AI-Cli Online

A lightweight web terminal for accessing Claude Code / Codex or any CLI from your browser.

Ideal for unstable networks where SSH drops frequently, or as a local stateful terminal that preserves sessions, layouts, and drafts across refreshes.

npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/ai-cli-online | GitHub: https://github.com/huacheng/ai-cli-online

中文文档

Features

• Full Web Terminal — xterm.js with WebGL rendering, binary protocol for ultra-low latency
• Session Persistence — tmux keeps processes alive through disconnects; fixed socket path ensures auto-reconnect even after server restarts
• Multi-Tab — independent terminal groups with layout persistence across browser refreshes
• Split Panes — horizontal / vertical splits, arbitrarily nested
• Document Browser — view Markdown, HTML, and PDF files alongside your terminal; file picker shows file sizes
• Mermaid Diagrams — Gantt charts, flowcharts, and other Mermaid diagrams render inline with dark theme; CDN fallback for reliability
• Plan Annotations — add, edit, and delete inline annotations on document content with persistent storage
• Editor Panel — multi-line editing with server-side draft persistence (SQLite), undo stack, and slash commands (/history, etc.)
• Copy & Paste — mouse selection auto-copies to clipboard; right-click pastes into terminal
• File Transfer — upload files to CWD, browse and download via REST API
• Scroll History — capture-pane scrollback viewer with ANSI color preservation
• Session Management — sidebar to restore, delete, rename sessions, and close individual terminals (with confirmation)
• Font Size Control — adjustable terminal font size (A−/A+) with server-side persistence
• Network Indicator — real-time RTT latency display with signal bars
• Auto Reconnect — exponential backoff with jitter to prevent thundering herd
• Secure Auth — token authentication with timing-safe comparison

Comparison: AI-Cli Online vs OpenClaw

Quick Start

Option 1: npx (Recommended)

npx ai-cli-online

Option 2: Global Install

npm install -g ai-cli-online
ai-cli-online

Option 3: From Source

git clone https://github.com/huacheng/ai-cli-online.git
cd ai-cli-online
npm install
npm run build
npm start

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18
• tmux installed (sudo apt install tmux or brew install tmux)

Configuration

Create server/.env:

PORT=3001                        # Server port
HOST=0.0.0.0                     # Bind address
AUTH_TOKEN=your-secret-token     # Auth token (required for production)
DEFAULT_WORKING_DIR=/home/user   # Default working directory
HTTPS_ENABLED=true               # Set to false behind nginx reverse proxy
TRUST_PROXY=1                    # Set to 1 when behind nginx/reverse proxy

See server/.env.example for all available options.

Architecture

Browser (xterm.js + WebGL) <-- WebSocket binary/JSON --> Express (node-pty) <--> tmux session --> shell

• Frontend: React + Zustand + xterm.js (WebGL renderer)
• Backend: Node.js + Express + node-pty + WebSocket + better-sqlite3
• Session Manager: tmux (persistent terminal sessions)
• Layout System: Tabs + recursive tree structure (LeafNode / SplitNode)
• Transport: Binary frames (hot path) + JSON (control messages)
• Data Persistence: SQLite (editor drafts)

Performance

• Binary protocol — 1-byte prefix frames for terminal I/O, eliminating JSON overhead
• TCP Nagle disabled — setNoDelay(true) removes up to 40 ms keystroke delay
• WebSocket compression — perMessageDeflate (level 1, threshold 128 B), 50-70% bandwidth reduction
• WebGL renderer — 3-10x rendering throughput vs canvas
• Parallel initialization — PTY creation, tmux config, and resize run concurrently
• PDF lazy loading — pdfjs-dist (445 KB) only loaded when a user opens a PDF file
• Smart re-render — matchMedia threshold hook, conditional Zustand selectors, batched stat calls

Project Structure

ai-cli-online/
├── shared/          # Shared type definitions (ClientMessage, ServerMessage)
├── server/          # Backend (TypeScript)
│   └── src/
│       ├── index.ts      # Main entry (HTTP + WebSocket + REST API)
│       ├── websocket.ts  # WebSocket <-> PTY relay (binary + JSON)
│       ├── tmux.ts       # tmux session management
│       ├── files.ts      # File operations
│       ├── pty.ts        # node-pty wrapper
│       ├── db.ts         # SQLite database (draft persistence)
│       ├── auth.ts       # Auth utilities
│       └── types.ts      # Type definitions
├── web/             # Frontend (React + Vite)
│   └── src/
│       ├── App.tsx        # Main app component
│       ├── store.ts       # Zustand state management
│       ├── components/    # UI components
│       ├── hooks/         # React hooks
│       └── api/           # API client
├── start.sh         # Production start script
└── package.json     # Monorepo config

Development

# Dev mode (frontend + backend separately)
npm run dev

# Build
npm run build

# Production (build + start)
bash start.sh

systemd Service + nginx Reverse Proxy

sudo bash install-service.sh          # Interactive install (systemd + optional nginx)
sudo systemctl start ai-cli-online    # Start service
sudo journalctl -u ai-cli-online -f   # View logs

The install script will:

1. Create a systemd service for auto-start and process management
2. Detect nginx and optionally configure reverse proxy (WebSocket support, SSL, client_max_body_size)
3. Auto-set HTTPS_ENABLED=false and TRUST_PROXY=1 in server/.env when nginx is enabled

License

MIT