crTerm

Note: If black square blocks appear in the terminal, disable WebGL2.

crTerm is a modern terminal experience built for the AI era.

It brings a real local shell into Chromium, gives terminal sessions the familiar feel of browser tabs, and delivers native-level performance through a C++ backend. crTerm is also designed to be extended with Chrome extensions, so terminal workflows can grow through the same extension model that already powers the browser.

Why crTerm

crTerm makes the terminal a first-class browser surface:

• Open terminal as Chrome tab, and move between Windows.
• Use browser tab group, history, bookmark, and session restore.
• Click links from terminal output and continue in the crTerm.
• Built-in image preview and screenshot

crTerm is a browser-native terminal experience backed by native integration.

Key Ideas

Browser-Style Terminal Experience

crTerm makes terminal sessions feel like Web Browser:

• Use Chrome's powerful tab management for multiple terminal sessions.
• Customize the terminal with rich theme and appearance settings.
• Built-in preview support for images such as PNG, JPG, WEBP, and SVG.
• Support for referencing file paths directly in the terminal, making AI coding workflows more convenient.
• Open HTTPS links from terminal in new browser tabs.
• Restore previous terminal compressed output when restore is enabled.
• Configure terminal preferences through the browser profile.

Native Performance in C++

crTerm is implemented with Chromium-native components and a C++ terminal PTY backend.

That means:

• Real local shell processes.
• Native process and terminal I/O handling.
• Fast startup and responsive input handling.
• Tight integration with Chromium WebUI, Mojo, preferences, and browser lifecycle.
• A terminal surface that feels browser-native without giving up native execution.

Extensible with Chrome Extensions

crTerm supports Chrome extensions, making it possible to extend terminal behavior and browser-terminal workflows.

You can build features around the terminal using familiar browser extension patterns, such as:

• add 'crterm' extension api
• Project-specific terminal helpers.
• Workflow automation.
• Developer tools integration.
• Context-aware commands.
• Browser UI that works alongside terminal sessions.

The goal is for crTerm to be more than a fixed terminal application. It is a terminal platform that can be customized and expanded like the browser itself.

Common Usage

Open crTerm and use it like a normal terminal:

pwd
ls
cd ~/dev/my-project
git status
npm test

Features

• Browser-native workflow: terminal sessions live in Chromium tabs.
• Real shell access: commands run through the local system shell, backed by PTY/ConPTY integration.
• C++ native backend: terminal process handling and browser integration are implemented with native Chromium components.
• Chrome extension support: extend terminal workflows through Chrome extensions.
• Clickable output links: HTTPS links in terminal output open directly in the crTerm.
• Output restore: previous terminal output can be restored across sessions.
• Customizable appearance: configure shell, theme, font, font size, scrollback, and restore behavior.

Project Vision

crTerm aims to become the modern terminal for the AI era. It gives developers, product managers, creators, and designers a first-class interactive experience, making the terminal feel as familiar and approachable as the browser.