AuraMux
Ten sessions, one sidebar, nothing to configure.
AuraMux keeps every task in its own session, with its name, its folder and its git branch visible, and brings them all back after a restart. The ones waiting on you are marked, so you can tell at a glance. No config file, no prefix key, no signup. One command and it is there.
$ curl -fsSL https://github.com/rmehdee/auramux-releases/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash
Then open -a Aura. Please use the command rather than
downloading through a browser: AuraMux is not notarized yet, and
macOS only blocks an un-notarized app when the file carries a
quarantine flag. Browsers attach that flag, curl does not, so this
route opens cleanly. Nothing is bypassed or stripped, the flag is
simply never applied.
The interface
robin@mehdee ~/dev/app ❯ claude ✻ Claude Code v2.1 · opus ❯ Refactor the checkout flow to the new API ● Reading the checkout module. ├ Read src/checkout/flow.ts (218 lines) ● Edit src/checkout/flow.ts +12 −5 ● Running tests… ✓ 48 passed · 0 failed · 3.1s ● Done. Checkout now uses apiClient.v2. ❯
robin@mehdee ~/dev/app ❯ npm run dev VITE v5.4 ready in 412 ms ➤ Local: http://localhost:5173/ [vite] hmr update /src/checkout/flow.ts 12:11 ✓ compiled cleanly · 89 modules ❯ git status On branch feat/checkout-v2 Changes not staged: modified: src/checkout/flow.ts ❯
The interface as it stands today. Hover or tap a label to find it. Swipe the window to see all of it.
What is different here
Nothing to configure
There is no config file. No prefix key to learn, no plugin manager, no dotfile to carry between machines. You install it and the session list is already there, doing its job. If you have tried a terminal multiplexer before and given up somewhere in the setup, this is the part that is different.
Claude Code, set up for you
Claude Code only turns on bell notifications by itself in three terminals. Everywhere else it finishes, waits, and nobody notices. AuraMux offers to fix that on first launch with one click, writing a single key into your settings and backing the file up before it does.
Sessions you can see, not remember
Every session shows its name, its folder, its git branch and a marker when the tree is dirty, in a sidebar that is always visible. Nothing to press, nothing to hold in your head. Other tools can name sessions; you usually have to ask them to show you.
Archive instead of close
Finished with a session but not ready to lose it? Archive it. It leaves the list, keeps its history, and comes back whenever you want it. Closing a terminal tab is final. This is not.
And to be fair about the rest. iTerm2 does far more than this does. Ghostty is faster. A multiplexer like tmux goes places AuraMux cannot, such as a server over SSH. If those are what you need, use them, and so do I. AuraMux is for the narrower case of several long-running sessions on one Mac that you would like to see at a glance without setting anything up.
Claude Code
It will tell you when Claude Code needs an answer.
Claude Code rings the terminal bell when it finishes a task or needs a decision. AuraMux turns that into a badge on the tab it came from, so a session can be left running in another window while you get on with something else.
Claude Code only enables that by itself in a handful of terminals,
which is why it often appears to do nothing at all. AuraMux offers
to set it up on first launch, with one click. It writes a single
key into ~/.claude/settings.json, backs the file up
first, keeps every other setting exactly as it was, and will not
touch a file it cannot parse.
What it does
Tabs
- One tab per session, with no limit on how many
- Double-click a tab to rename it
- Current git branch, with a marker when the tree is dirty
- Optional colour tag per tab
-
Open a folder from Finder, the Dock, or
open -a Aura <folder>
Status badges
- Amber bell on a session waiting for input
- Cyan dot on a session with new output since you looked
- Both shown in the sidebar, so checking never means switching tabs
Persistence
- Autosaves every 20 seconds
- Every session restored on launch
- Archive the ones you are done with, then restore or delete them later
Split view
- Two sessions side by side, two at a time
- Draggable divider
- Each pane keeps its own title and its own find
Palette and utilities
- Command palette to jump to a session or run a command
- Find across 10,000 lines of scrollback per session
- Screenshot to Desktop, kill and reset, daily update check
- Write a review without leaving the app, from Help or the palette
- Passcode lock or Touch ID. It gates the window only and does not encrypt stored sessions or scrollback.
Nothing watching you
No telemetry of any kind. No analytics, no crash reporting, no account. The only network request AuraMux makes is checking once a day whether a newer version exists.
Shortcuts
Themes
Seven in total, switchable live, with per-colour brightness.
After installing
- Price
- Free
- Requires
- macOS 14 or later
- Build
- Universal
- Telemetry
- None
Full Disk Access
Every shell AuraMux spawns inherits its security context, so
without Full Disk Access macOS will prompt the first time any tab
touches Desktop, Documents, Downloads, or an external volume.
Granting it once quietens that for every tab. Use
Aura → Grant Full Disk Access…, which
opens the right System Settings pane, then add
/Applications/Aura.app.
Entirely optional. You can also grant each folder as it is asked for.
What a first launch asks for
Nothing. AuraMux only reads and writes its own data in
~/Library/Application Support/Aura at startup.
Folder prompts appear only when a command you run reaches a
protected folder, exactly as they do in Apple's Terminal. No
keychain prompt unless you set a passcode.
Why it installs as Aura
The app is AuraMux, but in your Applications folder and in the menu bar it is still called Aura. That is deliberate, and it is what keeps your passcode, your permissions and your settings working across updates.
Launch it with open -a Aura.
Updating
- Paste the command into any terminal, including AuraMux itself It quits AuraMux for you, updates, and reopens it. There is no separate updater to fetch and nothing to remember beyond the one line you installed with. curl -fsSL https://github.com/rmehdee/auramux-releases/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash
-
That is the whole thing
AuraMux comes back on its own. If you would rather it did not
touch a running copy, set
AURA_NO_RESTART=1and it will ask you to quit first instead.
The quit is a real quit, not a kill. It goes through exactly the same path as pressing ⌘Q, so every session and all your scrollback are written to disk before the app closes. If it has not shut down cleanly within thirty seconds the update stops rather than overwrite a running app.
Nothing of yours is touched. Sessions, scrollback, saved themes, colour tags, your passcode and your Full Disk Access grant all carry over, because they live outside the app bundle. You will not be asked to grant permissions again or to set your passcode again.
You do not have to watch for releases. AuraMux checks once a day and shows a banner when a newer build exists, and the banner copies the command for you. Aura → Check for Updates… forces a check if you would rather not wait.
Reviews
Used it? Say what you think.
Reviews live in GitHub Discussions, so they are written under real accounts and you can read every one in full, including anything I would rather you did not. Posting takes a GitHub login and about a minute. Help → Write a Review… inside the app, or the command palette, opens the same board.
Please be honest, including about what is missing or annoying. That is more useful to me than praise.
Questions
What is AuraMux?
A terminal app for macOS. It keeps every task in its own tab, brings them all back after a restart, and marks the ones waiting on input. It is free and currently in beta.
How is it different from Terminal.app or iTerm2?
Both are mature and do far more than AuraMux does. AuraMux is built around one situation: several long-lived sessions running at once, usually with AI coding tools in some of them, and needing to know at a glance which one is waiting on you. If you do not work that way, iTerm2 is the better tool and I would use it too.
Will it tell me when Claude Code needs me?
Yes. Claude Code rings the terminal bell when it finishes or needs an answer, and AuraMux turns that into a badge on the tab. Claude Code only enables that automatically in a few terminals, so on first launch AuraMux offers to set it up for you. It adds one key to ~/.claude/settings.json, backs the file up first, leaves every other setting alone, and will not touch a file it cannot read.
Why does AuraMux show up as Aura in my Applications folder?
That is expected, and not a sign of a failed install. The app installs as Aura and the menu bar says Aura, which is what keeps your passcode, your permissions and your settings working across updates. Launch it with open -a Aura.
Does it support multiple tabs and split view?
Yes. One tab per session with no limit on how many, and any two of them can be shown side by side with a draggable divider.
Does it run on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
Yes, it is a universal build. It needs macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.
Is AuraMux free?
Yes, free to download and use.
Does it collect any data?
No telemetry of any kind. The only network request it makes is checking for a newer version, once a day.
Why does macOS warn about it, and why install with curl?
AuraMux is ad-hoc signed but not notarized yet, since notarization needs a paid Apple Developer account and that is a post-beta job. A browser download gets flagged by Gatekeeper. Installing with curl avoids it because curl never attaches the quarantine attribute Gatekeeper checks for. Nothing is bypassed or stripped.