A little help.
A direct line.

Connect your first machine

1. Make sure the phone can reach the machine. If using a Tailscale hostname, connect the Tailscale app first.
2. Open Machines, tap +, and enter the host, SSH port and username.
3. Check the host-key fingerprint before trusting a new machine, then authenticate.
4. Read the Herdr / tmux permission prompt and choose Allow once or Always allow if you want agent discovery.

Connect with an SSH password, an imported OpenSSH Ed25519 private key, or host-led Tailscale SSH approval. To use a key-only server, import its matching private key in the machine's authentication settings. Never send your private key to support.

An agent is missing

Refresh Agents, clear search, and choose All machines. Check that the integration is allowed and the agent runs under the same SSH user you entered. Herdr and tmux must already be installed on that host. Machine errors explain when discovery could not finish.

Activity and ordering

The feed orders agents by activity the app can observe. “Activity not observed” means there isn’t a reliable activity time yet; it does not mean an agent has crashed or stopped. A disconnected or sleeping phone cannot continuously observe every server.

Terminal controls

Tap an agent to open it. Swipe to scroll, long-press for text selection, and tap supported links. Zoom controls adjust text size and are saved separately for tmux and for Herdr / normal SSH. Opening tmux can reflow the shared window; the permission prompt explains this before attachment.

Connection or host-key errors

Check the host, port, username, credentials and network. If a saved key changes, verify it with the server owner before trusting the replacement. Don’t remove security protections simply to silence a warning.

Change your mind about access

Open Edit host to review or revoke remembered integration permissions. Removing a saved host removes its profile from the app; it does not uninstall software or delete work on the server.

Optional notifications

In a notification-enabled build, open a machine’s Notifications settings, read the disclosure, then copy its one-time install command. Run it as your SSH user, without sudo. This pairs only that machine and phone. Normal SSH and agent access do not require the helper.

The permanent installer is downloads.agentpanes.com/notifications/install.sh. It downloads a versioned helper and verifies SHA-256 checksums. It creates only AgentPanes files under ~/.local/share/agentpanes-notify and ~/.config/agentpanes-notify, plus its named systemd user service or macOS LaunchAgent. It does not edit shell profiles, SSH or agent settings, install hooks, open inbound ports, use sudo, or change logout policy. Linux needs a running systemd user session; macOS needs a desktop login.

To inspect its scope without installing, run:

curl -fsS --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://downloads.agentpanes.com/notifications/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run

To update an existing installation, use the same link with --update. Updates are manual and retain the pairings and notification consent already granted:

curl -fsS --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://downloads.agentpanes.com/notifications/install.sh | sh -s -- --update

You can download and read the script before executing it. HTTPS and checksums protect transport and detect mismatched downloads; they do not make remote code risk-free. The installer refuses symlink paths and unrecognized existing installations instead of overwriting them.

To remove the helper, first disable notifications in each paired phone, then run sh "$HOME/.local/share/agentpanes-notify/uninstall.sh" --confirm on that machine. This stops its user service and removes its own program, pairing and state files. Unknown files are left alone. Removal affects all phones paired to that SSH user, not agent sessions. See the notification privacy details.

Using AgentPanes on Mac

Choose Machines → Add Machine and enter an SSH host, port and username. Connect Tailscale first if you use its hostnames. Verify the host fingerprint, then allow Herdr or tmux access for that machine and refresh Agents.

Select an agent to open its terminal. Control-N and Control-P select the next and previous agent in the workbench. Control-Shift-N/P sends those keys to the terminal instead. Control-Tab switches focus between the list and terminal. Detached windows pass Control-N/P through to the terminal normally. Moving a terminal into another window preserves its connection and scrollback. Closing a remote connection leaves the remote agent running.

Command-V pastes. Multiline paste asks for confirmation because line breaks can execute commands or send messages. Command-Plus, Command-Minus and Command-0 adjust or reset text size. Use the paperclip to upload a file. Verified paths are inserted without pressing Return; review them before sending.

The Mac App Store edition connects only to remote machines over SSH. Local shells, local agent discovery and opening terminals in another app belong to the Direct edition. Both editions require macOS 15 or later. Optional English dictation requires macOS 26 or later, microphone permission and system language assets.

Open Help → AgentPanes Help & Support for offline instructions and third-party notices. Bug-report controls let you preview or copy a report, or open an email draft. Nothing is sent automatically.

Privacy or security concerns

Email support@agentpanes.com. Send a description first; never send passwords or private keys. See our privacy policy for how support messages are handled.