Getting started

PATerminal is a desktop terminal built for running several AI coding agents — Claude Code, Codex, or any other CLI — at the same time without losing track of them. This page takes you from download to your first running agent in about five minutes.

Written for PATerminal v1.8.3

System requirements

macOSWindows
OS versionmacOS 11 Big Sur or laterWindows 10 or later (64-bit)
PackageUniversal .dmg (Apple silicon and Intel), signed and notarized.exe installer (x64); WebView2 is installed automatically if missing
ShellsYour login shell (zsh, bash, fish, …)PowerShell or Command Prompt

PATerminal itself doesn't include any AI agent. Install the CLIs you want to use — for example claude (Claude Code) or codex (Codex CLI) — and sign in to them as usual. Git features use the git on your machine, and pull requests and issues use your own signed-in GitHub CLI (gh).

Install on macOS

  1. Download the .dmg from the download page.
  2. Open the .dmg and drag PATerminal into Applications.
  3. Launch PATerminal from Applications or Spotlight. If macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the internet, choose Open.
Tip

Want to open folders straight from Finder? After installing, turn on the Finder Quick Action in Settings.

Install on Windows

  1. Download the .exe installer from the download page.
  2. Run it. If Windows SmartScreen shows “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway — this appears because the app is new, not because something is wrong.
  3. Finish the installer and launch PATerminal from the Start menu.

To verify the download by hand, compare its SHA-256 with the value on the Windows install guide.

First launch

On first launch PATerminal shows the End User License Agreement. Read it, tick I have read and agree, and press Agree and start PATerminal. Your 30-day free trial starts right away — no account, license key, or credit card.

A short welcome card then offers a one-minute tour of the three basics: creating a session, choosing a working folder, and splitting panes. Each step waits for you to do the real thing, so by the end you have a working setup. Press Later to skip it; you can replay it anytime from Tour in the toolbar.

Run your first agent

  1. Click + at the top of the sidebar. A new session opens together with the folder browser.
  2. Browse to your project folder and press Move here. The terminal cds there and the sidebar shows the folder and its Git branch.
  3. Type claude (or codex) and press Enter. PATerminal detects the agent and starts tracking its status.
  4. Split the pane with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+D and start a second agent, or press + again to give the next task its own session.

Now switch away and keep working. The sidebar shows each session as Running, Waiting for input, or Done, and a desktop notification tells you when a session you're not looking at finishes or needs an answer. Quit the app whenever you like — next time every session comes back and Claude Code / Codex conversations resume where they left off.

Where to go next

Still stuck?

Check the FAQ, or email us with your OS, PATerminal version, and what you tried. We reply to every message.

Read the FAQEmail support