Titlebar and Panels
Use titlebar toggles, the scripts menu, and the bottom panel for terminal and diagnostics.
The titlebar controls window-level actions and layout. The bottom panel hosts the terminal and diagnostic output.
Titlebar sections
Left: menus and sidebar toggle
- App icon: branding (Windows)
- Sidebar toggle: show or hide the primary sidebar
- Menu bar: File, Edit, View, Go, Terminal, Window, Help
On narrow windows, overflow menus collapse into a ⋯ menu so critical items stay reachable.
Center: breadcrumbs (when editing)
When a file is open, the center shows the project path and filename. This region is draggable for window movement.
Right: action toolbar
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Scripts | Run npm scripts from package.json |
| Panel | Toggle the bottom panel (terminal, problems) |
| AI Chat | Toggle the right sidebar |
| Settings | Open Settings tab |
| Reset Layout | Restore default panel sizes |
| Avatar | Shape account and GitHub sign-in |
View → Preview opens the Browser tab. Window → Git Manager opens Git Manager. Window → Settings is the same as the gear control.
Bottom panel
The bottom panel stacks tabbed views:
| Tab | Opens from | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | View → Terminal, Ctrl+`, panel toggle | Shell in project directory |
| Problems | View → Problems, Ctrl+Shift+M, command palette | ESLint, TypeScript, and LSP diagnostics |
| Output | Command palette View: Show Output | Tool and extension logs |
| Tests | Test runner integration | Test results when available |
Click a tab to switch views. Drag the top edge of the panel to resize it.
Scripts dropdown
When a package.json with a scripts section is in the open project, the Scripts button appears in the titlebar.
- Click Scripts.
- Choose a script (for example
dev,build,test). - Shape runs it in the integrated terminal and opens the panel if needed.
See NPM Scripts for details.
Panel vs sidebar
- Primary sidebar (left): persistent project tools like files, Git, and search
- Secondary sidebar (right): AI chat
- Bottom panel: transient command output like terminal, problems, and tests
- Editor tabs: files, Browser, Settings, diffs
Toggling the panel does not close your terminal session. It hides the panel until you show it again.
Reset Layout
If panels feel misplaced or too small, click Reset Layout (desktop windows icon) in the titlebar. This restores:
- Primary sidebar open
- Bottom panel open
- AI chat closed
It does not close open files or change your project.