Session Restore
Quit Chau7. Relaunch. Everything is exactly where you left it. Tabs, directories, splits, all of it.
Questions this answers
- Why doesn't my terminal restore tabs after closing?
- How to restore terminal session after restart?
- Which terminal emulator saves and restores tabs automatically?
- How to get my terminal tabs back after a crash?
- Terminal doesn't restore tabs after closing: how to fix?
How it works
When Chau7 quits: whether intentionally or due to a crash: it persists the current workspace state: every open tab, its position in the tab bar, its working directory, split pane layout, custom title, and terminal configuration. On the next launch, Chau7 reads this state and reconstructs your workspace, opening new shell sessions in the correct directories with the correct configuration.
The restore process handles edge cases that trip up simpler implementations. If a working directory was deleted while Chau7 was closed, the tab opens in your home directory with a notice. If a tab was running a long-lived process (like a dev server), the tab reopens in the same directory ready for you to restart it. Split pane layouts, tab ordering, and window positioning are all preserved.
Session restore works alongside macOS's built-in window restoration but goes deeper: macOS can reopen the window, but only Chau7 knows about your tabs, splits, and per-tab configuration. The two systems complement each other to provide a seamless restart experience.
Why it matters
Losing your terminal layout after a restart is one of the most common pain points across every terminal emulator forum. You had 12 tabs arranged just right, each in the correct directory, and now they are gone. Chau7 saves the full session state: tab order, working directories, split layout, and window positions. When you relaunch, it all comes back. Like it never left.
Frequently asked questions
Does session restore work after a crash?
Yes. Chau7 persists workspace state periodically, not just on clean exit. If the app crashes, the most recent state snapshot is used on the next launch. You may lose changes from the last few seconds before the crash, but the overall workspace is preserved.
Are running processes restored?
Running processes cannot be automatically restarted because they may have side effects. Chau7 restores the tab in the correct working directory so you can restart the process with a single up-arrow and enter. The tab's scrollback buffer from before the restart is not preserved, as the shell process is new.
Can I disable session restore?
Yes. Session restore can be disabled in Chau7's settings if you prefer to start with a clean workspace on every launch. You can also selectively exclude specific tabs from being restored.