ptn 0.5.6

Web-based terminal accessible from phone via Cloudflare Tunnel

1. uvx ptn
2. Scan the QR
3. Access your terminal from your phone

Why

I wanted to vibe code from bed.

ngrok requires registration and the free tier sucks. Cloudflare Quick Tunnel works great but is hard to use directly on the phone. Termius requires complicated setup: port forwarding, firewall rules, key management... Tried Claude Code web, but it can't access my local hardware and environment. Also tried Happy, but it's too bulky and updates lag behind.

So I built something simpler: run a command, scan a QR, start typing.

Features

• One command, instant access - No SSH, no port forwarding, no config files. Cloudflare tunnel + QR code.
• Actually usable on mobile - Touch-optimized with momentum scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, swipe gestures, and modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt).
• Full terminal apps - vim, htop, less, tmux all work correctly with proper alt-screen buffer handling.
• Persistent multi-tab sessions - Sessions survive disconnects. Close the browser, switch networks, reconnect from another device—your shell and running processes are still there. Multiple devices can view the same session simultaneously.
• Cross-platform - Windows (PowerShell, CMD, WSL), Linux/macOS (Bash, Zsh, Fish, Nushell, and any shell via $SHELL). Auto-detects your shells.

Install

Method	Install	Update
uvx (no install)	uvx ptn	uvx --refresh ptn
uv tool	uv tool install ptn	uv tool upgrade ptn
pipx	pipx install ptn	pipx upgrade ptn
pip	pip install ptn	pip install -U ptn

One-line install (uv + ptn):

OS	Command
Windows	powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lyehe/porterminal/master/install.ps1 | iex"
macOS/Linux	curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lyehe/porterminal/master/install.sh | sh

Requires Python 3.12+ and cloudflared (auto-installed if missing).

Usage

ptn                    # Start in current directory
ptn ~/projects/myapp   # Start in specific folder

Flag	Description
-n, --no-tunnel	Local network only (no Cloudflare tunnel)
-b, --background	Run in background and return immediately
-p, --password	Prompt for password to protect this session
-sp, --save-password	Save or clear password in config
-tp, --toggle-password	Set password requirement (on/off/true/false) or toggle
-v, --verbose	Show detailed startup logs
-i, --init	Create .ptn/ptn.yaml config with auto-discovered project scripts
-u, --update	Update to the latest version
-c, --check-update	Check if a newer version is available
-V, --version	Show version

Mobile Gestures

Gesture	Action
Tap	Focus terminal, clear selection
Long-press	Start text selection
Double-tap	Select word
Swipe left/right	Arrow keys (← →)
Scroll	Momentum scrolling with physics
Pinch	Zoom text (10-24px)

Modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift): Tap once for sticky (one keystroke), double-tap for lock.

Compose mode (▤ button): Toggle a text input field where you can type or dictate, edit your text with full mobile editing features (autocorrect, suggestions, cursor positioning), then send to terminal. Useful for longer commands or voice input.

Configuration

Run ptn --init to create a starter config. It auto-discovers project scripts from package.json, pyproject.toml, or Makefile and adds them as buttons:

ptn -i
# Created: .ptn/ptn.yaml
# Discovered 3 project script(s): build, dev, test

Or create ptn.yaml manually:

# Terminal settings
terminal:
  default_shell: nu              # Default shell ID
  shells:                        # Custom shell definitions
    - id: nu
      name: Nushell
      command: nu
      args: []

# Custom buttons (appear in toolbar)
# row: 1 = default row, 2+ = additional rows
buttons:
  - label: "claude"
    send:
      - "claude"
      - 100        # delay in ms
      - "\r"
  - label: "build"
    send: "npm run build\r"
    row: 2         # second button row

# Update checker settings
update:
  notify_on_startup: true   # Show update notification
  check_interval: 86400     # Seconds between checks (default: 24h)

# Security settings
security:
  require_password: true    # Always require password at startup
  password_hash: ""         # Saved password hash (use ptn -sp to set)
  max_auth_attempts: 5      # Max failed attempts before disconnect

Config is searched in order: $PORTERMINAL_CONFIG_PATH, ./ptn.yaml, ./.ptn/ptn.yaml, ~/.ptn/ptn.yaml.

Security

Protect your terminal with a password:

# One-time password (prompt each session)
ptn -p

# Save password to config (no prompt needed)
ptn -sp
# Password: ****
# Confirm password: ****

# Clear saved password (enter empty password)
ptn -sp
# Password: [press Enter]

# Set or toggle password requirement
ptn -tp on       # Enable
ptn -tp off      # Disable
ptn -tp          # Toggle

See docs/security.md for details.

Troubleshooting

Connection fails? Cloudflare tunnel sometimes blocks connections. Restart the server (Ctrl+C, then ptn) to get a fresh tunnel URL.

Shell not detected? Set your $SHELL environment variable or configure shells in ptn.yaml.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome.

git clone https://github.com/lyehe/porterminal
cd porterminal
uv sync
uv run ptn

License

AGPL-3.0