1 lightsout.sh
~/docs $ grep
~/docs $ cat the-terminal.md

The terminal

Lights Out is a terminal made for running AI agents: everything you need is on screen, and everything else is one shortcut away.

The window

text
┌──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Room 1       │ ● 1 api   ○ 2 web   +                 │  ← tabs of this room
│ Room 2       ├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ + room       │                                       │
│──────────────│  ~/api $ claude                       │
│ ◌ claude api │                                       │  ← the terminal
│ ● codex web  │                                       │
│              │                                       │
│ 84%          │                                       │
│ Lights Out   │                                       │
│   actions    │                                       │
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘
  • Top half of the sidebar: your rooms.
  • Bottom half: the programs running in the room you're in, one line each. Click one to go to it.
  • Bottom left: the battery, Lights Out (or Lights On inside Lights Out) and actions.
  • Top: the tabs of the current room.

Rooms

A room is its own set of tabs, for example one room per project. Click a room to switch to it; its tabs and agents come with it. Agents in other rooms keep running.

  • New room: click + room or press Ctrl+Shift+N.
  • Rename or close a room: open actions. Closing a room stops its agents.

Tabs and splits

DoKeys
New tabCtrl+Shift+T
Next / previous tabCtrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Split rightCtrl+Shift+Right
Split downCtrl+Shift+Down
Move between panesAlt+arrows
Close the paneCtrl+Shift+W

Drag the line between two panes to resize them.

Actions

Click actions at the bottom left, or press Ctrl+Shift+P, to see everything Lights Out can do. Type to filter, press Enter to run. Each action shows its shortcut.

All shortcuts

ActionKeys
ActionsCtrl+Shift+P
Start an agentCtrl+Shift+A
Jump to the agent that needs youCtrl+Shift+J
Lights Out / Lights OnCtrl+Shift+L
Screen off (any key turns it on)Ctrl+Shift+O
New roomCtrl+Shift+N
Show / hide the sidebarCtrl+Shift+B
Open a pane's output in an editorCtrl+Shift+E
Copy / pasteCtrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V
Bigger / smaller textCtrl+= / Ctrl+-
SettingsCtrl+,
Quit (stops all agents)Ctrl+Shift+Q

You can add your own keys: see Configuration.

Mouse

  • Click a tab, a room or an agent to go to it.
  • Drag to select text; it's copied with Ctrl+Shift+C.
  • Right-click for copy, paste, split and close.
  • Scroll to see earlier output.

Alerts

When an agent finishes or needs your answer, Lights Out shows a popup and plays a short sound (Windows and Mac). Ctrl+Shift+J jumps straight to the agent that needs you.

Lights Out recognises common questions by itself. If one of your tools asks in its own words, add the phrase to needs_you in the settings.

Closing the window

Closing the window doesn't stop your agents: they keep running, and lightsout brings the window back. Quit in actions stops everything. Your tabs come back the next time you open Lights Out.

Wi-Fi

actions → Wi-Fi... lists nearby networks. Pick one and type the password. Other network... joins a hidden network by name.

Several separate sets of tabs

sh
lightsout --session work

opens a separate window with its own tabs, rooms and saved state.

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