FAQ
Is this just an SSH client?
No. SSH clients open a brand-new login shell on a fixed address. TermBridge hooks the shell layer so it shows the terminals you’re already in — including the ones embedded in VS Code, Zed, and Cursor — and never needs an open port, a public IP, or a port-forward. (We wrote up the full comparison in Controlling your Mac terminal without SSH, Tailscale, or ngrok.)
How does it reach my Mac without opening a port?
Your Mac holds a single outbound encrypted connection to a relay. Your phone connects to the same relay and the two are paired into a private room. There is no inbound port on your Mac, so nothing new is exposed to the internet. See Architecture.
Can the relay read my terminal?
No. Everything is end-to-end encrypted with X25519 + AES-256-GCM and a fresh ephemeral key per session. The relay routes sealed frames only — it never holds a key and never sees plaintext. See Security model.
What does it touch on my Mac?
A guarded snippet re-execs your interactive shell through an agent-owned PTY. It always fails safe — a missing binary or bad state can never lock you out of a terminal — and you can remove it any time with the bundled uninstaller.
Which terminals work?
Any terminal app that runs zsh: iTerm2, Terminal.app, the terminals inside VS Code, Zed and Cursor, and tmux. Bash and fish are not wrapped yet. See Supported terminals.
Do I need an account?
No. There’s no sign-up and no password. You pair your phone and Mac directly with a QR code.
Can I pair more than one device?
Yes — an iPhone and iPad to the same Mac at once (Pro), and you can pair multiple Macs and switch between them. See Multiple Macs.
Is it free?
Attaching to your terminals is free forever. Free includes 1 Mac, 1 active terminal, 10 agent answers, 3 local server previews, and 3 uses each of voice, file send, file browse and clipboard sync. Pro removes every limit and unlocks themes and a custom key row. See Plans & limits.
Is it on the App Store?
Yes. The iOS app is live on the App Store, and the Mac menu-bar app ships as a direct .dmg download.
Is there an Android app?
Not yet. Android is coming soon. Today TermBridge is on iPhone and iPad.