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Documentation Index

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Duet’s shared terminal is the heart of pair programming sessions. Every user in a room shares the same terminal - all input and output is synchronized in real-time.

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Terminal Features

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Real-time Synchronization

When any user types in the terminal:
  • Their input is broadcast to all users in the room
  • Everyone sees the same terminal state
  • Terminal updates are pushed to all clients via subscription channels (internal/ui/model.go:637-671)

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Typing Indicators

You can see when others are actively typing:
  • Appears when a user sends input to the terminal
  • Displays “[username] is typing…”
  • Automatically clears after 2 seconds of inactivity
  • Debounced to avoid spam (500ms between broadcasts)
See internal/ui/model.go:456-462 for implementation.

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Pre-installed Tools

Each room’s workspace includes:
  • nvim - Text editor for collaborative coding
  • Node.js - JavaScript runtime for running scripts
  • Standard Unix utilities (git, grep, find, etc.)

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Working in the Terminal

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Basic Terminal Input

The terminal accepts all standard keyboard input (internal/ui/model.go:418-464):
  • Regular keys - Type normally
  • Enter - Send command
  • Backspace - Delete character (sends ASCII 127)
  • Tab - Auto-completion
  • Arrow keys - Navigate command history and cursor
    • Up: \x1b[A
    • Down: \x1b[B
    • Right: \x1b[C
    • Left: \x1b[D
  • Home/End - Jump to line start/end
  • Delete - Forward delete
  • Esc - Escape key

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Running Commands

Simply type commands as you would in any terminal: 
# Clone a repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Navigate and explore
cd repo
ls -la

# Edit files
nvim src/index.js

# Run scripts
node index.js
npm install
npm test
All collaborators will see:
  • The commands being executed
  • Real-time output
  • Any errors or results

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Working with Files

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Using nvim

The workspace includes nvim for collaborative editing: 
nvim myfile.js
All users will see the nvim interface, but keep in mind:
  • Only one person should edit at a time to avoid conflicts
  • Use the AI assistant or sandbox for file operations when working simultaneously

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File Operations

Standard Unix file commands work as expected: 
# Create files and directories
mkdir src
touch src/app.js

# View file contents
cat src/app.js
less README.md

# Copy and move
cp file1.js file2.js
mv old.js new.js

# Search
grep -r "function" src/
find . -name "*.js"

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Terminal Modes

Duet has different input modes (internal/ui/screen.go:16-23):

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Normal Mode (Default)

  • Standard terminal interaction
  • All keyboard input goes to the terminal
  • Use keyboard shortcuts to access other features

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AI Mode

See AI Interaction for details on the AI prompt mode.

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Sandbox Mode

See AI Interaction for details on direct sandbox command execution.

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Special Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts are reserved for Duet features and won’t be sent to the terminal:
  • ctrl+g - Enter AI prompt mode
  • ctrl+r - Enter sandbox command mode
  • ctrl+a - Toggle AI sidebar visibility
  • ctrl+j - Scroll AI sidebar down
  • ctrl+k - Scroll AI sidebar up
  • ctrl+l - Leave room and return to launch screen
See internal/ui/model.go:379-416 for the full keyboard shortcut map.

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Workspace Directory

Your terminal starts in the room’s workspace directory:
  • Path: /app/workspaces/<workspace-name>/
  • Isolated per room
  • Persists for the lifetime of the room
  • Automatically deleted when the last user leaves
The workspace is initialized from a template (internal/room/manager.go:85-91) that includes necessary tools.

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Best Practices

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Coordination

  • Communicate before running destructive commands - Everyone shares the same filesystem
  • Take turns editing files - Multiple simultaneous edits can cause conflicts
  • Use descriptive commit messages - Others can see your git activity

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Performance

  • The terminal auto-resizes based on window dimensions (internal/ui/model.go:156-159)
  • Minimum recommended size: 120x24 for optimal layout with sidebars
  • Terminal content is efficiently streamed via update channels

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Troubleshooting

  • If the terminal seems frozen, it may be waiting for input in a program (like nvim or less)
  • Press ctrl+c in the terminal to cancel a running command
  • Use ctrl+l (Duet shortcut) to leave the room if something goes wrong

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Terminal Limitations

  • The terminal runs in a chroot environment for security
  • Some system-level commands may not be available
  • Network access depends on server configuration
  • Terminal size is shared - one user’s window resize affects everyone

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