Terminals arenaBuyer checklist
Every requirement we judge terminals products against, as a ready-to-send RFP checklist — with each item's priority, why it matters, and how the top-ranked products score on it today.
54 requirements · 13 themes · verdicts for 6 products · updated 2026-09-16 · priorities mirror the story weights our scoring uses (methodology)
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# Terminals — buyer checklist (RFP) Derived from ProductArena's evidence-graded user-story taxonomy for Terminals: 54 judged requirements. Priorities mirror story weights (3 = must-have, 2 = should-have, 1 = nice-to-have). ## Agenticness - [ ] **[must-have]** Plug MCP servers into this product so it can use their tools - [ ] **[must-have]** Connect an agent via an official MCP server - [ ] **[must-have]** Drive the product through a documented public API - [ ] **[must-have]** Delegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the product - [ ] **[should-have]** Point an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs - [ ] **[should-have]** Run the product headlessly / in CI for automation - [ ] **[should-have]** Use an official CLI - [ ] **[should-have]** Issue scoped/least-privilege API credentials for an agent - [ ] **[should-have]** Build against official SDKs - [ ] **[should-have]** Subscribe to events via webhooks - [ ] **[should-have]** Get AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the product - [ ] **[should-have]** Set up automations that run autonomously in the background - [ ] **[should-have]** Operate the product with natural-language commands - [ ] **[should-have]** Explore an interactive API reference with runnable examples - [ ] **[should-have]** Download a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent) - [ ] **[should-have]** Rely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policy - [ ] **[nice-to-have]** Test against a sandbox environment without touching production data ## Ai assistance - [ ] **[must-have]** Delegate terminal tasks to a built-in AI agent that plans and executes commands with my approval - [ ] **[should-have]** Get AI explanations and suggested fixes when a command fails - [ ] **[should-have]** Type natural language and get the right shell command generated in place - [ ] **[should-have]** Use or fully disable AI features with clear control over what session data leaves my machine, without a forced login ## Automation depth - [ ] **[must-have]** Define rules that trigger actions automatically on events - [ ] **[should-have]** Perform bulk operations across many items at once - [ ] **[should-have]** Schedule recurring jobs or workflows - [ ] **[nice-to-have]** Version, review, and roll back my automations ## Config theming - [ ] **[must-have]** Keep the terminal's full configuration as plain-text files in my dotfiles and sync it across machines - [ ] **[should-have]** Use programming fonts with ligatures, fallback fonts, and fine-grained font tuning - [ ] **[should-have]** Apply color schemes and themes, including automatic light/dark mode switching ## Openness - [ ] **[must-have]** Export all of my data in open formats and leave - [ ] **[must-have]** Self-host the core product - [ ] **[should-have]** Do everything through the API that I can do in the UI - [ ] **[should-have]** Read the product's source under an open license ## Panes multiplexing - [ ] **[must-have]** Split windows into panes and organize work across tabs without an external multiplexer - [ ] **[should-have]** Restore my windows, tabs, and working directories after a restart or crash - [ ] **[nice-to-have]** Summon the terminal instantly with a global hotkey or quake-style dropdown window ## Performance rendering - [ ] **[must-have]** Rely on GPU-accelerated rendering that stays fast and responsive under heavy output - [ ] **[should-have]** See published benchmarks or measured latency/throughput numbers backing the terminal's performance claims ## Privacy posture - [ ] **[must-have]** Prevent my data from being used to train AI models - [ ] **[should-have]** Choose where my data is stored (region/residency) - [ ] **[should-have]** Control data retention and deletion - [ ] **[should-have]** Opt out of telemetry and usage tracking ## Protocols media - [ ] **[should-have]** Display inline images and rich graphics via a documented terminal graphics protocol - [ ] **[should-have]** Run the same terminal with the same config on macOS, Linux, and Windows ## Remote ssh - [ ] **[should-have]** SSH to remote hosts with the terminal's own integration carrying my terminfo, shell integration, and config along - [ ] **[should-have]** Use tmux inside the terminal, or a documented native tmux integration/control mode ## Scriptability control - [ ] **[must-have]** Let a coding agent programmatically drive the terminal itself — create panes, run commands, read output — through a documented control protocol or API - [ ] **[must-have]** Script and control the terminal from the command line — open windows, send text, query state — via a documented CLI or IPC interface - [ ] **[should-have]** Extend the terminal with scripts or plugins in a real language (Lua, Python, kittens) beyond built-in options - [ ] **[should-have]** Define startup sessions and window layouts in config or scripts so a project workspace opens in one command ## Shell integration - [ ] **[should-have]** I get command-aware features from shell integration, like exit status, duration, and notifications when long commands finish - [ ] **[should-have]** Jump between prompts and command marks in my scrollback thanks to shell integration ## Workflow ergonomics - [ ] **[should-have]** Open URLs and file paths from output by clicking them or selecting them from the keyboard - [ ] **[should-have]** Search my scrollback quickly and jump between matches - [ ] **[nice-to-have]** Discover and run terminal actions from a searchable command palette --- Source: https://ultrametric.ai/productarena/arena/terminals (evidence-graded verdicts for 6 products) · methodology: https://ultrametric.ai/productarena/methodology
Chips show the top 5 ranked products' current verdict on each requirement — ✓ full · ~ partial · ! disputed · — none · n/a not applicable.
Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productAgenticness· 17 items
How well agents can access and operate the product
Ai assistance — stories about ai assistance in this arenaAi assistance· 4 items
Stories about ai assistance in this arena
Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedAutomation depth· 4 items
How much of the product can run unattended
Config theming — stories about config theming in this arenaConfig theming· 3 items
Stories about config theming in this arena
Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesOpenness· 4 items
Open source, data portability, and self-hosting stories
Panes multiplexing — stories about panes multiplexing in this arenaPanes multiplexing· 3 items
Stories about panes multiplexing in this arena
Performance rendering — stories about performance rendering in this arenaPerformance rendering· 2 items
Stories about performance rendering in this arena
Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesPrivacy posture· 4 items
Data-handling and privacy stories
Protocols media — stories about protocols media in this arenaProtocols media· 2 items
Stories about protocols media in this arena
Remote ssh — stories about remote ssh in this arenaRemote ssh· 2 items
Stories about remote ssh in this arena
Scriptability control — stories about scriptability control in this arenaScriptability control· 4 items
Stories about scriptability control in this arena
Shell integration — stories about shell integration in this arenaShell integration· 2 items
Stories about shell integration in this arena
Workflow ergonomics — stories about workflow ergonomics in this arenaWorkflow ergonomics· 3 items
Stories about workflow ergonomics in this arena
Full evidence behind every verdict lives on the arena page and each product page — chips above deep-link straight to the judged story.