fluxtty

A vim-modal terminal workspace for AI development.

You don't just write code anymore — you supervise agents.
fluxtty is a keyboard-driven workspace for running many AI sessions in parallel,
with the modal efficiency that made vim indispensable.

Live demo →   ·   Download latest release

The idea

When AI writes the code, your job shifts from typing to directing. You need a workspace built for that — not an editor with a terminal bolted on.

Before	Now
Write code manually in an editor.	Agents write; you review, steer, and unblock.
One terminal for the occasional command.	8–12 sessions open in parallel: agents, servers, shells.
Run tests yourself, read output, patch manually.	Monitor outputs, redirect agents, course-correct fast.
Context-switch between editor, browser, terminal.	The terminal is the entire workspace.

fluxtty applies vim's modal philosophy to the whole terminal workspace:

Need	fluxtty answer
Watch many sessions at once	Waterfall rows keep all agents visible without squeezing into a tiny grid
Move without touching the mouse	Normal mode: h j k l navigation, / fuzzy search, n new, s split, q close
Type safely into any shell	Insert mode routes input to the active PTY — Normal mode never leaks keys into a running agent
Use real terminal apps	Terminal mode gives xterm.js raw keyboard control for vim, htop, TUIs, and agent prompts
Coordinate the workspace	Workspace AI can run, read, create, rename, group, pipeline, and dispatch across sessions

Install

Homebrew on macOS

brew tap amoswzw/tap
brew install --cask fluxtty

Download

Latest release — macOS, Linux, Windows

Platform	Package
macOS Apple Silicon	fluxtty_*_aarch64.dmg
macOS Intel	fluxtty_*_x64.dmg
Linux	fluxtty_*_amd64.deb, .rpm, .AppImage
Windows	fluxtty_*_x64-setup.exe

Build from source

Prerequisites: Rust 1.77+, Node.js 18+, Tauri v2 prerequisites.

git clone https://github.com/amoswzw/fluxtty
cd fluxtty
npm install
npm run tauri build

npm run tauri dev   # development

Modes

fluxtty has one persistent input bar with a small set of explicit modes:

Mode	Enter	What happens
Normal	default	Navigate panes and rows, scroll output, split, close, rename, search. No keystrokes reach the shell.
Insert	i	Type into the active shell through the input bar. Esc returns to Normal.
AI	a	Enter the Workspace AI prompt. Built-in parser with model: none; LLM-backed with any provider configured.
Terminal	Ctrl+\	Raw terminal input. xterm.js owns the keyboard until Ctrl+\ returns to Normal.
Find	/	Fuzzy search across all panes by name, group, cwd, and status.
View	v	Isolate the active row for focused watching.

: in Normal mode opens the same workspace command path inline.

Workspace commands

Built-in commands available when workspace_ai.model: none:

run <cmd> in <session>
run <cmd> in group <group>
<cmd> in all sessions
run X then run Y in <session>
new [name] [in <group>]
rename <session> to <name>
close <session> | close idle | close group <group>
split
focus <session>
group <session> as <group>
note <session> <text>
read <session>
clear <session>
kill <session>
list | status | help
!agent <claude|codex|aider|gemini|opencode|goose|cursor|qwen|amp|crush|openhands|none>

list, status, help, read, focus, and !agent execute immediately. All workspace-changing commands are queued through a plan confirmation step before running.

Highlights

Waterfall layout

Rows stack vertically; horizontal splits live inside a row. With few rows, fluxtty divides the space evenly. With many rows, each row becomes a full-height workspace slice you scroll through.

Agent detection and completion

Detected agents: claude, codex, aider, gemini, opencode, goose, cursor, qwen, amp, crush, openhands. When a pane is running an agent, the mode indicator reflects it and Tab switches to that agent's slash-command completions.

Session identity and auto-naming

Every pane tracks name, group, cwd, status, last command, exit code, tmux session, alternate-screen state, and agent type. New panes are named from cwd, then auto-renamed when significant commands take over. Manual renames stay pinned.

Row notes

m opens a note pane for the active row — branch names, review reminders, agent intent. Notes are included in workspace restore snapshots.

Hot-reload config

~/.config/fluxtty/config.yaml hot-reloads on save. Covers window, font, colors, cursor, shell, tmux, keybindings, input behavior, Workspace AI provider and model, waterfall sizing, persistence, and session defaults.

Configuration

# ~/.config/fluxtty/config.yaml

font:
  family: "JetBrains Mono"
  size: 13.0

colors:
  primary:
    background: "#0d1117"
    foreground: "#e6edf3"

input:
  live_typing: true

workspace_ai:
  model: none                    # or: claude-sonnet-4-6, gpt-4o, gemini-2.0-flash, ollama/llama3
  always_confirm_broadcast: true
  always_confirm_multi_step: true

waterfall:
  row_height_mode: viewport
  scroll_snap: false

Keybindings

Key	Mode	Action
h j k l	Normal	Move across panes and rows
i	Normal, View	Insert mode for the active PTY
a or :	Normal	Workspace AI / command prompt
/	Normal	Fuzzy pane selector
v	Normal	View mode for the active row
n	Normal	New terminal row
s	Normal	Split the active row
q	Normal	Close the active pane
m	Normal	Toggle the row note pane
r	Normal	Rename the active pane
G / gg	Normal	Jump to bottom / top of workspace
Ctrl+\	Any	Toggle raw Terminal mode
Esc	Insert, AI, Find, View	Return to Normal mode
Tab	Insert	Shell completion or agent slash-command completion
Cmd+, / Ctrl+,	Any	Open settings

Development

npm install
npm run tauri dev    # dev with hot reload
npm test
npm run build
npm run tauri build  # production bundle

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. Keep changes focused, run the test suite, and include screenshots or recordings for UI behavior changes.

Inspiration

The waterfall layout idea — terminals stacking vertically, each filling the viewport as you scroll — was shamelessly stolen from infinite-scroll. I prefer the word "inspired."

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License

MIT