Zync 2.35.1: Make the workspace your own

A deployment check starts with one shell. Then you open Files to review configuration, another shell for logs, and a process monitor to see whether the application is healthy. Soon, several similar tabs are competing for your attention.

Zync 2.35.1, released on October 14, 2026, gives you more control over that arrangement. Name views by their job, keep a useful pane visible, put navigation where you prefer it, and make colors and shortcuts work for you.

Here is one way to shape a staging workspace with the release.

Give each tab a clear job

Rename your shell panes to Deploy checks and Logs, then keep Files available for configuration review. Use Rename from a tab or pane-header context menu, or F2 on its tab. Main workspace tabs can have display names too.

These are labels for your views, not changes to the underlying host, connection or file. Pin important tabs and drag them into order within the pinned or unpinned group. Appearance on a main tab lets you choose a supported icon and accent marker when a visual cue helps.

Set the app-wide close-button visibility in Settings → Layout & Navigation → Workspace tab close button, or override it through Appearance in a main tab’s context menu. Right-click → Close tab remains available when the strip button is hidden.

You can also hide an individual pane without closing its session, then recover it through the tab-bar context menu or Show hidden panes in the command palette. Hidden panes still count toward the four-pane limit. Hiding is not the same as closing.

Split for comparison or dock for a steady view

Keep Deploy checks beside Files when you need to compare command output with a configuration file. Keep Logs in a dock when you want to watch it while switching between other center tabs.

• Split or group panes in a tab when they belong to the same task. Split controls create another instance of the focused content where supported; dragging an already-open pane onto another pane’s edge groups the existing views.
• Dock a pane in a supported side or bottom region when it should stay visible across center-tab switches. The drop preview distinguishes a persistent dock from a tab-group split.

A docked pane keeps its tab with a location indicator. Selecting that tab focuses the existing dock rather than replacing the center view. It is another way to reach the same pane, not a duplicate session.

Resize a docked region or temporarily maximize a pane when you need more room. Restore returns to the existing layout. Use Return to tabs for a docked pane, or drag a grouped pane’s header back to the host’s pane-tab strip to separate it again. Moving these existing views does not restart their content; supported locations and pane limits still apply.

Closing a grouped tab closes its members, including hidden ones. Return or ungroup a pane when you only want to change the arrangement.

Put navigation where you need it

The icon-only activity bar gives quick access to Hosts, Vaults, Plugins, Public URLs and other sections. In 2.35.1 it is shown by default when no navigation preference has been saved. If you previously hid it, that choice stays hidden.

Place the bar on the left or right, reorder its destinations, and hide the ones you do not use. Settings and Profile stay fixed at the bottom and cannot be hidden or reordered; when the bar is hidden, they move to the title bar. Hover or keyboard-focus an icon to see its name and current shortcut. Right-click the bar to recover hidden entries. Selecting an already-visible sidebar section again closes that panel without closing its host sessions.

The host’s Shell, Files and plugin tab strip is a separate choice. In Settings → Layout & Navigation → Host workspace tabs, choose Left sidebar or Right sidebar to put that same inventory in the resizable sidebar. Current position restores the horizontal strip. This placement remains opt-in; the main host tabs do not move.

Hosts, Plugins and the docked host tab strip use the shared sidebar rather than adding another fixed rail. Moving the strip does not open or restart sessions.

The Plugins sidebar now includes Installed and Marketplace views without opening Settings. Plugin settings still takes you to Developer options and advanced controls.

Choose colors with a preview

Open Settings → Appearance to choose a theme or accent preset; those selections save directly. Custom accent colors stay as drafts until Apply accent, and supported element-color edits use Apply color after you inspect the sample workspace. Individual element overrides can be reset to inherit the selected theme again.

Under Theme files, export your palette and supported element overrides as JSON. Import validates a file and opens a preview before you explicitly apply it. Low-contrast combinations show warnings; still check real terminal output and the controls you use.

This is a color file, not a complete settings or workspace backup. Version 1 accepts opaque six-digit hex colors, not fonts, images, gradients or credentials. Imported theme documents remain device-local in this release; move the JSON file yourself if you want to reuse it elsewhere.

Try the themes from the demo

Download a theme JSON file, then open Settings → Appearance → Theme files → Import theme JSON. Review the preview before applying.

• Alpine Mist
• Arctic Obsidian
• Blood Moon
• Carbon Ember
• Lilac Chrome
• Midnight Neon
• Moss Circuit
• Obsidian Amber
• Paper & Ink
• Rust & Concrete

These are optional example palettes, not built-in themes. Check secondary text carefully in Alpine Mist, Lilac Chrome and Paper & Ink; their muted colors may need more contrast for small text. You can adjust the colors before keeping a theme.

Terminal fonts, cursor, opacity and transparency now live directly under Settings → Terminal. Layout controls live under Layout & Navigation. The reorganization does not require you to recreate your saved preferences.

Reach Zync without taking every terminal key

Open Profile → Keyboard shortcuts → View & edit shortcuts… to search the catalog, record a binding, inspect conflicts, remove a binding or reset it. Settings → Shortcuts opens the same editor.

Terminal first leaves unreserved app bindings to the terminal. Zync first gives matching Zync commands priority. Eligible bindings also have an Available in terminal choice, so you can reserve the actions you need without switching the entire policy.

Additional bindings provide another route to existing actions. For example, Ctrl+Shift+B reaches Hosts/sidebar without automatically reserving the primary Ctrl+B, and Ctrl+Shift+Space opens the general palette alongside Ctrl+P. These examples use Ctrl on Windows/Linux and Cmd on macOS. The Hosts/sidebar action opens Hosts when the activity bar is visible; with the bar hidden, it toggles the current or last sidebar section.

Non-conflicting secondary bindings become available automatically in Terminal first as well as normal app contexts. You do not need to click Use recommended reservations to adopt them. Existing custom chords take priority over conflicting defaults, and later secondary-binding opt-outs are preserved. The editor explains inactive defaults rather than silently replacing your custom keys.

Primary and secondary bindings can be edited independently. Resetting one does not require resetting the whole catalog. Conflicts with shell, tmux or OS shortcuts are still possible: remap the binding or turn off its terminal availability when necessary. Zync does not guess which remote program is running.

Keep the bars useful to you

Right-click the workspace toolbar or status bar to show or hide optional controls, or jump to their settings. Essential connection and recovery indicators stay available.

These are visibility choices, not draggable toolbar layouts. Reset each area independently, without resetting tab names, navigation or your theme.

What to expect after upgrading

The release also fixes workspace details that matter during an ordinary task:

• Closing one shell no longer removes unrelated Files or plugin tabs.
• Reordering main tabs retains running content instead of reloading retained plugin frames.
• Sidebar widths save correctly after fractional resizing, and neighboring panes stay aligned while resizing.
• Dialog focus skips hidden controls and returns to the correct opener on dismissal.

Your existing custom shortcuts and saved navigation visibility remain authoritative. The new visible activity-bar default applies when a navigation preference is absent; moving host tabs into the sidebar still requires your choice.

Try one change first

For your next staging check, rename the working shell, place Files beside it, and dock Logs only if it helps. Try a color preview or a secondary shortcut afterward. You do not need to configure everything to use the release.

Use Zync’s updater or visit the download page. See the 2.35.1 release for platform downloads and the full changelog for technical details. For a focused tool to add to this arrangement, see the plugin workflow.

If something behaves unexpectedly, use Settings > Feedback or open an issue. Include your OS, Zync version and reproduction steps, with secrets removed from any screenshots or logs.