Terminal
Terminal
Cognova includes an embedded terminal that gives you shell access to your server directly from the browser. It lives inside the Assistant Panel -- a floating widget available on every page except the dedicated Chat page.
Opening the Assistant Panel
Click the chat bubble button in the bottom-right corner of any page. The panel opens with two tabs:
- Chat -- A compact Claude conversation interface (see Chat for the full-page version).
- Terminal -- A full interactive shell session.
Click the tab to switch. The panel remembers which tab you were last using.
Terminal Features
The terminal is powered by xterm.js and connects to your server over a WebSocket. It provides:
- Full shell access -- Run any command available on your server, just as you would in a local terminal.
- Proper terminal rendering -- Colors, cursor positioning, scrollback, and clickable links all work as expected.
- Resizable panel -- The Assistant Panel can be resized by dragging its edges. The terminal automatically adjusts to fit the available space.
- Keyboard input -- Standard terminal key bindings work, including arrow keys, Tab completion, and Ctrl+C to interrupt processes.
Connection Status
A status indicator at the top of the terminal tab shows the current connection state:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected (green wifi icon) | The WebSocket is active and the shell is ready. |
| Connecting... (spinning icon) | The client is establishing the connection. |
| Disconnected (grey wifi icon) | The connection was lost. |
| Connection error (grey wifi icon) | A connection attempt failed. |
If the connection drops, click the Reconnect button to re-establish it. The client will also attempt automatic reconnection up to 5 times with increasing delays.
Using the Claude CLI
Because the terminal provides full shell access, you can use the Claude CLI (claude) directly. This is useful for:
- Running Claude Code commands against your codebase.
- Executing one-off prompts from the command line.
- Managing your Claude configuration files.
For more on Claude CLI integration, see Claude Integration.
Chat Tab
The Chat tab in the Assistant Panel is a lightweight version of the full Chat page. It includes:
- A conversation selector dropdown to switch between existing conversations.
- A new conversation button.
- The same message streaming and tool-use visualization as the full Chat page.
- Persistent state -- the last conversation you were viewing is remembered.
The Assistant Panel is great for quick questions or running a command without losing your place. For longer conversations, use the dedicated Chat page which provides more screen real estate.