Switching from another terminal

To switch to Mel from another terminal, install it and open it: Mel runs your own shell with your existing config, so there is nothing to import. Your aliases, functions, prompt tools and history keep working. What changes is how the output is laid out, where you type, and that an agent is one keystroke away.

What stays the same

• Your shell. Mel uses your login shell ($SHELL) on macOS and Linux and cmd.exe on Windows. See Supported shells.
• Your environment. Mel loads the environment your shell's startup files set up, even when you open it from the dock or a launcher, so tools installed with nvm, pyenv or a shell installer are found.
• Your history. Autocomplete reads your shell's own history file (~/.zsh_history, ~/.bash_history) along with this session's commands.
• Full-screen programs. vim, htop, less, ssh and CLI coding agents get a real terminal.

What's different

Keys you'll reach for

All of them are in Keyboard shortcuts, and you can change them in Settings ▸ Keyboard shortcuts.

Make it feel like home

• Theme, font size and cursor in Settings ▸ Appearance. See Appearance.
• Right-click pastes in Settings ▸ Features, if that's what your old terminal did.
• Tab layouts you open often can be saved as tab configs.
• SSH: ssh runs as a full interactive session, and Mel can "melt" it so the agent's tools run on the remote machine. See SSH & remote.

Moving from a specific terminal

Mel has no settings importer, so set these by hand. Most take a minute.

From iTerm2

• Colours: pick one of Mel's eight themes in Settings ▸ Appearance. iTerm2 colour schemes can't be imported.
• Font size: Settings ▸ Appearance ▸ Font size. The typeface is fixed (Hack).
• Split panes: ⌘D splits right and ⌘⇧D splits down, as in iTerm2. Drag a divider to resize.
• Profiles that open a layout: save the layout as a tab config.
• tmux: runs as a full-screen program, unchanged.

From macOS Terminal

• Your shell, ~/.zshrc and history carry over. Mel loads your login shell's environment even when opened from the Dock.
• ⌘T opens a tab, ⌘W closes the pane, ⌘, opens Settings.
• Clear the screen with ⌘⇧K (it clears Mel's blocks).

From Windows Terminal

• Mel runs cmd.exe on Windows. See Supported shells.
• Right-click to paste: turn on Settings ▸ Features ▸ Right-click pastes.
• Keys: Ctrl+Shift+T opens a tab, Ctrl+Shift+D and Ctrl+Shift+E split right and down, Ctrl+Shift+W closes the pane. Change any of them in Settings ▸ Keyboard shortcuts.
• Profiles: save the tabs and commands you open often as a tab config.

From the VS Code terminal

• Use Mel as your main terminal and keep coding in VS Code: Ctrl+click (⌘-click on a Mac) a file path in Mel's output opens it in the app your system uses for that file type.
• Install Mel for VS Code to have Mel's agent in a view beside your code, on the same account and conversations.
• Mel: Open in Mel (Explorer menu) opens the desktop app at that folder.

From Ghostty

• Settings live in ~/.mel/settings.json instead of a config file, and the Settings window writes it for you. See Settings files.
• Keybindings: Settings ▸ Keyboard shortcuts, where you can rebind any Mel action.
• Full-screen programs get a real terminal (TERM=xterm-256color, 256 colours).

From Cursor

• Cursor's agent lives in the editor; Mel's lives in the terminal, next to your commands and their output. Press Ctrl+Enter (⌘↵) to start one.
• Rules: Mel reads AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md and MEL.md, not Cursor's own rules files. Copy your rules into AGENTS.md or MEL.md. See Rules & MEL.md.
• MCP servers: paste your mcpServers JSON into Settings ▸ Library ▸ Import ▸ Paste…. See MCP servers.

From Claude Code

• Keep using it: type claude in a Mel tab and it runs as a full session with Mel's tool belt. See CLI agents.
• Your CLAUDE.md files are read by Mel's own agent too, and a project's .claude/skills/ folder is in the Library.
• MCP servers you configured for Claude Code can be added to Mel by pasting their mcpServers JSON into Settings ▸ Library ▸ Import ▸ Paste….
• Mel's agent can pick its model for each turn (auto) or use one you choose, on Mel credits or your own provider key. See Models & pricing.

Coming from the reference terminal

If you used the terminal Mel was first compared with, most ideas carry over: blocks, the command palette, workflows in Mel Drive, and an agent in the terminal. Mel's agent runs on the models you choose, or on your own provider keys at no credit cost. See Models & pricing.

FAQ

Can Mel import my iTerm2 or Windows Terminal settings? No. Your shell config works as it is, and the rest (theme, font size, keys, layouts) takes a minute to set in Mel's Settings.

Do I have to change my shell config? No. Mel reads it as it is.

Can I keep using my old terminal too? Yes. Mel runs the same shell with the same config, so both work side by side.

Does Mel send my commands anywhere? Your commands run on your computer. What you send to the agent goes to Mel's servers and the model. With AI command suggestions on (Settings ▸ AI, on by default), the line you're typing, your current folder and your last eight commands are also sent for a suggestion when local autocomplete has nothing; turn it off to keep typing local. See Security & privacy.