All features

Vertical tabs, resizable and multi-column

Try the real interface

Explore this workspace.

Real Torbie UI · mock sessions
Tab bar
Loading Torbie…
Technical background

The side tab bar can be dragged to a width that is remembered, and flows into multiple columns once there is room for a whole one. Tab titles in this fork are paths and session names, which a horizontal strip truncates to nothing, so vertical is the default here.

The problem

Tab titles in this fork are working directories and session names. A horizontal strip truncates them well before the useful part, and Tabby's side tab bar was a fixed width with a single column.

How it works

The side bar can be dragged to a width that is persisted, and flows into multiple columns as it gets wider — a column narrower than the minimum is not created, so columns appear only once there is room for a whole one. Vertical is the default here.

Settings
  • appearance.tabsLocation: 'left'

    Was top. Only affects profiles with no value saved.

  • appearance.sideTabBarWidth: 200

    Persisted when the splitter is dragged.

  • appearance.sideTabBarMultiColumn: false

    Let the bar flow into multiple columns.

  • appearance.sideTabBarMinColumnWidth: 200

    A column narrower than this is not created.

  • appearance.colorSchemeMode: 'auto'

    Was dark, which ignored the OS setting on a fresh profile.

What this does not claim
  • Every changed default is a line that conflicts on rebase, so they are kept to a minimum and listed in CLAUDE.md. colorSchemeMode: auto is a changed default — following the OS scheme is upstream Tabby's own mechanism, and auto was already a supported value.
  • Separate light and dark colour schemes are stock upstream Tabby. Nothing here added that.
Source commits
UI & themingAdded 2026-08-098 files+165 / −4 lines