178 features.
One terminal named after a sock.
AI detection, MCP terminal control, SIMD parsing, GPU rendering, and everything else a developer actually needs. Pick a pillar or search the full catalog.
Lower Cognitive Load
Your terminal should tell you things, not make you figure them out. Detection, organization, and search that work so you don't have to.
Auto AI CLI Detection ★
Detects Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, ChatGPT, Copilot, Aider, and Cursor the moment they launch.
AI Tab Branding ★
Tabs adopt the brand color and logo of the active AI agent. Claude is orange. Codex is green.
Detection Status Indicator
Active, idle, or done: see it on the tab without switching to it.
Multi-Tab
Unlimited tabs with drag-to-reorder, pinning, and custom titles.
Tab Drag & Drop
Drag tabs anywhere. Snap-to-position with zero drift.
Session Restore
Quit and relaunch. Everything comes back exactly as you left it.
Terminal Search
Regex search through terminal output with match-by-match navigation.
Command Palette
Cmd+Shift+P. Every feature, every action, one fuzzy search away.
Optimize Cost & Context
Know what your AI agents spend, what tokens they burn, and where the money goes. Finally, numbers instead of vibes.
Context Token Optimization ★
Strip terminal noise before AI reads it. Save ~40% on context tokens.
Cost Tracking ★
Dollars and cents per API call, per session, per month. No more surprises.
Token Counting
Input tokens, output tokens, per call. The numbers your provider charges but never shows.
Latency Tracking
Time-to-first-token and total duration for every API call.
Analytics Dashboard
Tokens, costs, and latency trends over time. Finally, a chart that matters.
AI Session Tracking
Every AI session tracked from first prompt to last. Run counts, duration, cost attribution.
Visibility & Control
MCP tools, safety guardrails, and scripting APIs. Your AI agents get power. You keep oversight.
20 MCP Tools ★
Full terminal control via MCP. Tab lifecycle, command execution, output capture, telemetry.
Auto-Registration ★
Launch Chau7. Done. Every AI client already knows how to talk to it.
MCP Approval Gate
Review every MCP tool call before it runs. Trust, but verify.
Tab Limits
Maximum MCP-created tabs. Prevents runaway agents from tab-bombing you.
Dangerous Command Guard ★
rm -rf pauses for confirmation. Because undo doesn't exist in terminals.
Session Recording ★
Built-in session recording. Every keystroke, every output, millisecond timestamps.
JSON-RPC API
Automate your terminal from any programming language. Not AppleScript.
MCP Tab Indicator
Know which tabs are yours and which ones your AI conjured.
The full catalog
All 178 features. Search or filter by category.
Auto AI CLI Detection ★
Detects Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, ChatGPT, Copilot, Aider, and Cursor the moment they launch in any tab.
AI Tab Branding ★
Tabs automatically adopt the brand color and logo of the active AI agent.
AI Process Monitoring ★
Track CPU, memory, and PID of AI agent processes per tab.
Custom Detection Rules
Define custom process name patterns for AI tools not yet in the built-in list.
Detection Status Indicator
Visual indicator in the tab bar showing whether an AI agent is active, idle, or completed.
Multi-Agent Awareness
Handles multiple AI agents running in different tabs simultaneously with independent tracking.
Context Token Optimization ★
Monitor and optimize LLM API token usage in real-time, per tab or globally.
LLM Error Explanation
One-click error analysis via OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, or custom endpoints.
CTO Per-Tab Override
Enable or disable Context Token Optimization on individual tabs independent of global setting.
AI Session Tracking
Group related AI interactions into sessions with run counts and duration tracking.
API Cost Proxy ★
Local proxy captures LLM API traffic to count tokens and estimate costs per call, per session.
Token Counting
Track input and output tokens per API call with provider-specific tokenization.
Cost Tracking ★
Calculate cost per API call based on provider pricing. View per-session and cumulative costs.
Latency Tracking
Measure time-to-first-token and total request duration for every API call.
Analytics Dashboard
Visual dashboard showing token usage, costs, and latency trends over time.
20 MCP Tools ★
Full terminal control via Model Context Protocol: tab lifecycle, command execution, output capture, telemetry.
Unix Socket Server
MCP server runs over a local Unix socket: no network exposure, no authentication needed.
Auto-Registration ★
Registers in Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Codex config files on every launch.
MCP Resources
4 resource endpoints (tab://list, session://list, run://latest, config://mcp) for read-only data access.
Tab Limits
Configurable maximum MCP-created tabs to prevent runaway agent behavior.
MCP Tab Indicator
Visual indicator distinguishing MCP-created tabs from user-created tabs.
Full VT100/xterm Emulation
Complete terminal emulation with 256-color, true color (24-bit), and all standard escape sequences.
Unicode & Emoji Support
Full Unicode rendering including CJK, RTL, combining characters, and color emoji.
Shell Integration
Deep integration with zsh, bash, and fish for command detection, working directory tracking, and exit codes.
Scrollback Buffer
Configurable scrollback with efficient memory usage. Search within scrollback with regex support.
Hyperlinks
Clickable URLs detected automatically. OSC 8 hyperlink protocol support for rich links.
Image Protocol
Inline image display via iTerm2 image protocol and Sixel graphics.
Ligatures
Font ligature rendering for programming fonts like Fira Code, JetBrains Mono, and Cascadia Code.
Bell Notification
Visual bell, sound bell, and Dock bounce on terminal bell character. Configurable per-profile.
Metal Rendering ★
Hardware-accelerated rendering via Apple Metal API with glyph atlas and dirty region tracking.
SIMD Parsing ★
16-32 byte SIMD-accelerated ANSI escape parsing in Rust for cache-line-speed throughput.
Triple Buffering
Atomic-swap triple buffer ensures no tearing and no render blocking between parser and GPU.
Lock-Free SPSC Buffer
Zero-contention PTY data pipeline between reader and parser threads.
Multi-Tab
Unlimited tabs with drag-to-reorder, tab pinning, and tab-specific titles.
Split Panes
Horizontal and vertical splits within any tab. Resize with drag handles or keyboard shortcuts.
Tab Drag & Drop
Drag tabs between windows or within the tab bar. Snap positioning with smooth animations.
Tab Profiles
Per-tab shell, working directory, and environment variable configuration.
Background Suspension
Inactive tabs consume no render cycles. Instant resume on tab switch.
Tab Watchdog
Monitors tab health and auto-refreshes stale state. Resets after timeout rather than giving up.
Font Selection
5 built-in system monospace fonts plus custom font support. Any installed monospace font works.
Themes
Built-in themes with full 256-color and true color customization. Import iTerm2 color schemes.
Custom Keybindings
Fully remappable keyboard shortcuts with Vim keybinding presets available.
Cursor Styles
Block, beam, and underline cursors with configurable blink rate and color.
Window Opacity
Adjustable window transparency from 30% to 100%. See your desktop behind the terminal.
SSH Connection Manager
Visual SSH profile manager with host, port, identity file, and jump host configuration.
Auto-Import SSH Config
Imports hosts from ~/.ssh/config automatically. Stays in sync with config file changes.
Jump Host Support
Multi-hop SSH connections through bastion/jump hosts with ProxyJump support.
Context-Aware Switching
Tabs detect SSH connections and auto-switch profiles, colors, and settings based on remote host.
Syntax Highlighting
Language-aware syntax highlighting for 50+ languages in the built-in editor.
Bracket Matching
Automatic bracket, brace, and parenthesis matching with jump-to-match.
Find & Replace
In-editor find and replace with regex support and match highlighting.
Line Numbers
Configurable line number gutter with relative line numbers option.
Dangerous Command Guard ★
Intercepts rm -rf, dd, mkfs and other dangerous commands with a confirmation dialog before execution.
Process Exit Confirmation
Warns before closing tabs with running processes. Configurable per-process rules.
MCP Approval Gate
Optional per-tool approval for MCP actions before they execute.
Localization (4 Languages)
Full localization with RTL support. Runtime language switching without restart.
Clipboard History
Searchable clipboard history with pinning. Persists across sessions.
Paste Safety
Automatically escapes dangerous shell characters in pasted text to prevent accidental command execution.
Snippets
Reusable code snippets with placeholder variables. Insert via command palette or keyboard shortcut.
Session Recording ★
Record terminal sessions with precise timestamps for every output event.
Timeline Scrubber
Visual timeline for recorded sessions. Scrub to any point and replay terminal state.
Session Restore
Restore tabs, working directories, and terminal state after app restart.
Command Palette
Cmd+Shift+P for fuzzy-searchable commands. Find any action across all features.
Terminal Search
Search within terminal output with regex support, case sensitivity, and match navigation.
Command History Search
Fuzzy search through command history with frecency ranking.
JSON-RPC API
Unix socket JSON-RPC API for automating tabs, commands, history, snippets, and settings.
Shell Hooks
Pre/post command hooks for custom automation. Trigger actions on command entry or exit.
Overlay Mode
Floating terminal window above all other apps. Toggle with a global hotkey.
Fullscreen Mode
Native macOS fullscreen with menu bar hiding and Space integration.
Menu Bar Only
Run Chau7 as a menu bar app with no Dock icon. Access via menu bar icon or hotkey.
Frequently asked questions
What shells does Chau7 support?
Chau7 supports zsh, bash, fish, and any POSIX-compatible shell. It auto-detects your default shell from your system configuration.
Can I import my iTerm2 settings?
Yes. Chau7 includes a migration wizard that imports your iTerm2 profiles, keybindings, and color schemes. Launch it from Settings > Import.
Does it support Vim keybindings?
Yes. Chau7 includes Vim keybinding presets that can be enabled from Settings > Keys. Custom keybinding maps are also fully supported.