How do I install the Spawn Terminal skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add aiskillstore/spawn-terminal in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Spawn Terminal safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Spawn Terminal?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Spawn Terminal free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Spawn Terminal?

aiskillstore (@aiskillstore) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Spawn Terminal by aiskillstore — Agent Skill

Name: Spawn Terminal
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: aiskillstore

File contents

Purpose

Spawn a new terminal window to execute CLI commands. This skill is for generic command execution, NOT for spawning AI agents. For AI agents, use the spawn:agent skill instead.

Variables

Variable	Default	Description
LOG_TO_FILE	false	Write full terminal output to debug file
CAPTURE	false	Block and return output directly

Instructions

MANDATORY - You MUST follow the Workflow steps below in order. Do not skip steps.

Identify the CLI command the user wants to run
Run <command> --help first to verify syntax and options
Execute the command in a new terminal using fork_terminal()

Red Flags - STOP and follow Cookbook

If you're about to:

Execute a command without checking its --help first
Assume you know the command syntax
Skip the --help step "because it's simple"
Spawn an AI agent (use spawn:agent instead)

STOP -> Run <command> --help first -> Review output -> Then proceed

Workflow

MANDATORY CHECKPOINTS - Verify each before proceeding:

Understand the user's request
VERIFY: This is a CLI command, NOT an AI agent request
READ: '../agent/fork_terminal.py' to understand the tooling
Follow the Cookbook: Read './cookbook/cli-command.md'
CHECKPOINT: Ran <command> --help and reviewed options
Execute fork_terminal(command, log_to_file=False, log_agent_output=False)

Cookbook

CLI Commands

IF: User requests any non-AI CLI command (ffmpeg, curl, python, npm, etc.)
THEN: Read and execute './cookbook/cli-command.md'
Examples:
- "Create a new terminal to run ffmpeg"
- "Spawn terminal with curl"
- "Fork a terminal to run python script.py"
- "New terminal: npm run build"

Usage

The fork_terminal() function is located at ../agent/fork_terminal.py:

from spawn.agent.fork_terminal import fork_terminal

# Simple command execution (no output capture)
fork_terminal("npm run build")

# With debug output capture
file_path = fork_terminal("ffmpeg -i video.mp4 output.gif", log_to_file=True)

# Blocking capture (waits for completion)
output = fork_terminal("python script.py", capture=True, log_to_file=True)

When to Use spawn:agent Instead

If the user mentions any of these, use spawn:agent:

Claude, Claude Code
Codex, OpenAI
Gemini, Google
Cursor
OpenCode
Copilot, GitHub Copilot
"AI agent", "coding agent", "spawn agent"

---name: spawn-terminaldescription: Spawn a new terminal window to run CLI commands (ffmpeg, curl, python, etc.). Use for non-AI command execution.---# PurposeSpawn a new terminal window to execute CLI commands. This skill is for generic command execution, NOT for spawning AI agents. For AI agents, use the `spawn:agent` skill instead.## Variables| Variable | Default | Description ||----------|---------|-------------|| LOG_TO_FILE | false | Write full terminal output to debug file || CAPTURE | false | Block and return output directly |## Instructions**MANDATORY** - You MUST follow the Workflow steps below in order. Do not skip steps.1. Identify the CLI command the user wants to run2. Run `<command> --help` first to verify syntax and options3. Execute the command in a new terminal using `fork_terminal()`## Red Flags - STOP and follow CookbookIf you're about to:- Execute a command without checking its --help first- Assume you know the command syntax- Skip the --help step "because it's simple"- Spawn an AI agent (use `spawn:agent` instead)**STOP** -> Run `<command> --help` first -> Review output -> Then proceed## Workflow**MANDATORY CHECKPOINTS** - Verify each before proceeding:1. [ ] Understand the user's request2. [ ] **VERIFY**: This is a CLI command, NOT an AI agent request3. [ ] READ: '../agent/fork_terminal.py' to understand the tooling4. [ ] Follow the Cookbook: Read './cookbook/cli-command.md'5. [ ] **CHECKPOINT**: Ran `<command> --help` and reviewed options6. [ ] Execute fork_terminal(command, log_to_file=False, log_agent_output=False)## Cookbook### CLI Commands- IF: User requests any non-AI CLI command (ffmpeg, curl, python, npm, etc.)- THEN: Read and execute './cookbook/cli-command.md'- Examples: - "Create a new terminal to run ffmpeg" - "Spawn terminal with curl" - "Fork a terminal to run python script.py" - "New terminal: npm run build"## UsageThe `fork_terminal()` function is located at `../agent/fork_terminal.py`:```pythonfrom spawn.agent.fork_terminal import fork_terminal# Simple command execution (no output capture)fork_terminal("npm run build")# With debug output capturefile_path = fork_terminal("ffmpeg -i video.mp4 output.gif", log_to_file=True)# Blocking capture (waits for completion)output = fork_terminal("python script.py", capture=True, log_to_file=True)```## When to Use spawn:agent InsteadIf the user mentions any of these, use `spawn:agent`:- Claude, Claude Code- Codex, OpenAI- Gemini, Google- Cursor- OpenCode- Copilot, GitHub Copilot- "AI agent", "coding agent", "spawn agent"

Frequently asked questions

Spawn Terminal