Space
A space in SpaceSpider is a saved workspace: a directory plus a grid of terminal panes, each running a chosen CLI like Claude Code or a shell.
In SpaceSpider, a "space" is a saved workspace consisting of a working directory, a grid layout size, and a chosen CLI per pane. Opening a space immediately spins up the grid with every pane cwd'd into the directory and running the CLI you picked for that slot. It's the product's fundamental unit.
Why it matters
Most terminal workflows are stateless — you open a terminal, cd somewhere, run a CLI, close it, and have to reconstruct the layout next time. For agentic coding work this adds up: you may want "Claude Code for the frontend worktree, Codex CLI for the backend, a shell for git commands, and a test runner" every single day.
A space captures that full setup as a saved configuration. Click the card, get the layout, start working. See first-space and getting-started.
How it works
A SpaceSpider space is persisted to spaces.json via tauri-plugin-store with fields like:
id— ananoididentifiername— display namedir— absolute path, used as every pane's cwdgrid— a preset fromGRID_PRESETS(1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 panes)panes[]— per-pane CLI choice (one ofclaude,codex,qwen,kimi,shell)
When you open a space, the renderer mounts a grid of TerminalPane components, each of which calls pty_spawn with the resolved spawn command from cliCatalog. The PTYs inherit the space's directory, so every pane starts in the right place.
How it's used
Typical spaces:
- Per project — one space per repo on your laptop
- Per branch — combined with git worktree, one space per feature branch
- Per task type — "review space" (two Claude Code instances), "ship space" (Claude + shell + test runner)
You can have unlimited spaces; the home view is a grid of cards. Spaces don't auto-run processes; you choose when to open them.
Related terms
- Grid layout — the pane arrangement a space owns
- CLI wrapper — how a pane knows what to launch
- Git worktree — pairs naturally with per-branch spaces
- Agentic coding — the workload spaces are designed for
- Checkpoint — complements space-based organization
FAQ
Are spaces shared across machines?
Not automatically. Configurations live in Tauri's local store. Manual sync of spaces.json works if you want to move them.
Can I change a space's CLIs after creating it?
Yes — edit the space from the home view, or change grid size. Existing PTY sessions close when you modify the layout.
Related terms
- Agentic codingAgentic coding is software development where an LLM-powered agent plans, edits, runs, and verifies code on its own using tools, not just autocomplete.
- AI pair programmingAI pair programming is a collaboration style where an LLM assistant sits alongside you, suggesting code and reviewing changes in real time as you work.
- ANSI escape codesANSI escape codes are control sequences that terminals interpret for colors, cursor movement, and screen clearing — the language of every modern CLI UI.
- Autonomous agentAn autonomous agent is an AI program that perceives, decides, and acts on its own toward a goal — the architecture behind modern coding CLIs.
- CheckpointA checkpoint is a saved snapshot of file state that lets you roll back an AI coding agent's changes to a known-good point.
- Claude CodeClaude Code is Anthropic's official command-line agent that plans, edits, runs, and verifies code across your repo using Claude models and tool use.