Turn terminal clutter into a spatial map of live sessions and agents

What it does

nodeterm is an Electron desktop app for macOS and Linux that visualizes real tmux sessions as nodes on an infinite pan-and-zoom canvas. A node can be a terminal, an AI agent such as Claude Code or Codex, a Monaco editor, a diff view, a sticky note, or even a web page. Because the underlying processes live in tmux, your layout, scrollback, and running agents survive app restarts and full machine reboots. The same canvas also runs self-hosted in a browser and pairs with an iOS companion for remote access.

The interesting bit

The interface is explicitly built for ADHD and scattered workflows, yet it is not just a visual gimmick: agents can link contexts to read each other’s transcripts, branch conversations, and even manipulate the canvas via a built-in control CLI. Every project also toggles into a Trello-style kanban board where live session cards can be dragged across columns while the agent keeps working in the background.

Key highlights

• Hook-driven agent status badges (RUNNING, NEEDS YOU) with OS notifications and in-node permission prompts — the app does not scrape output.
• Ships its own tmux binary on macOS so session continuity works with zero dependencies, deferring to a system tmux when one exists.
• On-device Whisper dictation (⌘⇧D) transcribes voice locally for terminal input; audio never leaves the machine.
• Built-in source control with worktree support, plus optional two-way GitHub Issues sync mapped to kanban columns.
• A headless browser Server Edition and an iOS relay let you reach the same live sessions from anywhere, with push notifications even from SSH hosts.

Caveats

• Licensed under BUSL-1.1, which is source-available but not an OSI-approved open-source license.
• Desktop builds are limited to macOS and Linux x64; there is no Windows support.
• The self-hosted Server Edition has documented limitations and a separate security model detailed outside the README.

Verdict

Worth a look if you manage parallel AI agents and long-lived terminal sessions and need a layout that survives reboots. Avoid it if you are on Windows, allergic to Electron, or require a fully open-source license.