Sessions

Create a session#

There are several ways to start a session, depending on how much you want to set up first:

+ button

Creates an auto-numbered session right after the active one (inside the same group) and opens the folder browser so you can pick where it starts. Press Move here, or close the browser to stay in your home folder. On Windows, + first asks whether to start PowerShell or Command Prompt.

Location arrow next to +

Hover it to pick the starting folder first: Home, your favorites, or Recent locations.

Cmd/Ctrl+T

Opens the detailed form: Session name, Group (optional), Location, shell, and a Session note (optional).

Right-click empty sidebar space

Create session adds a new top-level session.

From the folder browser

New session in any pane's folder browser opens a session in the folder you're viewing.

From Finder (macOS)

Right-click a folder → Quick Actions → Open in PATerminal, use Open With, or drop a folder on the Dock icon. See Settings.

Switch between sessions#

• Click a session in the sidebar.
• Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab cycle forward and back — it works even while the cursor is in a terminal.
• ⌘⇧↓ / ⌘⇧↑ (Windows: Ctrl+Shift+↓ / Ctrl+Shift+↑) move down and up the sidebar order.
• Cmd/Ctrl+1 … Cmd/Ctrl+9 jump to the first nine sessions.

Sessions you aren't looking at keep running. Their output is buffered natively, so even a dozen busy agents never slow down your typing.

Session status#

Each session row shows what its terminals are doing:

Running

Something is producing output or working after your input.

Waiting for input

An agent is asking you something — an approval, a choice, or a question.

Done

The work finished. If it finished while you were elsewhere, the session gets an attention dot and counts as Unseen until you open it.

A session typed into in the last 7 days also shows a small badge such as “today” or “2 days ago”; hover it for the exact time. See AI agents for how status and notifications work.

Rename, notes, pins, and colors#

Rename

Double-click the session name and type. Or right-click → Rename.

Note

A short note under the name, up to three lines in the sidebar. Right-click → Add note, or click the note to open a larger editor (Enter saves, Shift+Enter adds a line, Esc cancels). If you leave the note empty, PATerminal fills it with the first prompt you sent to claude / codex in that session, so you can tell sessions apart at a glance. Clear it and it stays empty.

Pin

Right-click → Pin session keeps it at the top of its group (or of the ungrouped list).

Background color

Right-click → Session background tints the session with one of six theme colors so related work stands out.

Copy a session#

Right-click → Copy session opens a new single-pane session in the same folder — handy for starting another agent on the same repository. Copy session ×N creates several at once; set the number with the − / + buttons.

Search, filter, and sort#

• Search sessions... narrows the list as you type and combines with the status filter.
• The status filter above the list shows All, only running / waiting / done sessions, Unseen sessions, or the Archived ones. Filtering opens any collapsed group that has matches.
• Recent sorts sessions flat by when you last used them. Each row then shows its group path above the name. Turn it off to return to your own order and groups.

Archive sessions#

Archive a session you want to keep but don't need to see. It disappears from All but keeps running — no process is stopped. Open the Archived filter to see archived sessions, and click the unarchive icon on a row to bring it back. A badge on the filter counts newly archived sessions.

Select several sessions#

Cmd/Ctrl + click adds sessions to a selection and Shift + click selects a range. A selection bar then offers Show together (open them in a session split), Group, Close, and Clear. You can also drag the whole selection into a group.

Close and restore sessions#

Close a session with the × on its row or right-click → Close session. Its processes are stopped, but the session isn't gone: the 20 most recently closed sessions are kept with their pane layout, terminal history, pin, and color.

1. Click History in the toolbar.
2. Open the Recently deleted tab.
3. Press Restore on the session you want back. It reopens with its panes and screen history.