The canvas
Everything in Modular sits on an infinite canvas. Each project has one or more Spaces: boards you arrange as you like. A Space keeps its layout, its camera and its running terminals.
Spaces and projects#
- The left rail lists your projects, the terminals in each, and Add project. Click a terminal there to jump to it, wherever it is.
- The Space tabs at the top switch between a project's Spaces. Double-click a tab to rename it. The overview shows every Space as a mini-map.
- Ctrl+Tab (or Alt+Tab) switches between recently used terminals.
Nodes#
| Node | What it is | How to add it |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | A shell, or an agent CLI running in one | New (⌘T) → Shell or an agent |
| Kanban | The project's board | New → Kanban |
| Browser | A web page | New → Browser |
| File | A file from the project | Code studio → Insert on board |
| Sticky, text, shape, frame, arrow | Notes and diagrams | The drawing toolbar |
| Pen stroke | Freehand drawing | Pen tool (P) |
Drag a node by its header, resize it from its corner, delete it with Delete. Removing a terminal node stops its process.
Moving around#
- Scroll to pan; pinch, or ⌘/Ctrl + scroll, to zoom (10% to 150%).
- Drag the empty canvas, or hold Space and drag, to pan.
- ⇧1 fits everything in view; ⇧0 goes to 100%.
- Clicking a terminal brings it to 100% so you can type. Double-click its header for focus mode, full window; Esc leaves.
A terminal is live (a real terminal you can type into) when it is in view and the zoom is 45% or more. Otherwise it shows its last lines, and its process keeps running. A terminal hidden for more than 5 minutes lets go of its drawing to save memory; it still reports when it needs you, and comes back with its output when you look at it again.
Status and attention#
Each terminal shows whether its agent is working, needs you (it finished, or asks for permission) or is idle. The pill at the top counts the terminals that need you and jumps between them. On the desktop, the Dock badge and system notifications say the same (Settings → General → Desktop).
After a restart#
Terminals do not start on their own after Modular restarts. A Space with stopped terminals asks what to do:
- Restore & resume: start them again; agents resume their conversation, shells start fresh in their folder.
- Layout only: keep the nodes, start nothing.
- Close them: remove the stopped terminals.
"Remember" keeps your choice on this device.
Studios#
Studios open over the canvas, for the current project:
- Code studio (C): the file tree and an editor. Open in editor opens the file in your own editor (desktop); Insert on board puts it on the Space as a node.
- Git studio (G): changes, history, pull requests and GitHub Actions runs. A pull request's Review code starts an agent review of it.
Overlays#
Settings (⌘,), the board, usage and history open as overlays over the canvas; Esc or ⌘Esc closes them. The command palette (⌘K) opens any of them; see Keyboard shortcuts.
Drawing#
The drawing toolbar and its keys: V select, H hand, P pen, E eraser, N sticky, T text, R rectangle, O ellipse, A arrow, F frame. ⌘Z undo, ⇧⌘Z redo, ⌘A select all, ⌘G group, ⇧⌘G ungroup.