Running code

GitNomad gives you a terminal on your phone that runs commands on your computer and streams the output back — so you can run a script, your tests, or a build from anywhere.

Opening the terminal

On the phone, open a repo and tap the terminal button on the file list. You get a prompt, just like a shell on your computer.

Running a command

1. Type a command — for example python main.py, npm test, or git status.
2. Send it. It runs on your computer, and the output streams in live.
3. A status line shows running, done (exit 0), an exit code, stopped, or error.

Tabs

The terminal has tabs, like an IDE:

• Tap + to open another terminal; tap ✕ on a tab to close it.
• Each tab keeps its own scrollback and its own working directory.
• Tabs are remembered — close the app and reopen it, and they’re still there.

Moving around with cd

Each tab has a working directory, shown in the prompt. Commands run there, not just at the repo root:

• cd sub/folder moves into a subfolder, cd .. goes up, and cd on its own returns to the repo root. The location sticks for the next commands and across restarts.
• clear wipes the tab’s screen.
• You can’t leave the repo — the terminal stays inside the folder you shared.

Answering prompts (interactive input)

If a command pauses to read input — like Python’s input() — the terminal stays ready for you. Type your answer and send it; it goes to the running command, and the command continues. You can send several lines this way.

Input travels through the sync service, so expect about a second of lag per line — great for prompts, not a full interactive REPL.

Choosing the shell

Commands run in a shell on your computer. Pick which one in the GitNomad panel in VS Code (or the GitNomad: Choose terminal shell… command): the OS default, PowerShell, pwsh, cmd, or bash (Git Bash / WSL). The app shows the active shell as a badge, so you know whether you’re typing PowerShell, bash, etc.

What you need for it to work

Running uses your computer, so on the free plan it must be on, with VS Code open and the GitNomad extension running and linked. If your computer is offline, the command stays queued and starts when it reconnects.

Cloud run — running when your PC is off, on GitNomad’s own machines — is a planned Pro feature. Today, running happens on your computer.

It’s your machine

Commands run under your own user account and permissions — the same as typing them in a terminal on your computer. You’re responsible for what you run.

Tips

• Recall a recent command from the history chips above the prompt.
• Keep output reasonable — a mobile screen isn’t the place for a 200-line build log. Long output is trimmed to keep the phone responsive.
• Stop ends a running command and reliably terminates the whole process.

Problems running? → Troubleshooting → Running code.