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Terminal Mentions

The terminal mention lets you bring your terminal output directly into your conversation with Caret. Just type @terminal and Caret can see the recent output from your terminal.

When you type @ in chat, select "Terminal" from the menu or just type @terminal directly. Caret will immediately see the recent output from your active terminal, including error messages, build logs, or command results.

I use the terminal mention all the time when I'm dealing with build errors, test failures, or debugging output. Instead of trying to copy and paste terminal output (which often loses formatting), I just ask:

I'm getting this error when running my tests: @terminal

What's causing this and how can I fix it?

This gives Caret the complete terminal output with all its formatting intact. Caret can then analyze the error messages, stack traces, and surrounding context to provide more accurate help.

The terminal mention is especially powerful when combined with file mentions. When I'm debugging a failed API call, I'll reference both:

I'm getting this error when calling my API: @terminal

Here's my API client code: @/src/api/client.js
And the endpoint implementation: @/src/server/routes/users.js

What am I doing wrong?

This approach gives Caret everything it needs - the exact error output, the client code, and the server implementation - all without me having to copy anything manually.

Next time you're running into issues with command output or build errors, try using @terminal instead of copying the output. You'll get more accurate help because Caret can see the complete terminal context with proper formatting.

How It Works Under the Hood​

When you use the terminal mention in your message, here's what happens behind the scenes:

  1. When you send your message, Caret detects the @terminal pattern in your text

  2. The extension calls getLatestTerminalOutput() which accesses VSCode's terminal API

  3. It captures the recent output buffer from your active terminal

  4. The terminal output is appended to your message in a structured format:

    <terminal_output>
    $ npm run test
    > project@1.0.0 test
    > jest

    FAIL src/components/__tests__/Button.test.js
    ● Button component › renders correctly

    [Complete terminal output with formatting preserved]
    </terminal_output>

  5. This enhanced message with the embedded terminal output is sent to the AI

  6. The AI can now "see" the complete terminal output with all formatting preserved

This process happens automatically whenever you use the terminal mention, giving the AI access to your command results, error messages, and other terminal output without you having to copy it manually.

Troubleshooting Terminal Issues​

If you're experiencing issues with terminal mentions or terminal integration in general (such as "Shell Integration Unavailable" or commands not showing output), please refer to our comprehensive Terminal Integration Troubleshooting Guide.

Common issues include:

  • Terminal mentions not capturing output
  • "Shell Integration Unavailable" messages in Caret chat
  • Commands executing but output not visible to Caret
  • Terminal integration working inconsistently

The troubleshooting guide provides platform-specific solutions and detailed configuration steps to resolve these issues.