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A terminal is a opened inside the machine, with stdin/stdout streamed to your client over a WebSocket. The machine wakes if it was sleeping. 
dedalus machines terminals create \
  --machine-id <machine_id> \
  --width 80 \
  --height 24 \
  --shell /bin/bash \
  --cwd /root \
  --env FOO=bar
​
machine_id
string
required
The machine where the terminal opens.
​
width
integer
required
Initial terminal width in columns.
​
height
integer
required
Initial terminal height in rows.
​
shell
string
default:"/bin/bash"
Shell to start inside the PTY.
​
cwd
string
default:"/root"
Working directory for the shell.
​
env
object
Extra environment variables for the shell.

​
Wire protocol

DirectionFramePayload
Client → serverBinaryRaw bytes written to the shell’s stdin (keystrokes, paste, etc.)
Client → serverText (JSON){"cols": 100, "rows": 30} to resize the PTY
Server → clientBinaryRaw bytes from the shell’s stdout/stderr (ANSI escapes intact)
Server → clientCloseShell exited or session expired

​
Manage terminals

dedalus machines terminals list --machine-id <machine_id>
dedalus machines terminals retrieve --machine-id <machine_id> --terminal-id <terminal_id>
dedalus machines terminals delete --machine-id <machine_id> --terminal-id <terminal_id>
​
machine_id
string
required
The machine that owns the terminal.
​
terminal_id
string
required
The terminal to retrieve or close.
Last modified on May 8, 2026