localterm
Your terminal should just be a browser tab.
Run npx @monotykamary/localterm@latest start and every browser tab is one shell. Open a new tab to spawn another. Close a tab and its shell waits in the session switcher (top-right) for a short grace window — switch back to it in that window, or it's reaped. That's the whole product.
Install
npx @monotykamary/localterm@latest startThis boots a local daemon and opens a browser tab. The URL depends on what's installed on the machine — localterm status shows the active one:
| Surface | URL | Requires | | ------------ | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | tailnet | https://<your-node.ts.net | Tailscale connected, HTTPS certs enabled for the tailnet | | local | https://localterm.localhost | portless (installed via localterm install) | | loopback | http://localterm.localhost:3417 | nothing — .localhost resolves to 127.0.0.1 via RFC 6761, no /etc/hosts edit needed |
To install globally: npm install -g @monotykamary/localterm && localterm start.
Usage
The mental model is shell = browser tab:
- New tab → new shell.
- Close tab → the shell detaches and waits in the session switcher (top-right) for ~30s; reattach in that window or it's reaped. A shell still producing output (a build) or running a foreground program (a sleep) is kept alive, so a closed tab never kills a running command.
- Reload tab → fresh shell (the prior one waits in the switcher like a closed tab).
- Switch → the session switcher (top-right, or <kbd⌘</kbd/<kbdCtrl</kbd+<kbdI</kbd) re-points this tab at any live shell; search by title, path, or shell.
Transient connection drops silently reattach to the same shell. If you want a shell that survives a full page reload in the same tab, run tmux inside localterm. → full model in Usage.
Features
| | | | ------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 🐚 Shells | Pick a shell per tab, per CLI call, or globally (LOCALTERMSHELL); login profiles + OSC 7 / git-dirty hooks for zsh, bash, fish. | | 🎨 Themes & fonts | 20 built-in themes (16 dark + 4 light) + Auto (system); import your own (JSON or iTerm .itermcolors); 11 bundled fonts + a custom system Nerd Font — all offline. | | ⏰ Automations | Scheduled + folder-watch + event + webhook jobs; shell or headless agent runners; background tabs. | | 🚀 Auto-start & remote access | launchd (macOS) / systemd user unit (Linux); Tailscale or an ssh tunnel turns a VPS into an ssh + tmux replacement. | | 🔐 Identity & SSO | Multi-user access via header (reverse proxy), passkey (WebAuthn), or oidc. | | 🤖 pi integration | Kitty graphics + OSC 8 links, and secret scrubbing for pi's bash tool. | | 🛡️ Security | Loopback-bound by default; DNS-rebinding defense; safe sharing. |
CLI
localterm start [-p 3417] [-H 127.0.0.1] [--open] # daemonizes by default
localterm stop | status | restart
localterm install # auto-start service + URL surfaces + completions
localterm exec "<cmd>" [--cwd <path>] [--shell <path>] [--json] # one-shot: run, capture, exit with its code
localterm session new|ls|attach|exec|capture|kill <id> … # tmux-parity PTY control
localterm secret list|get|set|delete <name> # Keychain-backed per-program secretsState lives in ~/.localterm/ (PID, port, server log at ~/.localterm/server.log). → full reference in CLI.