term.nvim

Dependencies · Installation · Usage · Keybindings

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A Neovim plugin for managing multiple terminal sessions with an interactive dashboard. Run, monitor, and control multiple terminal instances directly from your editor.

Features

• Manage multiple terminal sessions simultaneously
• Interactive dashboard with dual-pane layout
  • Left panel: Terminal session list with status indicator (20% width)
  • Right panel: Active terminal display with full terminal emulation (80% width)
• Commands: :Term <cmd>, :Term, :Term list
• Create, switch, and close terminal sessions
• Rename sessions and navigate between them
• Sessions persist after dashboard closure
• Seamless integration with nui.nvim and plenary.nvim

Dependencies

• nui.nvim - UI components
• plenary.nvim - Lua utilities

Installation

Install with your preferred package manager:

Using lazy.nvim

{
  "marco-souza/term.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim",
    "nvim-lua/plenary.nvim"
  },
  config = function()
    require("term").setup()
  end,
}

Usage

Commands

The plugin provides the following commands:

• :Term <cmd> - Create and open a terminal with the specified command
• :Term - Open the dashboard with all active sessions
• :Term list - List all active terminal sessions in a notification

Examples

:Term npm start           " Creates and displays a new terminal running npm start
:Term python script.py    " Creates a terminal running a Python script
:Term                     " Opens the dashboard with all active sessions
:Term list                " Shows list of all active terminals

Dashboard Navigation

Once the dashboard is open, you have a dual-pane interface:

Left Panel - Session List

• Shows all active terminal sessions
• * marker indicates the currently active session
• Displays useful keybindings reference

Right Panel - Terminal

• Full terminal emulation
• All keyboard input is forwarded to the terminal
• Terminal persists when dashboard is closed

Keybindings

Session Navigation (all modes)

Key	Action
<S-j>	Switch to next session
<S-k>	Switch to previous session
<S-r>	Rename current session
<S-x>	Delete current session

Terminal Mode

• All keys are forwarded to the active terminal
• Navigation shortcuts still work while in terminal

Configuration

Setup with default options:

require("term").setup({
  margin = 2,                    -- Margin around dashboard (default: 2)
  width = 120,                   -- Dashboard width in characters (default: 120)
  height = 30,                   -- Dashboard height in lines (default: 30)
  border = "rounded",            -- Border style: "rounded", "solid", "double", "dashed", "dotted" (default: "rounded")
  default_shell = "/bin/bash",   -- Default shell command (default: $SHELL or "/bin/bash")
  auto_focus_terminal = true,    -- Auto-enter terminal mode on open (default: true)
  session_list_width = "20%",    -- Session list panel width (default: "20%")
  terminal_width = "80%",        -- Terminal panel width (default: "80%")
})

Architecture

The plugin is organized as follows:

lua/term/
├── init.lua           # Plugin entry point
├── cmd.lua            # Command definitions and routing
├── types.lua          # Type definitions
├── ui/
│   └── dashboard.lua  # Dashboard UI (nui.nvim layout)
└── utils/
    └── terminal.lua   # Terminal session management

Session Lifecycle

1. Create: Use :Term <cmd> to spawn a new session
2. Manage: Sessions are tracked independently and can be switched via dashboard
3. Persist: Sessions continue running even after dashboard is closed (auto-closes on WinLeave)
4. Close: Delete sessions with <S-x> or by exiting the terminal

All sessions are stored in memory and persist for the current Neovim session.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.