Switch Devices

One of MoltShell's key features is seamless device switching. You can start work on your laptop and continue on your phone, or vice versa.

How it works

Your terminal sessions run inside tmux on the server, not in your browser. The browser is just a display that connects to those sessions over WebSocket. When you open MoltShell on a different device, it connects to the same tmux sessions.

Switching in practice

1. You are working on your laptop at home. You have two split panes open -- one running a server, one with your editor.
2. You close your laptop and leave.
3. On your phone, you open moltshell.sh and sign in.
4. You launch the terminal. Your split layout is restored, and both panes show the same state you left them in.
5. The server you started is still running. Your editor still has the same file open.

What transfers between devices

• Terminal sessions: All tmux sessions persist on the server. Every pane reconnects to its session.
• Split layout: The pane arrangement (splits, sizes) is saved to ~/.moltshell/layout.json on the VM and restored on any device.
• Running processes: Anything running in tmux continues regardless of which device is connected.
• Files and installed software: Everything on the VM's filesystem is the same from any device.

What does NOT transfer

• Preview links panel entries: The list of forwarded ports is stored in the browser's memory. You will need to re-add ports on the new device.
• Browser-specific state: Clipboard contents, browser notifications, and other browser-side state are per-device.

Tips

• Mobile to desktop: If you set up something on your phone, it is immediately available when you open MoltShell on your laptop.
• Multiple tabs: You can have MoltShell open in multiple browser tabs or on multiple devices simultaneously. Each tab connects to the same tmux sessions. Input from any tab is sent to the same session, and output appears on all connected tabs.
• Network changes: If you switch from Wi-Fi to cellular, the WebSocket connection drops and automatically reconnects within a few seconds. No action needed on your part.