Mado: A macOS Terminal Multiplexer with Persistent Workspaces

Mado is a macOS terminal multiplexer built in Rust. It puts shell sessions into horizontal and vertical panes, then adds project workspaces and configurable side panels for plugins and tasks. Its first public release is v0.0.1, so it is best treated as an early tool to explore alongside—not automatically instead of—an established terminal setup.

A terminal built around multiple panes

Mado brings several command-line sessions into one desktop window. Split panes horizontally or vertically to keep a server, test run, shell, and editor command visible together, without arranging a stack of separate terminal windows.

The project describes its pane model as tmux-style, but it is a graphical macOS application with its own workspace and plugin model. Do not assume it imports tmux configuration or reproduces every tmux workflow; try your actual shortcuts and scripts before switching.

Keep workspaces and directories together

Projects can be defined with a name and local path in Mado's project configuration. When you switch between projects, the app can preserve that project's pane layout and working directories, which helps keep separate codebases from bleeding into one another.

This is useful when a project repeatedly needs the same terminal arrangement. Mado's configuration lives under the user's home directory, and its README shows separate project definitions with optional task and deploy commands. Those commands are user-supplied shell work, so review them as you would any local script.

Tune the look with themes and Starship

The README lists 22 built-in themes and support for adding custom theme files. If Starship is installed, Mado can coordinate the shell prompt with the selected palette, making the terminal panes feel more like one workspace.

Theme integration is optional: Starship is a separate prompt tool, not a requirement for using Mado. Start with the built-in appearance and add prompt customization only if it matches your existing shell setup.

Bring project tasks into the terminal

Mado includes a panel for Tasku, the maintainer's separate task manager. When Tasku is installed, matching its project name to Mado's workspace code lets the panel filter tasks for the active project.

That connection keeps task context close to the commands that run the work, but Tasku remains a separate tool. If you do not use it, the terminal multiplexer and its core pane workflows are still the main product.

Extend the sidebars with plugins

Mado can place plugins in sidebars and describes two ways to render them: a PTY stream for ANSI or text interfaces, and a pixel protocol for RGBA frames. The project links a growing community plugin collection, including examples such as clocks and Pomodoro timers, and documents the protocol in its plugin guide.

A plugin is an external command configured by the user, not a sandboxed extension guaranteed to be harmless. Review its source and executable origin before adding it; a plugin process runs with the permissions of the account that launched Mado.

Know what the Claude panel needs

The README describes a built-in Claude panel, and Mado's sample configuration says its mado-claude plugin needs an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. The checked-in plugin implementation launches the external claude command in a pseudo-terminal, so expect to install and configure Claude's CLI separately; Mado is not a bundled local language model.

This AI panel is optional. If you only need split shells, workspaces, themes, or other plugins, you can use Mado without enabling Claude. Check your CLI authentication and provider terms separately before sending work through an AI tool.

A first public release with room to mature

The latest release checked for this article is v0.0.1, published as the project's initial public release. The repository has real Rust source and plugin tests, but a 0.0.x version and a short release history are reasons to test Mado on a representative project before making it your only terminal environment.

Its feature set is ambitious for a first release: panes, workspace persistence, Tasku, themes, and plugin panels. Treat those as capabilities to validate in your own shell, font, terminal commands, and daily workflow rather than as a guarantee of tmux-level compatibility or long-term stability.

License and execution boundaries

Mado's repository is licensed under the MIT License, and the source project identifies itself as a macOS terminal multiplexer written in Rust. MIT permits commercial use subject to its notice requirements; review the license and bundled dependency notices for your own distribution needs.

Mado starts shells and configured plugin commands on your Mac. That is central to its purpose, but it means workspace task commands and third-party plugins should be treated as executable code—not passive UI add-ons. Use commands and plugins you trust.

Install the official Mado v0.0.1 DMG

The latest official macOS installer checked here is the 11.7 MB Mado.dmg direct download. Its SHA-256 checksum was verified against GitHub release metadata: b3530cec24b7f8cc4e758ae21252885d151850e6e6d2003fd364b03de42b0b2d. The v0.0.1 release page contains the official asset.

Open the disk image and drag Mado.app into Applications, as the README instructs. The project's Homebrew cask points to this same v0.0.1 DMG and checksum; it currently declares macOS Sonoma or later. Homebrew is an optional convenience, not a different build.

The direct release package is available, so there is no need to build from source just to try the app. If you want to compile or inspect the developer workflow, the README lists Rust and Xcode Command Line Tools as prerequisites.

A focused option for a project-heavy terminal workflow

Mado is most interesting if you keep several repositories active and want their terminal layouts, directories, task context, and small sidebar tools to stay organized in one Mac window. Its plugin protocols also give developers a route to build compact panels beyond the bundled examples.

If your work depends on mature tmux scripts, remote-shell edge cases, or a long stability record, keep your current setup while you test v0.0.1. For a Mac-native pane-and-workspace experiment, begin with the official DMG, then add Tasku, Starship, or plugins only when you want those integrations.

Open the official Mado.dmg, then drag Mado.app into Applications. Official download: https://github.com/tomdringer/mado/releases/download/v0.0.1/Mado.dmg. The current Homebrew cask declares macOS Sonoma or later.