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Feature Request: Add commands to query the state and metadata of tabs #24027

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opened 2026-01-31 08:59:20 +00:00 by claunia · 0 comments
claunia commented 2026-01-31 08:59:20 +00:00
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Originally created by @adityacodepublic on GitHub (Jan 30, 2026).

Description of the new feature

Currently, there's no way to programmatically query information about open terminal tabs, their profiles, and current working directories. This limits automation scenarios and makes it difficult to build tools that need to understand the terminal state.

Current Limitations

  • No command-line arguments to list current tabs (e.g., --list-tabs, --query-state, --active-tab)
  • No way to get current working directory for each tab
  • No way to identify which profile is active in each tab

Use Cases

  • terminal management tools
  • automation scripts (scripts that need to interact with specific terminal tabs),
  • monitoring tools,
  • integration: coordinating tasks or interactions across multiple tabs/profiles etc.

This feature would bring Windows Terminal in line with other modern terminal emulators that provide automation interfaces (i.eTerm2, alacritty, etc.), enhancing the ecosystem.

Proposed technical implementation details

Add a new API interface for querying terminal state with the following capabilities:
wt --list-tabs
wt --query-tabs --detailed
wt --query-tabs --window-id --detailed

Originally created by @adityacodepublic on GitHub (Jan 30, 2026). ### Description of the new feature Currently, there's no way to programmatically query information about open terminal tabs, their profiles, and current working directories. This limits automation scenarios and makes it difficult to build tools that need to understand the terminal state. ### Current Limitations - No command-line arguments to list current tabs (e.g., `--list-tabs`, `--query-state`, `--active-tab`) - No way to get current working directory for each tab - No way to identify which profile is active in each tab ### Use Cases - terminal management tools - automation scripts (scripts that need to interact with specific terminal tabs), - monitoring tools, - integration: coordinating tasks or interactions across multiple tabs/profiles etc. This feature would bring Windows Terminal in line with other modern terminal emulators that provide automation interfaces (i.eTerm2, alacritty, etc.), enhancing the ecosystem. ### Proposed technical implementation details Add a new API interface for querying terminal state with the following capabilities: wt --list-tabs wt --query-tabs --detailed wt --query-tabs --window-id <id> --detailed
claunia added the Issue-FeatureNeeds-TriageNeeds-Tag-Fix labels 2026-01-31 08:59:20 +00:00
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Reference: starred/terminal#24027
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