> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://altostrat.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Terminal

> Open network-aware terminal sessions with clickable IPs and interfaces, selection-to-Copilot actions, staged commands, live error detection, and full recording and replay.

Studio's terminal is fast like a good xterm and aware like a network tool. When you connect, it detects the device vendor and OS in the background, turns IPs, interfaces, and AS numbers into clickable objects, and keeps a selection toolbar one click away so anything you highlight can go straight to Copilot.

The surface is built for live operations. A staging panel holds proposed commands so you review them before they execute. A color-coded strip flags BGP, OSPF, interface, spanning-tree, HSRP, and authentication errors as they scroll past. Every SSH and Telnet session records automatically, and you can replay it later with timing preserved.

None of this replaces the device CLI. It wraps it with the context and safety net you'd build yourself if you had the time.

## Opening a session

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a host and pick the protocol">
    From the Hosts activity, open the host and choose SSH, Telnet, or another protocol from its protocol list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Studio opens the session in a new tab">
    The tab takes focus and the terminal starts connecting immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authenticate with the attached Keychain entry">
    If the referenced credential isn't cached, Studio prompts once and caches it for the session.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Device identity detection runs in the background">
    Vendor, OS, and software version appear in the status bar when detection completes. Copilot uses this to tailor its suggestions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Clickable network objects

IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, MAC addresses, interface names, and AS numbers are interactive in the terminal. Click to copy. Right-click to open a menu of diagnostic commands shaped to the detected vendor — a ping from the device, a traceroute, a show command scoped to that interface, an ARP lookup, a whois on an AS number.

## Selection toolbar

Highlight any output and a small toolbar appears above the selection. Most day-to-day interactions with Copilot start here.

| Action      | What it does                                        |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Explain     | Send the selection to Copilot for an explanation.   |
| Ask Copilot | Open a Copilot prompt prefilled with the selection. |
| Copy        | Copy to clipboard.                                  |
| Edit        | Open the selection in a Monaco editor tab.          |

## Staged commands

When Copilot proposes a change, it drops the commands into a staging panel beside the terminal rather than running them. Each command is tagged by intent — Add, Remove, Modify — and carries a checkbox. You can reorder, edit, remove, or approve individual commands before anything hits the device. Nothing runs until you say so. Use staged commands for any multi-step change; the panel is the difference between reading a plan and watching it execute line by line.

## Real-time error detection

Studio scans output as it streams. BGP neighbor drops, OSPF adjacency loss, interface errors, spanning-tree topology changes, HSRP state changes, and authentication failures are recognized and added to an error strip along the edge of the tab. Each entry is color-coded by severity. Click an entry to jump to the matching line in the scrollback.

## Session recording and replay

Every SSH and Telnet session records automatically. Replay preserves timing — you see the session the way it happened, at the speed it happened — and you can search within the transcript to find the exact moment a command ran or an error landed. Recordings are shareable as artifacts with anyone in your organization. See [files and artifacts](./files-and-artifacts) for how artifacts move between people.

## Picture-in-picture

Pop a terminal out into a floating mini-window for side diagnostics while you work in another tab. A continuous ping, a traceroute you want to keep watching, a `show interface` you want on screen during a maintenance. Picture-in-picture windows stay on top, resize cleanly, and can be minimized when you need the space.

## Serial consoles

For out-of-band work, open a serial console from the terminal tooling and choose the local serial port and baud rate — 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, or 115200. Parity and stop bits are configurable for the session. A send-break action is available for password recovery on devices that require it.

<Warning>
  Send-break and password-recovery sequences can take a device offline. Confirm you have the right console before triggering them.
</Warning>

## Sharing a terminal

You can share any terminal session with teammates — owner, co-work, or viewer roles — and promote a share into a voice or video call when a second operator joins. See [shared sessions](./shared-sessions) for the roles, presence indicators, and handoff flow.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI Copilot" icon="sparkles" href="./ai-copilot" arrow="true" cta="Use Copilot">
    Modes, approvals, context attachment, and how Copilot works with your terminal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Shared sessions" icon="users" href="./shared-sessions" arrow="true" cta="Collaborate live">
    Bring someone into your terminal with the right role and promote to a call.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>