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Studio uses an IDE-style layout. Navigation sits on the left. Your work fills the middle as tabs. Copilot sits on the right. Live output lands in a panel at the bottom. A status bar runs along the edge with connection and sync indicators. Nothing is buried. Every surface can be toggled with a single shortcut, and everything you can open — hosts, diagrams, procedures, memories, conversations, connectors, settings, generated artifacts — is reachable from one search box. The first thing to understand is that Studio keeps the operational loop on one screen. You pick a domain on the left, open the thing you are working on in the center, keep Copilot available on the right, and watch connection state at the bottom. That means you do not have to bounce between a terminal app, a browser, a note, and a ticket just to keep enough context in view.

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The main surfaces

Switches what the primary sidebar shows. The default views are Hosts, Chats, Procedures, Files, and Connectors. Terminal, Copilot, settings, app menu, and the organization switcher live around the same shell.
Shows the view chosen on the activity bar. Hosts gives you search, sorting, folders, import, collapse, and a New Host action. Procedures shows the runbook library and, when empty, a Create Procedure entry point. Files separates generated artifacts, archived items, and host files. Toggle with Mod+B.
Tabbed work area. Open host editors, terminals, settings, diagrams, procedure runs, dashboards, remote files, video streams, generated artifacts, and connector editors. Split right or down, up to four groups.
The conversation with Copilot. Attach the active tab, a selected output block, an image, or voice input. Pick a response mode from Default, Ask, or Planning, then enable Autopilot only when the scope is safe. The panel also shows context usage, tool permissions, and suggested starting prompts. Toggle with Mod+Shift+B.
Console, Workflow Run, Output, and Logs. The console launches local diagnostics or a serial console. Procedure output streams here while it runs. Toggle with Mod+J.
Connection state, sync state, credits, CPU and memory usage, active work count, and network address. Use it as your first glance when Studio feels offline, a tool cannot reach the local helper, or an operation appears stuck.
Mod+K opens the palette. Type to search across everything — navigation commands, hosts, conversations, procedures, memories, connectors, generated artifacts. Mod+Shift+P biases toward commands.

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Daily operating loop

Most Studio work follows the same rhythm:
  1. Open Hosts and choose the target device or service.
  2. Open the preferred protocol, usually SSH, HTTPS, RDP, or VNC.
  3. Use the terminal, web view, or remote desktop to gather evidence.
  4. Send selected output or the active tab to Copilot when you need analysis, a plan, or structured extraction.
  5. Let Copilot create an artifact when the work should be saved as a report, table, diff, or diagram.
  6. Promote the path into a Procedure when you expect to repeat it.
  7. Share the session, artifact, or procedure with your team when someone else needs the context.
The important part is continuity. A host, its credentials, the live session, Copilot’s reasoning, the generated artifact, and the eventual procedure are all connected inside the same workspace.

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How tabs work

Tabs are preview by default. A single click opens a preview tab that the next preview replaces. Keep it around by double-clicking the tab, pinning it, or starting to edit it. You can split the canvas right or down (up to four groups), lock a group so preview tabs don’t land in it, and maximize a group for focused work. Unsaved editors show a dirty-state indicator. Live tabs like terminals and calls keep a connection indicator so you always know what’s still active. Use preview tabs while browsing inventory, procedures, or artifacts. Pin or edit a tab when it becomes part of the investigation. During a live incident, keep volatile things like terminals and calls pinned so search results or artifact previews do not replace them.

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Search and app menu

The top search box is the fastest way to move. Search for a host, file, generated artifact, connector, procedure, memory, conversation, or command. When you remember the action but not the location, search the verb: “settings”, “new host”, “create procedure”, “theme”, “connector”, or “keychain”. The app menu gives you the global surfaces that are not tied to one host or session: Settings, Keychain, call history, and billing. Use Settings for workspace, appearance, terminal, AI, and update behavior. Use Keychain when you want to manage credentials directly instead of from a host editor.

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Layout shortcuts

Mod means Command on macOS and Ctrl on Windows and Linux.
ShortcutAction
Mod+BToggle the primary sidebar.
Mod+Shift+BToggle the Copilot panel.
Mod+JToggle the bottom panel.
Mod+KOpen the command palette.
Mod+Shift+POpen commands.
Mod+\\Split the canvas right.
Mod+K then Mod+\\Split the canvas down.
Mod+1 through Mod+4Focus editor group 1 through 4.
Mod+K then Mod+MMaximize the active group.
Mod+K then Mod+LLock the active group against preview replacement.
F11Toggle fullscreen.
Mod+K then ZZen mode.
Terminal, diagram, procedure, and editor shortcuts live in keyboard shortcuts.

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Practical layouts

A few patterns that come up every day:
  • Single editor — a focused investigation or long terminal output.
  • Two columns — before-and-after config, device A and device B, terminal beside procedure.
  • Three columns — evidence on the left, plan in the middle, live session on the right.
  • Two rows — a wide terminal above logs or procedure run output.
  • Grid — four related sessions during a maintenance window.
Keep Copilot visible while you work, hide it with Mod+Shift+B when you want focused terminal time, and bring it back the moment you need a second set of eyes.

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What’s next

Install and sign in

Get the desktop app and sign in with your Altostrat account.

Hosts and credentials

Build inventory and open your first session.