Terminal
The terminal feature gives you direct shell access to nodes. This is a full PTY terminal - a separate shell on the target system.
Opening a Terminal
From a node:
- Click the Terminal button
- A terminal panel opens
- You have a shell on that node
The terminal uses xterm.js for rendering, so you get proper terminal emulation with colors, cursor movement, and escape sequences.
What You Can Do
This is a real shell. You can:
- Run commands on the target system
- Navigate the filesystem
- View and edit files
- Run scripts
- Check system status
The shell runs as the same user that runs the Praxis node.
Terminal vs Agent Session
These are different things:
| Terminal | Agent Session |
|---|---|
| Direct shell access | AI agent interaction |
| Raw commands | Natural language prompts |
| System-level | Agent-level |
| No AI involved | AI processes requests |
Use the terminal for direct system work. Use sessions for agent interaction.
Use Cases
Debugging - Check logs, inspect files, verify the node is working correctly.
Preparation - Set up environments, install dependencies, configure the system before running operations.
Manual Operations - Sometimes you just need a shell. The terminal is there when you need it.
Verification - After an operation runs, verify the results directly.
Terminal Persistence
The terminal session persists while you have the panel open. Closing the panel ends the shell session. There's no background persistence-this is an interactive terminal.
Limitations
- One terminal per node at a time
- Runs as the node's user
- Subject to the node's environment and permissions
Troubleshooting
Terminal won't connect
- Verify the node is online
- Check RabbitMQ connectivity
- Look at node logs
Commands not working
- Check the node's environment
- Verify PATH settings
- Ensure required tools are installed
Display issues
- Terminal size may need adjustment
- Some applications may not render correctly
- Try simpler commands to verify basic function