Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions and answers about electem terminal client
These answers are based on the electerm Wiki
Yes, add the following CSS to Custom CSS in Settings (Settings → Appearance → Custom CSS):
/* Hide the local section */
.sftp-local-section {
display: none !important;
}
/* Expand the remote section to full width */
.sftp-remote-section {
width: 100% !important;
left: 0 !important;
}
/* Ensure the parent container adjusts */
.sftp-wrap {
display: block;
}After saving, the local section will be hidden and the remote section will expand to full width. More CSS examples →
Yes, use the following Custom CSS to place the remote section on the left and the local section on the right:
.term-sftp-box .sftp-wrap {
display: flex !important;
flex-direction: row;
}
.term-sftp-box .sftp-section {
flex: 1;
position: static;
}
.sftp-remote-section {
order: 1 !important;
}
.sftp-local-section {
order: 2;
}
There are two methods to prevent idle SSH connections from being dropped:
Method 1 — Configure Keep Alive Interval in Settings:
- Open Settings (gear icon, top right)
- Locate SSH Keep Alive Interval
- Enter a value in seconds (e.g. 60)
- Save
Method 2 — Click the keep-alive icon in the terminal toolbar during an active session. This sends an Enter key every 3 seconds (more aggressive, may interfere with interactive commands like vim).
Read more on electerm WikiSSH tunnels are configured when creating or editing an SSH bookmark. You can set up:
Local → Remote (ssh -L): Forward requests from a local port to a remote server port.
Remote → Local (ssh -R): Forward requests from a remote port to a local server port.
Workspace lets you save your current layout and open tabs as a preset. Only tabs opened from bookmarks are saved.
To save and load workspaces:
- Set your desired layout via the Layout dropdown in the tab bar
- Open the bookmarked connections you want included
- Go to Layout → Workspace tab → Save Workspace
- Name it and confirm
Use Quick Connect from the sidebar. Enter a connection string like:
ssh://[email protected]:22
rdp://[email protected]:3389
serial://COM1?baudRate=115200
Quick Connect supports SSH, Telnet, VNC, RDP, Spice, Serial, and FTP protocols. You can skip the protocol prefix for SSH connections.
Batch Operation lets you define and run multi-step SSH/SFTP workflows using JSON. Access it via the Batch Operation button on the left sidebar.
Available action types:
- connect — Connects to a remote SSH server
- command — Runs a terminal command
- sftp_upload — Uploads files/folders to remote server
- sftp_download — Downloads files/folders from remote server
Yes, electerm supports deep links using protocols like ssh://, telnet://, rdp://, vnc://, serial://, spice://, and the custom electerm:// protocol. Register protocol handlers in electerm settings first.
You can also create desktop shortcuts, HTML links, or use command-line tools (open, xdg-open, start) to launch connections.
Use the --autohide flag to start electerm minimized to the system tray:
Ubuntu:
Open Startup Applications, add electerm with the command: electerm --autohideWindows:
Create a shortcut to electerm.exe and place it in %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartupmacOS:
Create a script with /Applications/electerm.app/Contents/MacOS/electerm --autohide, make it executable, then add it in System Settings → Login ItemsElecterm works with any OpenAI-compatible API. To configure:
- Open AI settings in Electerm
- Enter the API URL for your provider (e.g. https://api.openai.com/v1)
- Select or type the model name (e.g. gpt-4, deepseek-chat)
- Input your API key
- Optionally define a system role prompt and save
Yes, quick command templates support the following dynamic placeholders that resolve at execution time:
Supported template variables:
- Time — inserts the current time
- Date — inserts the current date
- Clipboard — inserts the current clipboard content
Yes. Enable the 'Default' checkbox on a profile in electerm settings. That profile will be automatically selected when creating new bookmarks.