Getting Started

TermTree is for running many tasks at once, each in its own terminal — often with an AI agent doing the work — without losing track of where things stand. You lay out the work as a tree of task nodes, launch a terminal into each node when it’s time to start, and use the map to see status and know where to step in. This page walks through that loop, starting with installation.

The TermTree interface showing a hierarchical SaaS launch mind map beside live PostgreSQL terminal output

Install TermTree

Download TermTree from the download page. It’s available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

  • macOS — Open the .dmg and drag TermTree to Applications.
  • Windows — Run the .msi installer.
  • Linux — Install via .deb, .rpm, or .AppImage.

Launch TermTree after installation. You’ll see a mind map canvas with a single root node.

Core concept: plan first, execute when ready

TermTree separates planning from execution. Build your task tree first — add nodes for each piece of work — then launch terminals when you’re ready to start.

The mind map serves as a plan before execution and a live dashboard during execution. Node status indicators update in real time as your terminals run.

Create your first nodes

  1. Select the root node (click it or use arrow keys).
  2. Press Tab to add a child node. Type a name and press Enter.
  3. Select that child and press Enter to add a sibling. Type a name and press Enter.

You now have a small task tree. Repeat to build out your plan.

Launch a terminal

Select any node and press Cmd+Shift+Enter (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+Enter (Windows/Linux). A terminal session opens in the right panel, attached to that node.

The node’s status dot changes from gray to blue — indicating the terminal is active.

Three focus zones

TermTree has three focus zones:

ZoneWhat you can do
Mind mapNavigate nodes with arrow keys, add/delete/rename nodes
TerminalType commands, interact with running processes
EditorView and edit any file you open from terminal output

You can move between them entirely from the keyboard: Cmd+Shift+Left / Cmd+Shift+Right (Ctrl+Shift+Left / Ctrl+Shift+Right) step between zones in the order above. The traversal is linear rather than wrapping — pressing Right from the editor stays put, as does Left from the mind map — and the editor zone joins the sequence only while the editor panel is open. Clicking a node or clicking inside a terminal focuses that zone too, if you’d rather use the mouse.

Three panels side by side — a mind map, a terminal, and an editor — with Cmd+Shift+Left and Cmd+Shift+Right arrows stepping focus between adjacent zones. The traversal is linear rather than wrapping: pressing Right from the editor is a no-op, and the editor zone joins the sequence only while its panel is open

See Editor & Viewer for how to open files — the terminal is TermTree’s file explorer, so any path you see in terminal output is one ⌘/Ctrl-click away from opening.

Monitor progress

Each node shows a colored status dot:

Five labeled status indicators in a row: a blue RUNNING pill for active output, an amber IDLE pill for no output in about 30 seconds, an orange INPUT pill for a process blocked waiting on you, a red ERROR pill for a non-zero exit, and a gray IDLE pill for a node with no terminal session. The amber and gray indicators share the IDLE label and are told apart by color

ColorBadgeMeaning
Blue (pulsing)RUNNINGActive output
AmberIDLENo output for ~30 seconds
OrangeINPUTBlocked, waiting on you
RedERRORProcess exited non-zero
GrayIDLENo terminal launched yet

Gray IDLE (no session running) and amber IDLE (a session that has produced no recent output) share a label but not a color — hover a node to see which it is.

There’s no “done” or “complete” state — a process that exits cleanly (exit code 0) returns to gray IDLE, not a distinct “finished” indicator.

What’s next