First Session
Open your first terminal session and learn basic navigation in Mate.
When you launch Mate for the first time, you land in the workspace — the main area where all your sessions live. Let's walk through the basics.
The workspace
The workspace has three main areas:
- Sidebar (left): Lists your local device and any paired remote devices. Tap a device to switch context.
- Tab bar (top): Shows your open sessions — terminals, editor tabs, agent chats, web previews, and more.
- Session area (center): The active session's content fills this space.
Open a terminal
Mate starts with a terminal tab by default. If you need another one:
- Click the + button in the tab bar
- Select Terminal from the dropdown
- A new terminal session opens with your default shell
Each terminal is a full PTY session — it runs your actual shell (zsh, bash, fish, etc.) with complete support for colors, cursor movement, and interactive programs like vim or top.
Working with tabs
Tabs appear along the top of the workspace. You can:
- Reorder tabs by dragging them
- Close a tab by clicking the X or using the keyboard shortcut
- Create new tabs with the + button — choose from Terminal, Editor, IDE, Web Preview, or Project
Each tab type has its own purpose. Terminals run shells, the IDE opens project folders, Web Previews show localhost ports, and Agent Chat connects to AI coding assistants. See Features for details on each.
Tab types at a glance
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| Terminal | Full PTY shell session |
| Agent Chat | AI assistant (Claude Code, Codex, Copilot) |
| IDE | Multi-file editor with file tree |
| Editor | Single-file editor |
| Web Preview | View a localhost port through a reverse proxy |
| Project | Organize related sessions together |
Try an AI agent
If you have Claude Code, Codex, or Copilot CLI installed, you can start an agent chat:
- Click + in the tab bar
- Select Agent Chat
- Pick your preferred CLI from the dropdown
- Type a message and watch the agent work
The agent can read files, run commands, search your codebase, and make edits — all within Mate's interface. See Agent Chat for the full guide.
Next steps
- Pair a mobile device to access your sessions from your phone
- Set up integrations to connect GitHub, Slack, databases, and more
- Explore features to see everything Mate can do