Navigation
Secondary Terminal includes several navigation layers so you can move through terminals, command output, and split layouts without relying on the mouse. That includes find-in-terminal search, direct terminal focus shortcuts, previous and next terminal commands, and an opt-in Zellij-style panel navigation mode.
Navigation Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Find in terminal | Search terminal output with text or regular expressions. |
| Focus terminal view | Jump directly into Secondary Terminal from the keyboard. |
| Focus by index | Use terminal number shortcuts for fast switching. |
| Previous and next terminal | Move across terminals without choosing a specific index. |
| Panel navigation mode | Use Ctrl+P plus h/j/k/l or arrows to move between splits. |
Search in Terminal
Find-in-terminal behaves like you would expect in a serious terminal workflow.
| Action | Shortcut | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open search | Ctrl+F / Cmd+F | Focuses the terminal search UI. |
| Regex search | Search option | Useful for filenames, test names, or repeated prompt markers. |
| Search across output | Terminal buffer | Works on the visible terminal history. |
This is especially effective when you are searching for specific commands, stack traces, or model responses in a long AI session.
Focus and Switching Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Focus Secondary Terminal | Ctrl+` |
| Focus terminal 1-5 | Alt+1..5 or Cmd+Alt+1..5 on macOS |
| Focus next terminal | Alt+Right or Alt+Cmd+Right on macOS |
| Focus previous terminal | Alt+Left or Alt+Cmd+Left on macOS |
| Scroll to previous command | Ctrl+Up or Cmd+Up on macOS |
| Scroll to next command | Ctrl+Down or Cmd+Down on macOS |
Zellij-Style Panel Navigation Mode
Panel navigation mode is disabled by default to avoid conflicts with terminal multiplexers like zellij, tmux, or screen. When enabled, it gives you a dedicated keyboard layer for switching between split terminals.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
secondaryTerminal.panelNavigation.enabled | false | Enables the dedicated panel navigation mode. |
secondaryTerminal.navigation.enabled | true | Enables general terminal navigation features. |
secondaryTerminal.navigation.showCommandMarks | true | Shows command boundaries for easier navigation. |
Panel Navigation Shortcuts
| Key | Result |
|---|---|
Ctrl+P | Enter or exit panel navigation mode |
h or ArrowLeft | Focus previous terminal |
j or ArrowDown | Focus next terminal |
k or ArrowUp | Focus previous terminal |
l or ArrowRight | Focus next terminal |
r or d | Create a new terminal |
x | Close the current terminal |
Escape | Exit panel navigation mode |
Example setup:
{
"secondaryTerminal.panelNavigation.enabled": true,
"secondaryTerminal.navigation.enabled": true,
"secondaryTerminal.navigation.showCommandMarks": true
}When This Matters Most
Navigation features save the most time when:
- you keep several terminals open all day
- you work in split view
- you need to search long AI or test logs quickly
- you prefer keyboard-first workflows