term-session 0.9.1-alpha

Generic terminal session reproducer: run a PTY in a detached server and attach any number of terminals, locally or over SSH.
Documentation

term-session

A layout-agnostic, headless terminal session host and multiplexer.

term-session provides the persistence layer for terminal applications. It operates similarly to tmux or GNU screen, ensuring that running processes survive client disconnects. Unlike traditional window managers, term-session enforces no layout paradigm. It is a pure session daemon.

Usage

Build and run from source (Rust 1.85+, edition 2024; no extra toolchain needed):

cargo run --release --bin term-session -- term-wm                        # attach to default/main, auto-spawning a server
cargo run --release --bin term-session -- --channel work -- vim          # attach to (or spawn) the "work" channel
cargo run --release --bin term-session -- --server --channel work -- vim # start a dedicated server daemon

Multiple terminals can attach to the same channel to share one session.

In client mode term-session first probes the channel for a live server and, if none is running, spawns a detached one automatically (connect_or_spawn_server). The program to run and the PTY size are forwarded to the server at spawn time. The channel can also be set via the TERM_WM_CHANNEL environment variable.

Architecture & Capabilities

  • Concurrent Display Heads: Supports multiple independent clients connecting to and rendering a single running session simultaneously.
  • Muxio IPC Integration: Utilizes the Muxio IPC framework and Bitcode serialization over OS-native transports (Linux abstract sockets, macOS /tmp, Windows named pipes) to route PTY state between the background server and attached clients.
  • Shared Mechanics: Reuses a large part of term-wm's internals — the PTY engine (term-wm-pty-engine: spawning, scrollback tracking, vt100 parsing), the input event types (term-wm-events), and the crossterm input adapter (term-wm-crossterm-adapter). term-session does not produce the window manager: there is no layout engine, no tiling, and no window chrome — only the persistence and multiplexing layer.

Platform Notes

  • macOS & Linux: The auto-spawned server detaches into its own session via setsid(), so it survives terminal closure and client disconnects. (Other Unix-like systems have not been tested.)
  • Windows: term-session works on Windows, but it does not currently auto-daemonize. The server is spawned with CREATE_NO_WINDOW (which suppresses the console window) rather than a full process-session detachment, so the server process does not fully detach from the launching console's lifetime the way it does on macOS and Linux.

Integration with term-wm

To deploy a persistent, tiling terminal workspace, run term-wm as a child process inside term-session. This architecture guarantees that the window manager and its layout state survive terminal emulator restarts or SSH disconnects.