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Main Window

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Mehdi edited this page Sep 2, 2026 · 10 revisions

Main Window

This page explains the layout of SSH Pilot's main window and how to navigate it.

Main window

Window Layout

SSH Pilot's window has three main areas:

1. Header Bar (Top)

The bar at the very top of the window contains quick-access buttons. You can customize which buttons appear in Settings > Interface.

By default, you will see:

Button What it does
Sidebar toggle Show or hide the sidebar
Split view Open a split-view tab
Snippets Toggle the command snippets panel
Terminal theme Change the terminal color scheme
Local terminal Open a local shell tab
Theme menu Switch between light, dark, or system theme

2. Sidebar (Left Panel)

The sidebar lists your connections. Search, connect, organize into groups, or hide it for a wider terminal.

  • Hide or show: F9 (Cmd+B on macOS) or the header sidebar toggle
  • Modes: Full (details) or Minimal (icon strip)

Full guide: Sidebar. For a wider terminal, see Plain Terminal Mode.

3. Tab Area (Center)

The large center area is your workspace. It uses a tabbed interface where each tab holds:

  • A terminal session (SSH or local)
  • A split view with multiple terminals
  • A file manager
  • A plugin page (e.g., Docker Console)

The Start Page

When you first open SSH Pilot (or close all tabs), you will see the Start Page (accessed with the "home" icon). It provides:

  • Omni-search -- a search box that finds connections, tools, and settings, and can run SSH commands
  • Recently used connections
  • Pinned connections
  • Links to documentation and help

Start typing immediately

When the welcome page is visible, the search box is already focused. You can start typing right away:

  1. Type a connection name, hostname, or keyword
  2. The connection list below filters to show matching entries
  3. Press Enter to connect to the first match
  4. Use Arrow Up / Arrow Down to navigate through the results
  5. Press Enter on any result to open it

This means you can launch a connection without touching the mouse -- just type and press Enter.

Opening Tabs

There are several ways to open new tabs:

Action Shortcut
Connect to a server Double-click in sidebar, or Enter
Force open in new tab Ctrl+Enter (even if a tab already exists)
Local terminal Ctrl+Shift+T
Split view Header bar button, or drag a tab to the edge
File manager Ctrl+Shift+O
Snippets panel Header bar button

Omni-search

The omni-search is a global search that finds connections, commands, and actions all at once.

Opening omni-search

  • Double-tap Shift (Shift+Shift) -- the default shortcut
  • Or assign a custom shortcut in Settings > Shortcuts > Omni-search

When the start page is visible, the omni-search is already docked in the center -- just start typing.

What it searches

Type Examples
Connections By nickname, hostname, or username
Commands Settings, SSH config editor, local terminal, new connection
SSH commands Type ssh user@host to connect directly
Transfer intents Type sftp, scp, or ssh-copy-id to open a file transfer for a connection

Keyboard navigation

  • Arrow Up / Arrow Down -- Navigate through results
  • Enter -- Open the selected result
  • Escape -- Close omni-search

Examples

  • Type web to find connections with "web" in the name
  • Type ssh root@192.168.1.1 to connect using a raw SSH command
  • Type sftp my to open SFTP for a connection named "my-server"
  • Type settings to open the Settings window

Tab Management

Switching tabs

  • Click any tab in the tab bar at the top
  • Press Ctrl+Page Down / Ctrl+Page Up to cycle through tabs
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+Tab to open the tab overview (shows all tabs as thumbnails)

Moving tabs

  • Drag a tab to reorder it
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+Page Up / Ctrl+Shift+Page Down to move the current tab left or right

Closing tabs

  • Click the x on any tab
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+W to close the current tab

Renaming tabs

  • Right-click a tab and select Rename to give it a custom name

Fullscreen Mode

Press F11 to toggle fullscreen mode. The header bar will auto-hide when you move your mouse to the top edge of the screen.

Press F11 or Escape to exit fullscreen.

The Start Tab

The first tab (labeled "Start") is pinned and cannot be closed. It always shows the welcome page. You can switch back to it at any time by clicking it.

Next Steps

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