rootshell

The terminal, reimagined for Apple platforms

A powerful, Metal-accelerated terminal emulator with integrated SSH, native git, mosh-compatible roaming, Kubernetes support, and cloud provider connectivity. Beautiful, fast, and secure across iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, and Mac.

Completely free. No limits on connections or tabs. No in-app purchases.

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iOS iPadOS visionOS macOS

Beautiful by Design

Featuring stunning animated backgrounds including the signature solar effect, rootshell transforms terminal work into a visual experience.

rootshell with starfield background
Animated starfield background with GPU-accelerated rendering
rootshell with sunrise effect
Dynamic solar effect at sunrise
rootshell split window view
Resizable split windows for multitasking

Powerful on iPhone

Full local shell access on iOS with beautiful backgrounds

Powerful Features

Everything you need for professional terminal work, crafted with attention to detail.

Metal Accelerated

Built on libghostty for blazing-fast, GPU-accelerated terminal rendering. Buttery smooth scrolling and instant response.

Built-in AI Agent

Chat with Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini directly in your terminal. Execute commands, search the web, and get help with streaming markdown responses.

Git Version Control

Full native Git CLI powered by libgit2. Clone, push, pull, and fetch over SSH with the built-in SSH client. Supports init, commit, diff, log, blame, branch, and more with syntax-highlighted output.

Vim 9 & Helix Editor

Full Vim 9.2 with 24-bit color, syntax highlighting, and the huge feature set. Plus the Helix editor with tree-sitter support and system clipboard.

Rootshell Roam

Mosh-compatible sessions with STUN-based firewall traversal. Roam between WiFi and cellular without dropping, resume instantly after app restarts, and enjoy predictive local echo on high-latency connections.

QUIC & KCP Transport

UDP-based terminal sessions via tssh with TLS 1.3 (QUIC) or AES-GCM-256 (KCP) encryption. Full native scrollback, lower latency than mosh, and session resumption surviving app termination and device reboots.

Post-Quantum Cryptography

ML-KEM hybrid key exchange and ML-DSA host key signatures protect your sessions against future quantum attacks. End-to-end post-quantum security for SSH.

SSH VPN

Turn any SSH server into a full system VPN with QUIC and KCP transport. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Dynamic Island live stats, Control Center toggle, and Siri integration. Per-profile DNS and route exclusions.

Hardware Security Keys

SSH authentication with YubiKey PIV, FIDO2, or Secure Enclave. Private keys never leave the hardware. Supports Lightning, NFC, and USB-C.

Native SSH Client

Integrated SSH with a client library written entirely in Swift. Port forwarding, key generation, and password storage with no external dependencies.

And So Much More

Every detail considered. Every workflow covered.

Networking & Infrastructure

  • Tailscale Integration

    Discover and connect to tailnet devices with OAuth authentication.

  • Kubernetes Support

    Debug pod injection and multi-cluster kubeconfig import.

  • Background SSH Tunnels

    Always-on port forwards with auto-start and transfer monitoring.

  • Multipath TCP

    Seamless WiFi/cellular handover without reconnection.

  • Connection Health

    Real-time latency and packet loss charts with tab bar indicators.

  • MCP Server

    Let Claude Code and other AI tools execute commands securely.

Built-in Tools

  • Local Shell & Utilities

    Full shell on iOS with SFTP, SCP, curl with HTTP/2, jq, bat, and more.

  • Network Diagnostics

    Native mtr, traceroute, and ping with truecolor TUI and AS lookups.

  • Inline Images

    Display PNG, JPEG, and HEIC images in terminal via imgcat.

  • Clickable Hyperlinks

    Interactive URLs with Cmd+click, context menus, and copy link.

  • Custom Keyboard Toolbar

    Fully customizable virtual keyboard toolbar with drag reordering and custom key sequences.

  • Mod-Tap Keys

    QMK-style dual-function keys for hardware keyboards. Tap or hold for different actions.

Customization & Productivity

  • iCloud Sync

    Keys, profiles, history, and settings sync across all devices.

  • Session Persistence

    Windows, tabs, splits, and scrollback restore on launch.

  • Tabs, Splits & Profiles

    Unlimited tabs and splits. Save connections with tags and folders.

  • 450+ Themes & Visual Effects

    Day/night themes, custom themes, video backgrounds, and Shadertoy shaders.

  • Custom Fonts & Nerd Fonts

    Import TTF/OTF fonts with font features. Nerd Fonts included.

  • Touch Text Selection

    Elegant selection with magnifier loupe, drag handles, and context menus.

One App, Every Apple Device

rootshell is a universal app built natively for each platform, optimized for the unique capabilities of every device.

iPhone

Full terminal power in your pocket. Perfect for quick server checks on the go.

iPad

Split view multitasking, keyboard support, and Stage Manager ready for serious work.

Vision Pro

Immersive terminal experience in spatial computing. Multiple windows in infinite space.

Mac

Native macOS app with transparency, menu bar integration, and all the power you expect.

Download for Free

rootshell is completely free with no in-app purchases or subscription fees. Every feature, unlimited connections, unlimited tabs, all included. Currently in beta, join TestFlight to get early access and help shape the future of terminal emulation on Apple platforms.

TestFlight Beta

Get the latest features and updates first. Available for iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS.

Join TestFlight

macOS Direct Download

Non-sandboxed universal build with full local shell access and advanced window transparency. Supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Download for macOS

Version 1.0.2-59 — March 27, 2026 — Release Notes

Auto-Updates Available

The macOS direct download includes Sparkle auto-update support. Updates are delivered automatically once installed.

macOS App Store Limitations

Due to App Store sandboxing requirements, the TestFlight/App Store version has some limitations compared to the direct download:

  • Local Shell: Requires installation of a separate helper application (available from this site) or connecting via SSH to localhost.
  • Window Transparency: Uses a more basic transparency mode, as sandboxed apps cannot access the private APIs used by the direct download version for advanced transparency effects.

For the best macOS experience, use the direct download version above.