Local-First Multi-Pane Terminal Manager for Developers
Native performance. Dynamic layouts. Keyboard-driven workflows.
Under Development -- Cortex Space is a native desktop terminal manager that replaces static terminal configurations with a dynamic, keyboard-driven multi-pane workspace. Built with Tauri and React, it provides a high-performance terminal experience with recursive split layouts, session persistence, and a plugin-free tool registry.
Cortex Space unifies terminal instances, workspaces, and developer tooling into a single cohesive desktop application.
- Multi-Pane Terminal Engine -- Split, resize, and manage terminal panels powered by Xterm.js and Tauri-based PTY processes with full shell support (PowerShell, Bash, Zsh)
- Dynamic Recursive Layouts -- Horizontal and vertical splits with ratio-based resizing, drag-and-drop pane reordering, and quadrant-based repartitioning
- Global Command Palette -- Triggered via
Ctrl/Cmd + Kfor switching workspaces, executing commands, and launching templates - Command Snippets -- Save, organize, and execute reusable shell commands with dynamic
{{VAR}}placeholder resolution - Workspace & Tab Management -- Multiple isolated workspaces, each containing sub-tabs with independent terminal layouts
- CLI Tool Registry -- Discover and verify installation status of developer CLI tools (AI agents, language servers, build tools) with one-click install commands
- Automatic Port Detection -- Live parsing of terminal output for localhost URLs with TCP-liveness checking
- Zen Mode -- Full-screen focused terminal view, hiding all chrome
- Theme System -- 14 bundled themes (Catppuccin, Dracula, Nord, Tokyo Night, Gruvbox, and more) with dark/light/system scheme support and custom theme creation
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Core | Tauri v2, Rust | Native window management, PTY process isolation, OS integration |
| Frontend | React 19, TypeScript, Vite | Interactive GUI, layout rendering, component lifecycle |
| Terminal Engine | Xterm.js | Low-latency terminal rendering with fit and weblinks addons |
| PTY Backend | portable-pty (Rust) | Shell process spawning and I/O management |
| Styling & UI | Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, Base UI | Unified design system with accessible controls |
| Animation | Framer Motion | Spring-physics transitions, Z-axis scaling, drag gestures |
| Drag & Drop | dnd-kit | Pane header drag reordering with live quadrant previews |
| Persistence | Tauri Store Plugin | Local JSON-based storage for settings, workspaces, snippets |
- Multi-pane terminal with real PTY shell sessions
- Dynamic recursive split layouts (horizontal/vertical) with resize handles
- Pane drag-and-drop repartitioning with animated ghost overlays
- Global command palette for workspace switching and template launching
- Command snippet repository with
{{VAR}}placeholder resolution - Multiple workspace support with sidebar, pinning, and renaming
- Sub-tab system for multiple layouts per workspace
- CLI tool agent registry with install-status detection
- Automatic localhost port detection and TCP-liveness checking
- 14 bundled themes with dark/light/system scheme support
- Custom theme creation and management
- Zen Mode for distraction-free terminal work
- Settings persistence for terminal font, size, shortcuts, and appearance
- Onboarding flow with profile selection and tool scanning
- Pane keyboard navigation (
Alt+Arrows,Ctrl+1-9) - State restoration across app launches
- Custom titlebar with minimize/maximize/close controls
- Self-updater via GitHub Releases
- Sidebar style tabbing
- Project-based workspaces
- Drag and drop skills to AI agents
- Auto-PR (automated pull request workflows)
- Session management
- Enhanced command snippets with advanced variable resolution
We welcome contributions. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions, development workflow, and pull request guidelines.
