Pane works out of the box. Everything below is optional.

pane.json

Drop a pane.json in your project root to automate lifecycle steps.


{
  "scripts": {
    "setup": "npm install",
    "run": "npm run dev",
    "archive": "npm run cleanup"
  }
}

Key	When it runs
`setup`	Once, when a new worktree is created
`run`	When you press the Play button
`archive`	Before a pane is deleted

pane.json


{
  "scripts": {
    "setup": "npm install",
    "run": "npm run dev",
    "archive": "npm run cleanup"
  }
}

conductor.json


{
  "setup": "npm install",
  "start": "npm run dev"
}

Conductor uses setup and start. There is no archive equivalent.

.gitpod.yml


tasks:
  - init: npm install
    command: npm run dev

Gitpod uses init (≈ setup) and command (≈ run). No archive step.

devcontainer.json


{
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install",
  "postStartCommand": "npm run dev"
}

Dev Container uses postCreateCommand (≈ setup) and postStartCommand (≈ run).

Pane resolves config in this order — first match wins: pane.json in the project root Per-project override set in the UI (Project Settings → Run Script) No run script (terminal opens without auto-running anything) runScriptMode controls whether the run script blocks the terminal:{ "scripts": { "run": "npm run dev" }, "runScriptMode": "concurrent" }ValueBehaviorconcurrent (default)Run script starts in the background; terminal is immediately usablenonconcurrentRun script occupies the terminal; detected but not yet enforced

Project Settings

Open via the gear icon next to any project in the sidebar.

System Prompt — per-project instructions prepended to every agent session. Use this for repo-specific rules, coding style, or context the agent should always have.

Main Branch — defaults to main. Change this if your repo uses master, staging, or develop. Affects base branch for diffs and rebase operations.

Run Script — override the pane.json run script from the UI without editing files.

Notifications

Desktop and sound notifications are on by default. You get alerted the moment an agent finishes or needs your input.

Configure in Settings → Notifications:

Toggle	Default
Notifications enabled	On
Sound	On
Status change	On
Waiting for input	On
Completed	On

The notification sound plays through your system audio output. Volume follows your OS volume setting — there is no separate in-app volume control. To silence only Pane, mute the app in your OS sound mixer.

Worktree File Sync

Pane automatically copies gitignored files — like .env — into every new worktree so agents have the credentials they need without you manually copying files.

Configure in Settings → General → Worktree File Sync.

Only files already present in your main worktree are synced. Pane does not fetch or generate secrets.

Files are synced on worktree creation only. If you update .env in your main worktree after a pane is created, re-sync by deleting and recreating the pane, or copy the file manually.Files committed to git are never synced via this mechanism — git handles those. Only gitignored files are candidates.