks terminal sessions vertically in full-width rows.
2 ColumnsSplits the workspace into two side-by-side terminal columns.
3 ColumnsArranges three concurrent terminal panes side by side.

Pane Controls & Shortcuts

Each terminal pane operates as an independent session:

  • Worktree Header: Identifies the attached worktree and displays its full path tooltip.
  • Mode Switching: Toggle between raw Terminal shell mode and interactive AI Agent mode using the segmented control.
  • Focus & Maximize: Select the Expand icon to temporarily maximize a single pane to full view; select Compress to restore the tiled grid.
  • Session Termination: Select ✕ to terminate the shell process and close the pane.
  • Keyboard Navigation: Press Ctrl + PageUp or Ctrl + PageDown to cycle keyboard focus between open panes.

Shell Configuration & Auto-Detection

Terminal sessions run inside the default shell configured in Settings → Shell:

Shell settings

WorktreeWise automatically detects installed shells across platforms:

  • Windows: PowerShell Core (pwsh), Windows PowerShell (powershell), Command Prompt (cmd), Git Bash (git-bash), WSL (wsl).
  • macOS & Linux: Zsh (zsh), Bash (bash), Fish (fish), Nushell (nu), POSIX Shell (sh).
  • Custom Shell: Enter an absolute path to a custom shell executable in Settings.
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