Skip to content

Automating macOS Terminal Windows on Startup

This guide explains how to automatically open and configure multiple Terminal windows with specific profiles, sizes, positions, and commands when you log into macOS.

Overview

Using a combination of shell scripts and AppleScript (via osascript), you can:

  • Open multiple Terminal windows automatically
  • Apply different Terminal profiles (themes) to each window
  • Position and size windows precisely on your screen
  • Run startup commands in each window (like launching Claude Code)
  • Execute this setup on login

What is osascript?

The osascript command is a command-line tool that executes AppleScript and other Open Scripting Architecture (OSA) languages from the terminal. Apple created AppleScript in 1993 as part of System 7 to provide a natural language-like scripting language that could automate and control Mac applications. Unlike shell scripts that work with files and processes, AppleScript was designed specifically for inter-application communication—allowing users to script the GUI, send commands between apps, and automate complex workflows that span multiple applications. The osascript command bridges the gap between traditional Unix shell scripting and AppleScript, letting you embed powerful GUI automation directly within bash scripts. This is why we use it here: shell scripts alone cannot control window positions or apply Terminal profiles, but AppleScript can communicate directly with Terminal.app to manipulate its windows.

Prerequisites

  • macOS (tested on Ventura, Sonoma and Tahoe)
  • Terminal.app (built-in)
  • Basic familiarity with shell scripting

Terminal Profiles

macOS Terminal comes with several built-in profiles (themes):

Profile Description
Basic Default white background
Grass Green text on black background
Homebrew Green text, classic terminal look
Ocean Blue tones
Pro Professional dark theme
Red Sands Warm reddish tones
Silver Aerogel Light gray theme
Novel Sepia/paper-like appearance

To see your available profiles:

1
osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to get name of every settings set'

Understanding Screen Coordinates

Terminal window positioning uses screen coordinates:

1
2
3
4
5
(0,0) -----> X increases
  |
  |
  v
  Y increases
  • Origin (0,0) is the top-left corner of the screen
  • X increases moving right
  • Y increases moving down
  • Menu bar is typically 25 pixels tall

Window Bounds Format

Window bounds are specified as: {left, top, right, bottom}

For example, a window in the top-left quarter of a 1920x1080 screen: 

1
set bounds of front window to {0, 25, 960, 540}

Basic Script Structure

Step 1: Create the Script

Create a new file at ~/bin/setup-terminals.sh:

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
#!/bin/bash
# Setup Terminal Windows for Development

# Screen dimensions (adjust for your display)
SCREEN_WIDTH=1920
SCREEN_HEIGHT=1080
MENU_BAR=25

# Open a terminal with the Grass profile
osascript <<EOF
tell application "Terminal"
    activate

    -- Get the profile settings
    set grassSettings to settings set "Grass"

    -- Open new window and run a command
    do script "echo 'Hello from Grass terminal'"

    -- Apply profile to the window
    set current settings of front window to grassSettings

    -- Position and size the window
    set bounds of front window to {0, $MENU_BAR, 960, 540}

    -- Set a custom title
    set custom title of front window to "My Terminal"
end tell
EOF

Step 2: Make It Executable

1
chmod +x ~/bin/setup-terminals.sh

Step 3: Run the Script

1
~/bin/setup-terminals.sh

Complete Example: Three-Window Development Setup

This example creates three terminal windows arranged in a specific layout:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
+------------+------------+------------+
|            |            |            |
|   GRASS    |            |   OCEAN    |
|  (Claude)  |            |   (Git)    |
|            |            |            |
+------------+------------+------------+
             |  HOMEBREW  |
             |  (Server)  |
             +------------+

The Script

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
#!/bin/bash
# Setup Terminal Windows for Development
#
# Layout:
#   +------------+------------+------------+
#   |            |            |            |
#   |   GRASS    |            |   OCEAN    |
#   |   (left)   |            |   (right)  |
#   |  half-ht   |            |  half-ht   |
#   |            |            |            |
#   +------------+------------+------------+
#   |            |  HOMEBREW  |            |
#   |            |  (bottom)  |            |
#   +------------+------------+------------+
#
# Terminal Profiles: Grass, Homebrew, Ocean

# Screen dimensions (adjust for your display)
# To find your screen size: system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution
SCREEN_WIDTH=1920
SCREEN_HEIGHT=1080
MENU_BAR=25

# Calculate positions
THIRD_WIDTH=$(($SCREEN_WIDTH / 3))
HALF_HEIGHT=$((($SCREEN_HEIGHT - $MENU_BAR) / 2))
BOTTOM_TOP=$(($MENU_BAR + $HALF_HEIGHT))

# Terminal 1: GRASS (left side, top half) - runs Claude Code
osascript <<EOF
tell application "Terminal"
    activate

    -- Get the Grass settings
    set grassSettings to settings set "Grass"

    -- Open new window with Grass profile and run claude
    do script "/usr/local/bin/claude"
    set current settings of front window to grassSettings
    set bounds of front window to {0, $MENU_BAR, $THIRD_WIDTH, $BOTTOM_TOP}
    set custom title of front window to "Claude"
end tell
EOF

# Small delay to ensure windows don't overlap during creation
sleep 0.5

# Terminal 2: HOMEBREW (center bottom)
osascript <<EOF
tell application "Terminal"
    -- Get the Homebrew settings
    set brewSettings to settings set "Homebrew"

    -- Open new window with Homebrew profile
    do script ""
    set current settings of front window to brewSettings
    set bounds of front window to {$THIRD_WIDTH, $BOTTOM_TOP, $(($THIRD_WIDTH * 2)), $SCREEN_HEIGHT}
    set custom title of front window to "Homebrew"
end tell
EOF

sleep 0.5

# Terminal 3: OCEAN (right side, top half)
osascript <<EOF
tell application "Terminal"
    -- Get the Ocean settings
    set oceanSettings to settings set "Ocean"

    -- Open new window with Ocean profile
    do script ""
    set current settings of front window to oceanSettings
    set bounds of front window to {$(($THIRD_WIDTH * 2)), $MENU_BAR, $SCREEN_WIDTH, $BOTTOM_TOP}
    set custom title of front window to "Ocean"
end tell
EOF

echo "Terminal windows configured!"
echo "  - Grass (left, half height)"
echo "  - Homebrew (center, bottom)"
echo "  - Ocean (right, half height)"

Running Commands on Startup

The do script command accepts any shell command:

Run a Single Command

1
do script "/usr/local/bin/claude"

Run Multiple Commands

1
do script "cd ~/Documents/ws/my-project && npm run dev"

Change Directory Then Run Interactive Program

1
do script "cd ~/Documents/ws/graph-data-modeling-course && /usr/local/bin/claude"

Run Commands with Environment Variables

1
do script "export NODE_ENV=development && npm start"

Running the Script at Login

Method 1: Login Items (Easiest)

  1. Open System Settings → General → Login Items
  2. Click the + button
  3. Navigate to ~/bin/setup-terminals.sh
  4. Select it and click Add

Note: You may need to convert the script to an Application first (see Method 2).

Method 2: Create an Application Wrapper

  1. Open Script Editor (in Applications → Utilities)
  2. Enter this code:
1
do shell script "/Users/yourusername/bin/setup-terminals.sh"
  1. Go to File → Export
  2. Set File Format to Application
  3. Save as "Setup Terminals.app" in your Applications folder
  4. Add the app to Login Items (System Settings → General → Login Items)

Method 3: LaunchAgent (Most Reliable)

Create a LaunchAgent plist file:

1
nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.setup-terminals.plist

Add this content:

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.user.setup-terminals</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/bin/bash</string>
        <string>/Users/yourusername/bin/setup-terminals.sh</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>LaunchOnlyOnce</key>
    <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

Load the LaunchAgent:

1
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.setup-terminals.plist

To unload:

1
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.setup-terminals.plist

Finding Your Screen Resolution

To determine your screen dimensions for the script:

1
system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution

Example output: 

1
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p FHD - Full High Definition)

For multiple monitors, you'll see multiple resolutions listed.

AppleScript Reference

Key Commands

Command Description
activate Bring Terminal to the front
do script "command" Open new window and run command
do script "command" in front window Run command in existing window
set bounds of front window to {l,t,r,b} Position/size window
set current settings of front window to X Apply a profile
set custom title of front window to "Name" Set window title
settings set "ProfileName" Reference a profile by name

Getting Window Information

To get the current bounds of the front Terminal window:

1
osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to get bounds of front window'

This is useful for figuring out exact positions when designing your layout.

Troubleshooting

Error: "Can't set settings set..."

Cause: Profile name doesn't match exactly.

Solution: List available profiles and use the exact name: 

1
osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to get name of every settings set'

Windows Open But Don't Position Correctly

Cause: Screen dimensions in script don't match your display.

Solution: Update SCREEN_WIDTH and SCREEN_HEIGHT variables to match your actual resolution.

Script Works Manually But Not at Login

Cause: The script runs before the GUI is ready.

Solution: Add a delay at the beginning of your script: 

1
sleep 3  # Wait 3 seconds for GUI to be ready

Permission Denied

Cause: Script isn't executable.

Solution: 

1
chmod +x ~/bin/setup-terminals.sh

Terminal Asks for Automation Permission

Cause: macOS security requires permission for scripts to control apps.

Solution: 1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation 2. Allow your terminal or script to control Terminal.app

Tips and Best Practices

  1. Use delays between windows - A sleep 0.5 between window creation prevents race conditions.

  2. Test coordinates manually - Use get bounds of front window to find good positions before scripting.

  3. Keep scripts in ~/bin - Add export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH" to your ~/.zshrc for easy access.

  4. Version control your scripts - Keep your setup scripts in a git repository for backup.

  5. Document your layout - Add ASCII art comments showing your intended window arrangement.

See Also