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Getting Started

MultiTerminal is a Windows desktop host for running multiple Claude Code terminal sessions side by side, with a shared Kanban board, agent messaging, and institutional memory built in. This page walks you from first launch to your first task.

What MultiTerminal Is

MultiTerminal is a desktop application (.NET 8, WinForms, WebView2) that hosts many terminal sessions in one window. Each terminal can run a Claude Code session that registers a named identity (for example, “Alice”), so agents can message one another, claim tasks, and hand work off. Behind the window runs an embedded REST API (port 5050) and an MCP server that give those agents structured access to the Kanban board, knowledge base, and session history.

You do not have to use multiple agents to get value from it — a single terminal plus the Kanban board is a perfectly good way to start. The multi-agent features are there when you want them.

For installation, system requirements, and MCP server registration, see the Deployment guide. This page assumes the app is installed and focuses on what to do the first time you open it.

First Launch & the Start Screen

When you launch MultiTerminal, the Start Screen greets you with the list of projects already registered with the app. From here you can:

• Open one of your registered projects (a terminal opens rooted in that project's folder).
• Register a new project so MultiTerminal can track it.
• Open a plain terminal in any folder.

On a clean install the project list is empty, so the first real step is to register a project.

Register or Open a Project

A project is a folder MultiTerminal knows about. Registering it stores its path plus optional metadata — assigned agents, MCP servers, named paths, prompts, and skills — in the app's SQLite database. There are two ways to register one:

• The /new-project wizard — run inside a Claude Code terminal, this interactive wizard onboards either a brand-new project from an archetype (Clarion COM, WebView2, Clarion App, MT Feature, Generic C#) or an existing folder you already have on disk.
• The Project panel — toggle it from the toolbar (the Project button) to add, edit, and inspect projects through the UI.

Once a project is registered it appears on the Start Screen and in the Project panel, and any terminal you open in it inherits its context.

Open a Terminal with an Identity

Open a terminal by choosing a project on the Start Screen, or with the New Terminal toolbar button. Each terminal tab is a full ConPTY-based shell rendered in WebView2, so you can run Claude Code or any normal command.

At terminal startup the Identity Picker dialog asks you to pick an existing name or create a new one. That choice registers the terminal's named identity (such as “Alice”) with MultiTerminal and lets it resume the right session. The name is how the agent appears in the team roster, how it sends and receives messages, and how it claims tasks. A registered terminal is a teammate; an unregistered shell is just a shell. The dialog is one of several covered in Features.

Run Your First Task

The shared Kanban board is the heart of the workflow. Open it with the Tasks toolbar button; for the full board tour see Features — Kanban Board. A task moves through three top-level states — todo → in_progress → done — and carries a checklist, a plan, and continuation notes. A minimal first run looks like this:

1. Create a task — click the + (Add task) button at the top of the To Do column and give it a clear title and description.
2. Claim it — click the Claim button on the task's card so it is assigned to your identity. Claiming is required before you work — it records who owns the task.
3. Make it active. Each assignee has only one active task at a time; setting this one active (via the set_task_active tool, which an agent calls as it starts work) automatically pauses any other active task you hold — the card then shows an active badge.
4. Plan and break it down — click the card title to open its lifecycle board, write a short markdown plan, and add checklist items.
5. Work each item: move it from pending to coding, then to testing with a note describing what you did.

That is the whole loop in miniature. The full lifecycle — checklist state machine, who is allowed to mark an item done, helpers, and session handoff — is documented in the Kanban Workflow guide.

The Toolbar at a Glance

The top toolbar toggles the app's panels and a few global actions. From left to right:

Button	What it does
New Terminal	Opens a new terminal tab.
Project	Toggles the Project panel (project registry and settings).
Chat	Toggles the Chat panel for messaging between terminals.
History	Opens chat history.
Activity	Toggles the Activity feed of task changes, messages, and agent events.
Tasks	Toggles the Kanban board.
Profiles	Toggles team member profiles (avatars, specialties, availability).
Inbox	Toggles personal notifications.
Office	Toggles the agent “office” view of spawned teammates.
Debug	Toggles the Debug panel (logs and diagnostics).
Preview	Toggles the File Preview panel.
Recent	Drop-down of recently opened folders.
Grid layout	Drop-down of tiling presets (2/3 horizontal or vertical, reset to tabs).
Theme	Toggles dark / light theme.
Help	Opens this documentation site (book icon).
Settings	Opens the Settings dialog (gear icon).
About	Shows the About dialog (info icon).

The Agent panel (live agent transcript) and other views are surfaced contextually rather than from this toolbar; see Features for the full panel tour.

Next Steps