FAQ
What is Claude Yard?
Section titled “What is Claude Yard?”A native macOS app for running multiple Claude Code sessions in tabbed terminals. Think of it as a terminal multiplexer built specifically for AI-assisted development.
Is it free?
Section titled “Is it free?”Claude Yard is free. You need your own Claude Code subscription — Claude Yard manages sessions, it doesn’t replace the Claude Code CLI.
Does it work on Windows or Linux?
Section titled “Does it work on Windows or Linux?”Not yet. Claude Yard currently requires macOS. The underlying architecture (Electron + node-pty) is cross-platform, so support for other operating systems may come in the future.
Can I use it alongside the regular Claude Code CLI?
Section titled “Can I use it alongside the regular Claude Code CLI?”Yes. Sessions started from the CLI show up in Claude Yard’s sidebar, and you can resume them from either place. They use the same session storage in ~/.claude/projects/.
Does Claude Yard replace my terminal?
Section titled “Does Claude Yard replace my terminal?”It can, but it doesn’t have to. Claude Yard includes shell tabs alongside Claude sessions, so you can use it as your primary terminal. But it also works great as a dedicated Claude Code workspace while you keep your regular terminal open.
How is this different from opening multiple terminal tabs?
Section titled “How is this different from opening multiple terminal tabs?”Claude Yard adds session awareness on top of terminal tabs. It tracks each Claude session’s status in real-time, lets you resume past conversations from the sidebar, provides native browser panels for previewing web apps, and exposes everything as MCP tools for multi-agent workflows.
Does it support Claude Max, Pro, and API keys?
Section titled “Does it support Claude Max, Pro, and API keys?”Claude Yard runs whatever Claude Code CLI you have installed. If your CLI is authenticated with Max, Pro, or an API key, Claude Yard inherits that.
How do I update?
Section titled “How do I update?”The app auto-updates. When a new version is available, you’ll see a notification in the app. Click to install and restart.
Is there a mobile app?
Section titled “Is there a mobile app?”Yes. Claude Yard has a React Native (Expo) companion app for iOS. It connects to a running Claude Yard server via tunnel and lets you view sessions, interact with terminals, and manage settings from your phone.
What is the session observer?
Section titled “What is the session observer?”The observer is an AI-powered monitor that watches your Claude sessions in real-time. It tracks what each session is doing, logs progress notes, and suggests next steps when a session goes idle. It uses pattern matching (for test results, git commits, errors, builds) at zero LLM cost, and only calls the LLM for deeper analysis. Enable it in Settings. See Session Observer for details.
Where is my data stored?
Section titled “Where is my data stored?”- Sessions:
~/.claude/projects/(same as the regular CLI) - App config:
~/.multi-claude/ - Observer notebooks:
~/.multi-claude/notebooks/ - Unread tracking:
~/.multi-claude/seen.json - Claude Yard doesn’t send data anywhere — everything stays on your machine. The only network calls are to Anthropic’s API (through Claude Code), the observer’s LLM calls (if enabled, via your Anthropic API key), and the auto-update check.