🖥️ MFA Terminal - Terminal Layout Manager

A powerful extension for VS Code and Cursor that allows you to save and load terminal layouts with support for splits (side-by-side terminals), boosting your development productivity.

✨ Features

💾 Save Layouts: Capture your current terminal layout and save it as a reusable profile
🔲 Split Support: Organize terminals in groups - terminals in the same group appear side by side (split)
📂 Load Layouts: Quickly restore your favorite terminal layouts with the exact group structure
✏️ Create Layouts: Create custom layouts from scratch with a guided interface
🎯 Flexible Organization: Choose how to organize your terminals:
- Each terminal separate
- All split together
- Custom manual organization
📝 Edit Layouts: Modify name, description, or update existing layout structures
🗑️ Delete Layouts: Remove layouts that are no longer needed
📋 List Layouts: View all your saved layouts in one place

🚀 How to Use

1. Save a Layout with Splits

Open the terminals you regularly use
Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
Type and select: MFA Terminal: Save Current Layout
Choose how to organize the terminals:
- Each terminal in its own group: Separate terminals
- All split in one group: All side by side
- Manually organize: Choose which terminals stay together
Give the layout a name (e.g., "Full Stack Development")
Add an optional description
Done! Your layout with split structure has been saved ✅

2. Load a Layout

Open the command palette
Type and select: MFA Terminal: Load Layout
Choose the desired layout from the list
Choose whether to keep or close existing terminals
Your terminals will be created automatically with the split structure! 🎉
- Terminals in the same group will appear side by side (split)
- Different groups will appear in separate panels

3. Create a Custom Layout

Open the command palette
Type and select: MFA Terminal: Create New Layout
Follow the interactive wizard:
- Enter the layout name
- Add a description (optional)
- Configure each terminal:
  - Terminal name
  - Command to execute (optional)
  - Working directory (optional)
- Add as many terminals as you want
- Choose how to organize terminals in groups

4. Manage Layouts

Use the command MFA Terminal: List Layouts to:

See all your layouts
Load a layout
Edit an existing layout
Delete layouts

📋 Available Commands

Command	Description
`MFA Terminal: Save Current Layout`	Saves the current terminal layout as a new layout
`MFA Terminal: Load Layout`	Loads and applies a saved layout
`MFA Terminal: List Layouts`	Displays all layouts with management options
`MFA Terminal: Create New Layout`	Creates a custom layout from scratch
`MFA Terminal: Edit Layout`	Edits name, description, or layout structure
`MFA Terminal: Delete Layout`	Removes a layout

💡 Use Cases

Full Stack Development

Create a layout with 2 groups:

Group 1 (split): Backend + Frontend side by side
Group 2: Database separate
Group 3: Terminal for tests

Result: Backend and Frontend side by side, while Database and Tests are in separate panels.

Microservices Development

Configure layouts with service groups:

Group 1 (split): Auth + Users + Payments side by side
Group 2: API Gateway separate

Result: All main microservices side by side, with gateway in a separate panel.

Monorepo Projects

Organize terminals by package:

Main workspace
Package 1
Package 2
Shared scripts

⚙️ Layout Configuration

Each terminal in a layout can have:

Name: Terminal identifier
Command: Command executed automatically when creating the terminal
Directory: Folder where the terminal will open
- ✅ Relative paths: ./src, ./backend/api
- ✅ Absolute paths: C:\projects\backend, /home/user/project
- ⚠️ Relative paths are resolved relative to the current workspace
- ⚠️ The directory must exist, otherwise the terminal uses the default directory

📖 Path Usage

Relative Paths

When you specify a relative path, it is resolved relative to the current workspace:

✅ Correct:
./src              → workspace/src
./backend/api      → workspace/backend/api
subfolder          → workspace/subfolder

❌ Avoid:
../other-project   → May not work as expected

Absolute Paths

You can use absolute paths directly:

Windows:
C:\Users\marco\project\backend
D:\development\frontend

Linux/Mac:
/home/user/project/backend
/Users/user/project/frontend

⚠️ Important

Workspace required: To use relative paths, you MUST have a workspace open
Directory must exist: If the directory doesn't exist, the terminal will be created in the default directory
No validation at creation time: When creating a layout manually, paths are not validated. Validation only happens when applying the layout

📝 Practical Examples

Example 1: Monorepo Project

Structure:

my-project/
├── frontend/
├── backend/
└── shared/

Layout "Dev Full Stack":

Terminal 1: "Frontend"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./frontend

Terminal 2: "Backend"
  Command: npm start
  Directory: ./backend

Terminal 3: "Root"
  Command: 
  Directory: (leave empty to use workspace root)

Example 2: Microservices

Structure:

microservices/
├── auth-service/
├── user-service/
├── payment-service/
└── gateway/

Layout "All Services":

Terminal 1: "Auth"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./auth-service

Terminal 2: "Users"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./user-service

Terminal 3: "Payments"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./payment-service

Terminal 4: "Gateway"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./gateway

Example 3: Docker + Development

Layout "Docker Dev":

Terminal 1: "Docker"
  Command: docker-compose up
  Directory: (project root)

Terminal 2: "Frontend Dev"
  Command: npm run dev
  Directory: ./app

Terminal 3: "Logs"
  Command: docker-compose logs -f
  Directory: (project root)

📖 How to Save Layout with Splits

⚠️ IMPORTANT - Read Before Using

The VS Code API DOES NOT provide information about which terminals are split. Therefore, when you save a layout, you need to manually inform which terminals were side by side.

🎯 Your Scenario

You have:

[s1 | s2]  ← split (side by side)
[t1]       ← separate

📝 Correct Step by Step

1. Save the Layout

Execute: MFA Terminal: Save Current Layout

2. Enter the Layout Name

You'll see: Saving terminals: s1, s2, t1 | Enter layout name
Type: "My Layout" (or any name)
Press Enter

3. ⚠️ CRUCIAL STEP - Define Split Structure

Now the extension will ask HOW THESE TERMINALS WERE ORGANIZED:

Option A: "Manually organize splits" ← CHOOSE THIS

Group 1 - Select the terminals that were SIDE BY SIDE:
- Click on s1
- Hold Ctrl and click on s2
- Press Enter
Continue: Choose "Finish (create individual groups for the rest)"
- This will create t1 separately automatically

Final Result:

Group 1: s1, s2  → Will be recreated side by side
Group 2: t1      → Will be recreated separate

4. Add Description (optional)

Type something like: "Layout with s1 and s2 split"
Or leave blank

5. Layout Saved! ✅

Now when you load the layout, it will recreate:

[s1 | s2]  ← side by side
[t1]       ← separate

💡 Organization Tips

If your terminals are like this:

[s1 | s2]
[t1]

Choose: "Manually organize"

Group 1: Select s1 and s2
Group 2: t1 (automatic)

If your terminals are like this:

[s1]
[s2]
[t1]

Choose: "Each terminal separate"

If your terminals are like this:

[s1 | s2 | t1]

Choose: "All split (side by side)"

❓ Why Is This Necessary?

VS Code doesn't provide an API to automatically detect which terminals are split. The only way is for you to manually inform how they were organized.

Think of it as: "I capture the NAMES, you define the STRUCTURE"

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Error: "Directory does not exist"

Cause: The specified path doesn't point to a valid directory

Solution:

Check if the directory really exists in your workspace
Make sure you're using the correct path (relative or absolute)
Open the correct workspace in VS Code
If necessary, edit the layout and fix the path

Error: "Cannot resolve relative paths"

Cause: No workspace is open

Solution:

Open a folder as workspace (File > Open Folder)
Or use absolute paths instead of relative

Terminal opens in wrong directory

Cause: Current workspace is different from expected

Solution:

Check which workspace is open
Edit the layout and update the paths
Consider using absolute paths if working with multiple workspaces

Terminals don't appear split

Cause: The layout doesn't have multiple terminals in the same group

Solution:

Check if the layout has multiple terminals in the same group
Edit the layout and reorganize the groups
Reload the VS Code window (Developer: Reload Window)

💡 Tips and Best Practices

1. Name terminals clearly

✅ Good: "Backend API", "Frontend React", "Database"
❌ Bad: "Terminal 1", "Test", "asdf"

2. Use descriptions in layouts

✅ Good: "Development environment with React frontend, Node.js backend and PostgreSQL database"
❌ Bad: "dev"

3. Group layouts by context

✅ Organize like this:
- "Dev Full Stack"
- "Dev Frontend Only"
- "Dev Backend Only"
- "E2E Tests"
- "Production Deploy"

4. Include useful commands

✅ Useful commands:
- npm run dev
- docker-compose up
- npm test -- --watch
- git status

5. Avoid interactive commands

❌ Avoid:
- npm init
- git commit (without message)
- commands that require user input

✅ Prefer:
- npm run dev
- npm test
- npm run build

🔄 Recommended Workflow

For New Projects:

Set up your development environment
Open all necessary terminals
Use MFA Terminal: Save Current Layout
Test by closing all terminals
Use MFA Terminal: Load Layout to verify

For Existing Projects:

Use MFA Terminal: Create New Layout
Configure each terminal manually
Test by applying the layout
Adjust as needed with MFA Terminal: Edit Layout

🧪 Testing Guide

How to Test Functionality

Preparation

Start the extension in debug mode:
- Press F5 in VS Code
- This will open a new window with the extension active

Test 1: Create Layout with Split Terminals

Open command palette: Ctrl+Shift+P
Execute: MFA Terminal: Create New Layout
Add 3 terminals:
- Terminal 1: "Frontend" - command: echo "Frontend" - dir: ./
- Terminal 2: "Backend" - command: echo "Backend" - dir: ./
- Terminal 3: "Database" - command: echo "Database" - dir: ./
When asked how to organize, choose: "Manually organize"
Group 1: Select "Frontend" and "Backend" (Ctrl+Click for multiple selection)
Continue: Choose "Finish"
Enter name: "Dev Full Stack"
Add description: "Frontend and Backend side by side, Database separate"

Expected Result: Message: "✅ Layout 'Dev Full Stack' created! 3 terminal(s) in 2 groups."

Test 2: Load Layout with Splits

Open command palette: Ctrl+Shift+P
Execute: MFA Terminal: Load Layout
Select: "Dev Full Stack"
Choose: "Keep existing terminals" or "Close existing terminals"

Expected Result:

Group 1: Frontend and Backend should appear side by side (split)
Group 2: Database should appear in a separate panel
Message: "✅ Layout 'Dev Full Stack' applied! 3 terminal(s) in 2 groups."

Test 3: All Organization Modes

Mode: Each Terminal Separate

Organization chosen: "Each terminal in its own group"
3 terminals → 3 groups

Visual Result:
[Terminal 1]
[Terminal 2]
[Terminal 3]

Mode: All Split

Organization chosen: "All split in one group"
3 terminals → 1 group

Visual Result:
[Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3]

Mode: Manual

Custom organization:
- Group 1: Terminal 1 + Terminal 2
- Group 2: Terminal 3

Visual Result:
[Terminal 1 | Terminal 2]
[Terminal 3]

✅ Test Checklist

[ ] Create layout with 3 terminals, 2 split and 1 separate
[ ] Load layout and verify split structure
[ ] Save current layout with "all split"
[ ] Save current layout with "all separate"
[ ] Save current layout with manual organization
[ ] Edit existing layout and update structure
[ ] Verify listing shows group information
[ ] Create layout with only 1 terminal (should create 1 group)
[ ] Create layout with 5+ terminals and organize manually
[ ] Delete layout

📁 Storage

Layouts are saved in VS Code/Cursor global storage, which means:

✅ Your layouts are available across all your workspaces
✅ Layouts persist between editor restarts
✅ You can have as many layouts as you want

🔧 Requirements

VS Code version 1.105.0 or higher
Cursor (any recent version)

🐛 Known Issues

The VS Code API doesn't allow automatically capturing the current directory or commands already executed in existing terminals. When saving a layout based on open terminals, you'll need to manually configure commands and directories if you want to include them in the layout.
The VS Code API doesn't provide information about which terminals are split. You'll need to manually organize groups when saving a layout.

📝 Roadmap

[ ] Customizable keyboard shortcuts
[ ] Export/Import layouts (share with team)
[ ] Workspace-specific layouts (specific to each project)
[ ] Support for variables in directory paths (e.g., ${workspaceFolder}/src)
[ ] Custom environment variables per terminal
[ ] Custom icons and colors per terminal
[ ] Custom themes/colors per layout

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

Report bugs
Suggest new features
Submit pull requests

Reporting Bugs

When reporting a bug, include:

What you were trying to do
What error appeared
Which workspace was open
Which command you used
VS Code/Cursor version

📄 License

MIT

👨‍💻 Author

Developed with ❤️ to increase development productivity

Enjoy the extension! If you found it useful, consider leaving a ⭐ rating!

MFA Terminal

marcosfeandrade

🖥️ MFA Terminal - Terminal Layout Manager

✨ Features

🚀 How to Use

1. Save a Layout with Splits

2. Load a Layout

3. Create a Custom Layout

4. Manage Layouts

📋 Available Commands

💡 Use Cases

Full Stack Development

Microservices Development

Monorepo Projects

⚙️ Layout Configuration

📖 Path Usage

Relative Paths

Absolute Paths

⚠️ Important

📝 Practical Examples

Example 1: Monorepo Project

Example 2: Microservices

Example 3: Docker + Development

📖 How to Save Layout with Splits

⚠️ IMPORTANT - Read Before Using

🎯 Your Scenario

📝 Correct Step by Step

1. Save the Layout

2. Enter the Layout Name

3. ⚠️ CRUCIAL STEP - Define Split Structure

4. Add Description (optional)

5. Layout Saved! ✅

💡 Organization Tips

If your terminals are like this:

If your terminals are like this:

If your terminals are like this:

❓ Why Is This Necessary?

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Error: "Directory does not exist"

Error: "Cannot resolve relative paths"

Terminal opens in wrong directory

Terminals don't appear split

💡 Tips and Best Practices

1. Name terminals clearly

2. Use descriptions in layouts

3. Group layouts by context

4. Include useful commands

5. Avoid interactive commands

🔄 Recommended Workflow

For New Projects:

For Existing Projects:

🧪 Testing Guide

How to Test Functionality

Preparation

Test 1: Create Layout with Split Terminals

Test 2: Load Layout with Splits

Test 3: All Organization Modes

✅ Test Checklist

📁 Storage

🔧 Requirements

🐛 Known Issues

📝 Roadmap

🤝 Contributing

Reporting Bugs

📄 License

👨‍💻 Author