Restore Terminals

Automatically open terminal windows, split them, and run commands when VS Code starts.

Features

• 🚀 Auto-restore terminals on VS Code startup
• 📑 Split terminals in any configuration
• 🎯 Multiple presets to choose from
• ☑️ Optional checkbox prompt to select which terminals to open
• 🔄 Smart terminal replacement (no duplicates)

Quick Start

Add this to your VS Code settings.json:

"restoreTerminals.terminals": [
  {
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "server", "commands": ["npm run dev"] },
      { "name": "client", "commands": ["npm run client"] }
    ]
  }
]

This creates one terminal window with two split panes: "server" and "client".

Configuration Examples

Basic: Single Terminal

"restoreTerminals.terminals": [
  {
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "dev", "commands": ["npm run dev"] }
    ]
  }
]

Multiple Terminal Windows with Splits

"restoreTerminals.terminals": [
  {
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "server", "commands": ["npm run dev"] },
      { "name": "client", "commands": ["npm run client"] }
    ]
  },
  {
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "tests", "commands": ["npm test -- --watch"] }
    ]
  }
]

This creates:

• Window 1: "server" | "client" (split)
• Window 2: "tests"

Presets: Switch Between Configurations

Use an object instead of an array to define named presets. You'll be prompted to choose one when restoring:

"restoreTerminals.terminals": {
  "dev": [
    {
      "splitTerminals": [
        { "name": "server", "commands": ["npm run dev"] },
        { "name": "logs", "commands": ["npm run logs"] }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "test": [
    {
      "splitTerminals": [
        { "name": "test", "commands": ["npm test"] }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Presets with Per-Preset Settings

Wrap your terminals in an object to add preset-specific settings like keepExistingTerminalsOpen:

"restoreTerminals.terminals": {
  "dev": {
    "keepExistingTerminalsOpen": false,
    "terminals": [
      {
        "splitTerminals": [
          { "name": "server", "commands": ["npm run dev"] }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "add-logs": {
    "keepExistingTerminalsOpen": true,
    "terminals": [
      {
        "splitTerminals": [
          { "name": "logs", "commands": ["npm run logs"] }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Checkbox Selection

Add defaultSelected to any terminal to enable a checkbox prompt, letting you choose which terminals to open:

"restoreTerminals.terminals": [
  {
    "defaultSelected": true,
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "server", "commands": ["npm run dev"] }
    ]
  },
  {
    "defaultSelected": false,
    "splitTerminals": [
      { "name": "e2e", "commands": ["npm run e2e"] }
    ]
  }
]

Settings Reference

Terminal Options

How keepExistingTerminalsOpen Works

This prevents duplicate terminals while preserving unrelated ones.

Tips

• Manual trigger: Run Restore Terminals from the Command Palette
• Custom config file: Create .vscode/restore-terminals.json in your workspace (takes priority over settings.json)
• Glitching?: Increase artificialDelayMilliseconds to 500 or 1000
• No splits?: Just put one item in the splitTerminals array

Credits

• Original extension: EthanSK
• Active window feature: Gharsnull