Paneflow's four layout presets rearrange the panes already open in the active tab. Use them to compare agent output, read wide logs, or keep one session beside several others. Running commands continue in their panes.
Choose and apply a layout
From a pane in the tab, press one of the shortcuts below. Use Cmd on
macOS and Ctrl on Linux and Windows. You can also open the command palette
with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P, select Pane layout, and choose a preset.
The names below match the command palette.
| Preset | Shortcut | Arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Even horizontal | Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+1 | One row of panes with equal widths. |
| Even vertical | Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+2 | One column of panes with equal heights. |
| Main vertical | Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+3 | The focused pane on the left, with the others stacked on the right. Each side takes half the width. |
| Tiled | Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+4 | A grid whose rows and columns depend on the number of panes. |
- Choose Even horizontal to compare short outputs on a wide screen.
- Choose Even vertical when logs or commands need the full tab width.
- Choose Main vertical to follow one agent beside tests or other sessions. Focus the pane you want on the left before applying the preset.
- Choose Tiled to watch several sessions without making one the main view.
Main vertical keeps focus on the pane you selected. The other presets move focus to the first pane in the new layout. With only one pane, applying a preset leaves its arrangement unchanged.
Balance sizes without rearranging panes
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+= to run split_equalize. It balances the space
between panes within each existing split and keeps them in their current
arrangement.
Use this after resizing panes if you want to keep the same rows and columns. A layout preset replaces the arrangement and its size proportions instead.
Keep working in the same sessions
Applying a preset reuses the existing panes. It keeps their shells, running commands, terminal history, and working directories. A build or agent task continues after its pane moves. Other tabs keep their layouts.
Keeping sessions running when you quit Paneflow is a separate choice. Select Keep sessions running on quit, then reopen the app to reconnect. The session host and machine must remain running. See the guide to terminal sessions for stopping, reopening, and restarting sessions.
Configure layouts and shortcuts
To change a shortcut, bind its action name under shortcuts in
paneflow.json. Workspace templates and paneflow up use the preset values
in the last column instead.
| Preset | Shortcut action | Preset value |
|---|---|---|
| Even horizontal | layout_even_horizontal | even_h |
| Even vertical | layout_even_vertical | even_v |
| Main vertical | layout_main_vertical | main_vertical |
| Tiled | layout_tiled | tiled |
In a workspace template, set commands[].workspace.layout_preset.
In a paneflow up file, set layout. Choosing a preset for a new workspace
sets its initial arrangement; applying a shortcut rearranges an existing tab.
Follow the shortcut customization guide to remap keys, the workspace template reference to configure reusable workspaces, or the CLI automation guide to open workspaces from files.