--- title: "Mac Settings" canonical_url: https://www.superlogical.com/rex/docs/reference/mac-settings --- # Mac Settings This page lists every setting in Rex for Mac and where to find it. Anything tagged [Bleeding Edge](https://www.superlogical.com/rex/docs/reference/mac-settings.md#setting-app-version-update-channel) is on that update channel and not yet in Preview. ## Integrations ### Coding Agents Teach Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Pi how to use Rex. In Settings > Integrations > Coding Agents. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Integrate with available agents | Installs a Rex skill and session hooks for supported agents. | ### Agent Behavior Choose what Rex tells coding agents running in its terminals. In Settings > Integrations > Agent Behavior. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Let agents name sessions | Let agents label the session after the task they're working on. Shown while Integrate with available agents is on. | ## Notifications ### In-App Notifications Choose where floating notifications appear in the window. In Settings > Notifications > In-App Notifications. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Notification position | Click a position in the window diagram to place notifications at the top or bottom, aligned left, center, or right. | ### Program Activity Independently configure tab indicators, system notifications, Dock badges, and sounds for program activity. In Settings > Notifications > Program Activity. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Show activity in tabs | Show working dots, progress pies, and needs-attention dots and messages on tabs when a program in them reports its status. | | Include idle processes in activity | Keep tabs whose programs report that they're idle in the Activity filter and popup, even after you've seen them. | | Show each process in tabs | Split a tab with more than one active pane into a row for each pane in the Activity filter and popup. Clicking a row focuses its pane. | | Show system notifications | Send a macOS notification when a program reports a status while Rex is in the background, independently of tab indicators. Clicking it opens the program's tab. | | Badge Dock icon | Show on Rex's Dock icon how many tabs have a program that's blocked, failed, or finished that you haven't seen. | | Play sounds | Play a sound when a program in a tab is blocked, reports an error, or finishes. | | Working | Enable or disable all activity for working programs, or configure their tab indicators, notifications, Dock badges, and sounds individually. | | Blocked | Enable or disable all activity for programs waiting for you, or configure their tab indicators, notifications, Dock badges, and sounds individually. | | Error | Enable or disable all activity for programs reporting errors, or configure their tab indicators, notifications, Dock badges, and sounds individually. | | Done | Enable or disable all activity for finished programs, or configure their tab indicators, notifications, Dock badges, and sounds individually. | ### System Notifications Choose whether terminal programs can send native macOS notifications, and see the ones Rex sends for Tailscale. In Settings > Notifications > System Notifications. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Terminal notifications | Let programs send native notifications with OSC 9 or OSC 777. | | Tailscale sign-in | A native notification when Rex needs you to sign in to Tailscale. | | Tailscale device approval | A native notification when a tailnet administrator must approve this Mac. | | Tailscale failures | A native notification when Tailscale stops or reports an error. | ## Server ### Rex Server Manage the local server, compatibility, and diagnostics. In Settings > Server > Rex Server. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Server status | See whether the local server is running and for how long, with version and API details in its info popover. | | Compatibility | When an update, compatibility issue, or pending settings change is detected, see the discrepancy and update or restart the server when appropriate. | ### Remote Address Check serving progress, copy the address, or pair another device. In Settings > Server > Remote Address. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Remote Address | Check serving progress and certificate readiness, retry, copy the address, or pair a device using its QR code. | ### Tailscale Connect Rex to your tailnet and control who can access it. In Settings > Server > Tailscale. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Serve over Tailscale | Enable or disable access to Rex over your tailnet. | | Preferred Hostname | Choose this Mac’s Tailscale hostname while serving. The assigned address may differ. | | Limit access to your Tailscale account | Restrict callers to your account or allow tailnet members. | | Tags | See this device’s Tailscale tags. Sign out and back in to change them. | | Control Server | See which control server this device signs in with. Sign out and back in to change it. | | Sign in to Tailscale | Check your account and sign-out progress, configure a hostname and sign in, reopen or cancel enrollment, or sign out. | ### Client Info Choose how this Mac appears to Rex servers and the command line. In Settings > Server > Client Info. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Label | Name this Mac in client lists and for targeting it from rex commands. | | Remote Control | Let Rex and other clients perform actions in this app. | ## Interface ### Appearance Choose the color scheme, interface materials, and theme tint. In Settings > Interface > Appearance. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Color scheme | Select a live Auto, Light, or Dark material preview. Auto follows the system appearance. | | Interface style | Preview Glass or Classic materials with the current theme tint and select a surface style. | | Tint with theme | Apply the selected theme's colors to interface surfaces. | | Use glass for panes | Available with the Glass interface style: add glass to panes alongside window and tab materials. | ### Tabs Choose tab placement, sizing, and pane icon counts and colors. In Settings > Interface > Tabs. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Tab style | Place tabs Above, on the Left Side, or on the Right Side of the window. | | Fill available space | Available with horizontal tabs: expand tabs equally to fill the bar, showing backgrounds only for two or more tabs. | | Use color for tab icons | Show colored icons Always, For active panes, For active tabs, or Never. | | Shell icon theme | Choose Default artwork, Use theme for background and foreground colors, or Use theme accent for accents. | | Show tab icons | Show zero to three pane icons in vertical tabs, or up to five in horizontal tabs. | ### Window Available with sidebar tab styles: choose whether the sidebar resizes the window, and which swipe shows or hides it. In Settings > Interface > Window. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Preserve width when resizing sidebar | Available with vertical tabs: resize panes when showing or hiding the sidebar, keeping the window width unchanged. | | Use a gesture to toggle the sidebar | Available with vertical tabs: choose whether a swipe or an Option-swipe shows or hides the sidebar, or turn the gesture off. Hold the ⌥ key to scroll content sideways instead. | ### Panes Adjust pane spacing, headers, and program backgrounds. In Settings > Interface > Panes. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Pane style | Choose Comfortable or Compact pane surfaces and spacing. | | Show pane headers | Show the title and controls above each pane. | | Match program backgrounds | Color a pane and its header with the background a full-screen program paints. | ### Pane Padding Set the space between a pane's edges and its terminal text, and the color drawn there. Opens from Customize pane behavior under Panes. In Settings > Interface > Pane Padding. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Padding X | Set the space to the left and right of the terminal text. | | Padding Y | Set the space below the terminal text, and above it when pane headers are hidden. | | Padding color | Use the pane background or extend edge-cell backgrounds into the padding. | ### Active Pane Highlight the edges of the active pane and fade inactive ones. Opens from Customize pane behavior under Panes. In Settings > Interface > Active Pane. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Highlight active pane edges | Highlight the edges of the focused pane, following focus. | | Highlight color | Draw the highlight in the accent, a terminal palette color, or the terminal text color. | | Highlight opacity | Set how strongly the highlight draws. | | Animate active pane highlight | Fade the highlight to the newly focused pane, move it there, or switch it at once. | | Fade inactive panes | Fade unfocused pane surfaces, content, both, or neither. | | Fade panes for inactive windows | Fade inactive windows while respecting the pane fade choice. Glass content fades equally in every pane. | ### Splits & Focus Balance a tab's splits and let focus follow the pointer. Opens from Customize pane behavior under Panes. In Settings > Interface > Splits & Focus. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Autobalance splits | Evenly resize a tab's panes whenever a pane is created or closed. | | Focus follows mouse | Focus a pane by moving the pointer over it, without clicking. | ### Gestures Turn trackpad gestures for panes and the sidebar on or off. In Settings > Interface > Gestures. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Use trackpad gestures | Spread two fingers over a pane to zoom it and pinch them to restore it, and swipe to show or hide the sidebar. | ### Animation Choose how panes move, open, and close. In Settings > Interface > Animation. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Animation style | Choose Snappy, Natural, or Off for pane motion, the active border, and showing or hiding the sidebar. Off while Reduce Motion is on. | ### App Icon Customize Rex's app icon and Dock and menu bar icon visibility. In Settings > Interface > App Icon. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | App Icon | Choose Default — Dynamic, Bright, or Twilight artwork for the app icon. | | Show app icon | Show Rex's icon in the Dock and menu bar, the Dock only, or the menu bar only while no window is open. | ### Launch Choose whether Rex opens workspace windows at startup. In Settings > Interface > Launch. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Show window on launch | Automatically open workspace windows when Rex launches. | ## Themes ### Light Mode Select the theme palette used in light appearance. In Settings > Themes > Light Mode. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Light theme | Choose a custom, default, or built-in palette used in light mode. | | Use extended theme palette | Use the theme’s colors 16–255 in light mode, or xterm’s standard palette when off. | ### Dark Mode Select the theme palette used in dark appearance. In Settings > Themes > Dark Mode. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Dark theme | Choose a custom, default, or built-in palette used in dark mode. | | Use extended theme palette | Use the theme’s colors 16–255 in dark mode, or xterm’s standard palette when off. | ### Import Theme Add a Ghostty or iTerm palette to your custom themes. In Settings > Themes > Import Theme. ## Terminal ### Typography Preview and choose the terminal font, size, style, and weight. In Settings > Terminal > Typography. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Terminal font | Browse monospaced or all installed fonts to choose the terminal typeface. | | Font size | Adjust terminal text size in points. | | Font style | Choose an installed face of the terminal font, such as Light or Book. | | Font weight | Adjust the stroke weight of a variable terminal font. | ### Advanced Font Settings Adjust character spacing, line height, ligatures, smoothing, and fallback fonts. Opens from Advanced under Typography. In Settings > Terminal > Advanced Font Settings. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Character spacing | Tighten or widen terminal character spacing in pixels or percent. | | Line height | Add or remove space between terminal lines. | | Ligatures | Join characters like -> and != into single symbols. | | Bold and italic | Draw bold and italic always, only when the font has them, or turn either off. | | Font smoothing | Smooth the edges of terminal text. | | Fallback fonts | Choose fonts, in order, for characters the terminal font doesn't have. | ### Colors Control terminal text colors and readability. In Settings > Terminal > Colors. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Improve text contrast | Adjust low-contrast text against its background; included when using the theme palette. | | Force theme palette for text | Map RGB and extended text colors to the nearest theme color, then correct contrast. | | Use Display P3 color space | Read theme and program colors as Display P3, like Ghostty's window-colorspace. | ### Cursor Preview and adjust the terminal cursor shape and blinking. In Settings > Terminal > Cursor. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Blink speed | Choose Off, Slow, Normal, Fast, or Custom to edit the blink interval. | | Blink interval | Set the time between cursor blinks in milliseconds when Blink speed is Custom. | | Cursor style | Choose a block, bar, or underline cursor. | | Force style | Ignore application requests to change cursor shape. | ### Keyboard Show key sequence hints and choose how modifier keys behave in terminal input. In Settings > Terminal > Keyboard. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Show key sequence hints | Show the keys that can come next after the first key of a sequence, such as a tmux-style prefix. | | Option key | Choose whether the Option key sends Alt or types special characters. | ### Scrolling Choose how trackpad and Magic Mouse scrolling move through terminal history. In Settings > Terminal > Scrolling. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Smooth scrolling | Move through terminal history by pixels instead of whole lines. | ### Resizing Choose how terminal text follows a pane as it changes size. In Settings > Terminal > Resizing. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Smooth terminal resizing | Reflow terminal text on the frame a pane changes size, without waiting for the server. | ### Selection Preview selection colors and corners, and customize copying with its animation. In Settings > Terminal > Selection. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Copy on selection | Automatically copy selected terminal text to the clipboard. | | Play animation on copy | Shine across the selection to confirm each copy. | | Selection foreground | Choose the text color inside a selection. | | Selection background | Choose the fill color behind selected text. | | Rounded corners | Round the corners of terminal text selections. | ### Links Choose whether terminal links that launch other apps ask first. In Settings > Terminal > Links. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Links that open apps | Ask before, always, or never open links such as ssh:// that launch another app. | | Trusted links | Review and remove the links you chose to always open, once Always Open adds one. | ### Integrated Path Browser Choose what Insert Path lists when it types a path at the cursor. In Settings > Terminal > Integrated Path Browser. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Show recently used paths | List the paths you chose most recently first, shared by every session on a host. | ### Titles Choose how terminal tabs and pane headers are named. In Settings > Terminal > Titles. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Prefer generated titles | Show the running program and its directory instead of titles that shells set. | ### Shell Choose the command run when a new local terminal opens. In Settings > Terminal > Shell. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Startup command | Set the executable and arguments, or leave empty for the default login shell. | ## Remote Hosts ### Remote hosts Add, reorder, and manage remote Rex hosts, view connection status, and retry connection failures. In Settings > Remote Hosts > Remote hosts. ## Developer
Developer Mode
Reveal settings for development and debugging. In Settings > Developer. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Developer Mode | Show update-channel, installation, local API, web-client origin, and experiment settings. | ### Experimental Try features that aren't finished when Developer Mode is enabled. In Settings > Developer > Experimental. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Download new updates when available | Download updates in the background and ask before restarting. | | Install updates automatically | Relaunch into the new version while Rex is not visible. | | Cursor shaders | Draw a trail shader, such as Warp, Comet, or Blaze, behind terminal cursors. | | Group Activity by priority | Offer Group by priority in the Activity filter menu, listing each process by its state. | ### App Version Choose how Rex.app receives updates when Developer Mode is enabled. In Settings > Developer > App Version. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Update Channel | Choose Preview or Bleeding Edge updates when Developer Mode is enabled. | ### Rex Installation Choose the included server or run Rex from a source checkout. In Settings > Developer > Rex Installation. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Location | Use the server included with Rex.app or a local source checkout. | | Source Directory | Choose the folder containing the Rex source checkout. | | Installation status | Check whether the selected Rex installation is ready to run. | | Version | View and copy the included server version under Show Details. | | Commit | View and copy the source commit of the included server under Show Details. | | Final SHA-256 | View and copy the included server checksum under Show Details. | ### Local API Inspect the local server's API endpoint when Developer Mode is enabled. In Settings > Developer > Local API. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Local API URL | View and copy the local server endpoint when Developer Mode is enabled. | ### Web Client Origins Manage browser origins allowed to open Rex WebSocket streams. In Settings > Developer > Web Client Origins. | Setting | Description | | --- | --- | | Allowed origins | Review the permitted origins and remove custom entries. | | Origin pattern | Enter a browser origin or wildcard subdomain to allow after restarting Rex. |