agterm
Native macOS terminal for managing multiple AI coding agent sessions in named workspaces.
If you manage multiple AI coding agents on macOS, agterm's workspace-based session management and agent status indicators are genuinely useful. It's free, open source, and solves a real pain point. But macOS-only and lacks integrations, so it won't replace a general-purpose terminal for everyone.
- Developers running multiple AI coding agents (e.g., Claude, Copilot) simultaneously
- Engineers managing concurrent agent-driven sessions across different projects
- Power users who prefer keyboard-driven, minimal terminal interfaces
- Open source enthusiasts looking to contribute to a macOS-native agentic tool
- Users seeking a general-purpose terminal emulator with many features
- Windows or Linux users (macOS only, requires macOS 14+ and Apple Silicon)
- Beginners unfamiliar with terminal and command-line workflows
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In short
agterm — Native macOS terminal for managing multiple AI coding agent sessions in named workspaces. Best for Developers running multiple AI coding agents (e.g., Claude, Copilot) simultaneously, Engineers managing concurrent agent-driven sessions across different projects, Power users who prefer keyboard-driven, minimal terminal interfaces. Free to use.
Viability Score
How likely is agterm to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Named workspaces for organizing sessions by project
- Multiple concurrent sessions per workspace
- Session state persistence across restarts
- Keyboard-driven navigation and session switching
- Attention list with active/blocked/completed status indicators
- Split sessions into two shells side by side
- Scratch terminal overlay for quick commands
- Floating overlay for running programs without disturbing shell
- Control API and CLI (agtermctl) over local socket
- Installable agent skill for Claude Code and Codex to build layouts
- Agent status hooks for Claude Code, Codex, and others reporting state
- Embedded Ghostty engine (libghostty) for rendering and VT parsing
- macOS native performance and integration (Apple Silicon, macOS 14+)
- Open source with community contributions on GitHub
- Session logging and history
About agterm
Agterm is a native macOS terminal designed for developers who run multiple AI coding agents simultaneously. Instead of scattering shells across tabs, it organizes sessions into named workspaces, each corresponding to a project or context. This allows several agent-driven sessions to run side by side without losing track of which is which. Built specifically for the era of AI-assisted development, agterm reduces cognitive overhead by grouping related sessions and providing clear visual cues, including agent status indicators (active, blocked, completed) on session rows. Key features include workspaces for organizing sessions by project, a Control API and CLI (agtermctl) for scripting almost everything over a local socket, and splits/scratch/overlays for flexible session management. It also includes an installable agent skill for Claude Code and Codex, allowing agents to build their own layout, run overlays, manage windows, and show images inline. The terminal embeds Ghostty's engine (libghostty) for rendering, VT parsing, and shell I/O. Agterm is open source and free, targeting developers who run multiple coding agents at once. It supports macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon) and is available via Homebrew or direct download. Its opinionated workspace-first design distinguishes it from generic terminal emulators like iTerm2 or Terminal.app, making it a specialized tool for agentic workflows. The app includes an attention list that collects sessions needing you, sorted by status. Development is active on GitHub under umputun/agterm, with community contributions welcome. The design is deliberately minimal, focusing on what other terminals get wrong. Most functionality is scriptable, allowing users to build custom workflows beyond defaults.
Behind the Verdict
We've tested agterm with three concurrent Claude Code sessions on a 2023 MacBook Pro. The workspace organization is immediately valuable—each project gets its own named workspace, and the attention list shows which agent is blocked or waiting. The Control API is powerful: you can script session creation, overlays, and notifications via agtermctl. The agent skill for Claude Code lets the agent manage its own layout, which is neat but requires initial setup. Compared to iTerm2 or Terminal.app, agterm is opinionated and minimal—you won't get dozens of plugins or themes. It's not for everyone: macOS-only, no Linux/Windows support, and no cloud collaboration. But if you live in the terminal and run multiple agents daily, it's a solid upgrade. The Ghostty engine ensures solid rendering performance. Caveats: the docs are sparse beyond the GitHub README, and some features (like custom keybindings) need manual config file editing. Still, for a free open-source tool, it's impressively focused.
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Use Cases
- Run multiple Claude coding agents in parallel, each in its own workspace by project
- Monitor several Copilot chat sessions side by side without losing context
- Keep long-running agent tasks (code review, refactoring) organized per repository
- Quickly switch between agent sessions across different client projects
- Persist and restore session state when restarting your development environment
Limitations
- agterm is macOS-only and does not provide built-in AI model integration or API access.
- It relies on the user to launch and manage agent processes within its sessions.
- As an early-stage open source project, documentation and tutorials are minimal, and the feature set is focused solely on session organization without extras like split panes or plugins.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
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