Option to auto-open the integrated terminal on new desktop sessions

Status Open
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 0 comments · opened Aug 26, 2026

Problem

In the Claude Code desktop app, the integrated terminal is available (Views menu / <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd></kbd>), but it has to be opened manually for every new session. Users migrating from the terminal CLI expect a terminal to be ready by default, and there's currently no settings.json` toggle or layout persistence to make that happen.

Proposal

Add one of the following:

  • A setting such as desktop.autoOpenTerminal: true that opens the integrated terminal pane automatically on session start, or
  • A more general "remember last pane layout" preference, so the terminal (and any other panes) reopen in their previous arrangement when a new session starts.

Alternatives considered

  • Pressing <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>`</kbd> at the start of each session — works, but manual and easy to forget.
  • SessionStart hooks — these are a CLI feature and don't affect desktop panes/layout.

Environment

  • Surface: Claude Code desktop app (macOS)

View original on GitHub ↗