The Terminal Dashboard

When you run metateam in a project directory, the terminal dashboard launches. This is your primary control surface for managing AI agents and monitoring their work.

The dashboard is a full-screen terminal application built on tmux. Each active agent gets its own tab. You watch agents work in real time, steer them with direct input, and coordinate the team through built-in messaging — all without leaving the terminal.

What You See

On first launch, the dashboard shows:

  • A tab bar across the top with one tab per active agent. The crew leader (usually Data) is summoned automatically and appears as the first tab.
  • The active agent's terminal fills the main area. You are looking at the agent's live session — the same thing it sees.
  • A comm log in the top-right corner showing recent crew messages (toggle with F12, c).
  • A first-start briefing overlay explaining the basics. Press any key to dismiss it.

Switching Tabs

Key Action
F1 through F9 Jump directly to tab 1–9
F10 Previous tab
F11 Next tab

Every keystroke you type while viewing a tab is forwarded directly to that agent's terminal session. This is how you steer agents — just switch to their tab and type.

The Command Layer (F12)

Press F12 to open the help overlay. While help is open, single-key commands are available:

Key Command What It Does
a Summon Open the agent summon dialog
m Message Open the message composer
/ Slash commands Open the slash command panel
c Comm log Toggle the communication log panel
p Silence Mute intra-crew messages for 1 minute
Enter Attach Drop into the raw tmux session (detach with Ctrl-b, d)
w Watchdog Toggle the idle-leader nudge timer (10 minutes)
o Settings Open the settings overlay
h Help Re-show the first-start briefing
Esc Interrupt Send Escape to all crew tabs
q Quit Quit the dashboard (agents keep running)
F12 Close Close the help overlay

After pressing a command key, the help overlay closes and the action executes.

Summoning Agents

Press F12, a to open the summon dialog. You will see a list of available personas filtered as you type. Type a persona name (and optionally a client override), then press Enter.

The prompt format is: name [client]

Examples:

  • forge — summon with the persona's default client
  • circuit codex — summon with Codex as the AI client

The new agent appears as a tab. Switch to it with the corresponding F-key.

Preferred workflow: Ask your crew leader (Data) to summon specialists for you. Type your request directly in the leader's tab: "Summon forge to fix the auth module." The leader handles the orchestration.

Sending Messages

Press F12, m to open the message composer. The input prompt shows MSG: — type the recipient name, a space, then the message body.

Format: name message text

Examples:

  • data please review the PR — message the crew leader
  • forge,harbor both of you stop and sync up — message multiple agents

The composer also shows the scrollable communication log above the input field. Scroll with arrow keys.

Slash Commands

Press F12, / to open the slash command panel. Slash commands provide quick access to crew operations without leaving the dashboard.

Command Usage Description
/msg /msg <target> <text> Send message to crew member(s)
/broadcast /broadcast <text> Message all crew members
/summon /summon <target> Summon a crew agent
/release /release <target> Release a crew agent
/screen /screen <target> Capture agent screen content
/reset /reset <target> Reset agent session context
/crew /crew List active crew members
/silence /silence Silence crew comms for 1 minute
/personas /personas List available personas
/kb /kb <query> Search the knowledge base

Type / to see suggestions. Tab completes the command name. Enter dispatches.

Settings

Press F12, o to open the settings overlay. Navigate with arrow keys, toggle boolean settings with Space, adjust numeric settings with Left/Right (fine) or Shift+Left/Right (coarse). Press Enter to save, Esc to close.

The "Ask Data First" Pattern

The most effective way to use the dashboard:

  1. Run metateam in your project directory.
  2. Data (the crew leader) appears in the first tab.
  3. Tell Data what you want: "Fix the checkout race condition" or "Write tests for the auth module."
  4. Data analyzes the problem, summons the right specialists, and coordinates the work.
  5. Watch progress by switching tabs. Steer any agent directly if needed.
  6. Review results in .crew/mail-board/ when agents report back.

You focus on intent. Data handles orchestration.

Observing Agents

  • Switch tabs to see any agent's live terminal.
  • Comm log (F12, c) shows inter-agent messages in real time.
  • Screen capture (/screen <name>) grabs an agent's current terminal content for review.
  • Direct attach (F12, Enter) drops you into the raw tmux session for full terminal control. Detach with Ctrl-b, d to return to the dashboard.

Quitting

Press F12, q to quit. The confirmation dialog shows what will happen:

  • Tmux backend (default): Agent sessions continue running in the background after the dashboard exits. Run metateam again to reconnect.
  • Embedded backend: These sessions terminate when the dashboard closes. The confirmation dialog shows how many embedded sessions will end.

Dashboard vs. Web Interface

The terminal dashboard (metateam command) is where you manage your crew in real time — summoning agents, steering work, monitoring progress.

The web interface at metateam.ai is where you browse session history, manage your knowledge base, handle API keys, and review past work. It is a companion to the dashboard, not a replacement.

See Also