Show HN: Beam – Terminal Organizer for macOS

getbeam.dev

2 points by faalbane a day ago

https://getbeam.dev

I built Beam because I kept losing track of terminal sessions across different projects. The core idea: group terminals into "subwindows" (like virtual desktops), with tabs and split panes in each. Save layouts and restore them instantly.

  Features:
  - Subwindows to organize by project/context
  - Tabs and split panes within each
  - Save/restore layouts (switch project contexts in one click)
  - Quick switcher (⌘P) to jump to any terminal
  - Undo close for accidentally killed tabs
  - Full terminal emulator (SwiftTerm) – works with tmux, vim, ssh, etc.
Built with Swift + SwiftUI. $29 one-time, with a free tier to try it.

I'm a solo dev and YC alum (https://www.ycombinator.com/verify/xgj2zdtraywxgmxs). Would love feedback – what's missing? What would make this useful for your workflow?

testbyhuman a day ago

The landing page is clean. "$29 one-time vs subscription" against Warp is a strong differentiator, and explaining the App Store limitation upfront builds trust.

Since you asked about workflow: I run multiple Claude Code sessions and the biggest friction isn't organizing terminals, it's remembering what each one was doing when I come back hours later. Subwindow naming helps, but a "last command" preview in the quick switcher would save me from opening each one just to remember where I left off.

One thing worth thinking about: since this is a direct .dmg download (no App Store safety net), your landing page has to do all the convincing. I'd be curious how a first-time visitor reacts before clicking Download. I run testbyhuman.com where a real person screen-records their visit with voice narration. Happy to do a free test on getbeam.dev if you want to see that first impression.

  • faalbane a day ago

    Thanks, really appreciate the detailed feedback!

    The "last command" preview in quick switcher is a great idea – I hadn't thought of that. Right now you just see the subwindow/tab name, but showing something like "last: npm run dev" or "last: ssh prod-server" would definitely help with context when coming back later. Adding that to my list.

    And yes, I'd love to take you up on the user test offer – seeing a first-time visitor's reaction to the landing page would be super valuable, especially since there's no App Store safety net. I'll reach out via testbyhuman.com.