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GenTerminal

What is GenTerminal?

GenTerminal is Genspark's cross-platform SSH terminal client for iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. Connect to your servers, manage your hosts, and run commands from any device — with your hosts and settings kept in sync through your Genspark account.

Core capabilities:

  • SSH terminal — connect to any server over SSH and work in a full-featured terminal, on desktop or mobile
  • Host management — save your servers, organize them into groups, and reconnect to recent hosts in one tap
  • Cross-device sync — sign in with your Genspark account and your saved hosts and settings follow you to every device
  • Encrypted key vault — protect your saved passwords and private keys with a vault password
  • SFTP file transfer — browse, upload, and download files on your server
  • Port forwarding (Mac & Windows) — set up local and remote tunnels
  • Snippets — save commands you reuse and run them with one tap
  • Quick window toggle & system tray (Mac & Windows) — summon or hide the window with a global hotkey and keep it out of the way in the tray

Quick Start

  1. Download and install GenTerminal

    • iPhone — get it from the App Store
    • Android — get it from Google Play
    • Mac / Windows — download the desktop app from genterminal.ai

    Then open the app.

  2. Sign in with your Genspark account

    Sign in with your existing Genspark account. GenTerminal is integrated with Genspark, so no separate registration is required — and signing in is what enables your hosts to sync across devices.

  3. Add a host

    Tap or click Add Host (the + button) and fill in your server details:

    • Host / address — the server's hostname or IP address
    • Port — the SSH port (usually 22)
    • Username — your login user on the server
    • Authentication — either a password or a private key

    Save the host.

  4. Connect

    Open the host you just saved to start an SSH session. On Mac and Windows you type commands with your keyboard just like any terminal; on iPhone and Android, use the function-key bar above the keyboard for keys like Tab, Ctrl, Esc, and the arrows.

Feature Guide

Host Management & Groups

The host list is your home base. From there you can:

  • Add, edit, and delete hosts — keep all your servers in one place
  • Organize into groups — sort related servers (for example by project or environment) into groups so the list stays tidy
  • Reconnect to recent hosts — your most recently used connections are surfaced for one-tap reconnect

Cross-Device Cloud Sync

When you're signed in with your Genspark account, GenTerminal keeps your hosts, groups, snippets, and settings in sync automatically across all your devices. Add a server on your phone and it's there on your Mac too — no manual export or import.

Sync is tied to your Genspark account, so signing in on a new device restores everything you've saved.

Key Vault

The Vault protects the sensitive parts of your hosts — saved passwords and private keys — by encrypting them with a vault password that only you know.

  • Set a vault password — the first time you save credentials, you'll be asked to create a vault password. This password unlocks your saved keys on any device.
  • Unlock on a new device — entering the same vault password on another device decrypts your synced credentials there. Your vault password is never stored on our servers, so keep it somewhere safe — it can't be recovered for you.
  • Encrypt keys before sync — a setting that encrypts your private keys with your vault password before they leave your device, so only ciphertext is ever synced. Turn it on if you want your keys protected end-to-end in sync.

SFTP File Transfer

Beyond running commands, GenTerminal can browse the files on your server over SFTP. Open the file browser for a connected host to navigate folders, upload files from your device, and download files from the server.

Port Forwarding

On Mac and Windows, GenTerminal can set up SSH tunnels so you can reach a service through your server:

  • Local forwarding — make a port on a remote network reachable from your own machine (for example, to open a database or internal web app that only your server can see)
  • Remote forwarding — expose a port from your machine on the remote side

Set the tunnel up alongside the host connection and it stays active while you're connected.

Snippets

Snippets are commands you save once and reuse. If you find yourself typing the same command often, save it as a snippet and insert it into the terminal with a tap or click instead of retyping it.

Quick Window Toggle & System Tray

On Mac and Windows, GenTerminal stays handy without cluttering your screen:

  • Global hotkey — press a keyboard shortcut from anywhere to instantly show or hide the GenTerminal window. You can change the shortcut in Settings.
  • System tray — closing the window keeps GenTerminal running in the tray (menu bar on Mac), so your sessions and quick toggle stay available. Quit fully from the tray menu when you're done.

Function-Key Bar

On iPhone and Android, phone keyboards don't have the keys a terminal needs, so GenTerminal adds a function-key bar above the keyboard with Tab, Ctrl, Esc, the arrow keys, and other special keys — so you can run interactive tools and shortcuts just like on a desktop terminal.

FAQ

Q: Which platforms does GenTerminal support?

GenTerminal runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. Get the mobile apps from the App Store and Google Play, and the Mac and Windows desktop apps from genterminal.ai. Your hosts and settings sync across all of them when you're signed in with the same Genspark account. Port forwarding and the global hotkey / system tray are available on the desktop apps; the function-key bar is on mobile.

Q: On iPhone, my SSH session disconnects shortly after I switch away from the app — why?

This is expected behavior on iPhone, not a bug. iOS limits what apps can do in the background, so after GenTerminal has been in the background for about 30 seconds, the operating system suspends it and the SSH connection drops. When you return to the app, simply reconnect to the host. To avoid an interruption during a long-running command, keep GenTerminal in the foreground. (The Mac and Windows apps are not affected by this limit.)

Q: How do I send diagnostic information when I report a problem?

If you hit an issue and our support team asks for logs, you can upload diagnostics from inside the app:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap or click Send diagnostics

This uploads recent app logs so we can investigate. Mention the approximate time the problem happened when you contact support — it helps us find the right logs.

Q: How do I get support?

Email us at [email protected]. Include what happened, which device and OS version you're on, and — if you've already uploaded diagnostics — the approximate time of the issue.

Q: How do I delete my account?

You can delete your account from inside the app. Open Settings, find the account section, and choose Delete account. Deleting your account removes your synced data; this action cannot be undone.

Q: Do my saved hosts sync across devices?

Yes. As long as you're signed in with the same Genspark account, your hosts, groups, snippets, and settings sync automatically across iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. To decrypt synced passwords and keys on a new device, enter your vault password there.