Widget updates from multiple sources
Send command output, script results, API responses, or Shortcut data directly into widgets instead of copying text into a separate dashboard app.
TerminalWidget
TerminalWidget is a widget automation app for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS that displays terminal output, charts, progress, images, and other structured data in customizable widgets. It supports CLI, Shortcuts, and a custom URL scheme for updating widgets from scripts and automations.
Overview
TerminalWidget is a widget automation app for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS that turns command output and other structured data into customizable widgets. The home page describes it as a way to display terminal command output, progress bars, sparklines, and images in widgets, with support for text, charts, tables, and rich formatting.
It is designed for workflows where live status needs to appear on Apple devices: shell scripts, Shortcuts, APIs, and other automations can update named widgets, and widget state can sync across Macs and iOS devices through iCloud. The documentation also covers tap actions for launching URLs, apps, Shortcuts, or commands from a widget.
Features
Rich widget payload types
Display formatted text, progress values, sparklines, graphs, matrix charts, range bars, tables, and local or remote images within fully customizable widgets.
Per-widget targeting and iCloud sync
Target widgets individually and sync widget state across multiple Macs and iOS devices when iCloud is enabled.
Detailed visual control
Customize foreground and background colors, fonts, iconography, titles, captions, padding, transparency, and chart bar style from the CLI, Shortcuts, or URL scheme.
Widget actions and automation
Assign tap or click actions such as opening a URL, opening a Mac app, running a Shortcut, or running a shell command, with platform-aware fallbacks on iOS.
Multiple automation interfaces
Use the included command-line tool, Shortcuts actions, and the terminalwidget:// URL scheme to drive updates from scripts, automations, launchers, and browser links.
Use Cases
Operational status widgets
Publish build status, deployment notes, or service health into a named widget so you can see terminal output and progress at a glance on Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Dashboard-style charts
Turn live metrics into sparklines, graphs, matrices, or range bars for compact dashboards driven by scripts, APIs, or JSON data.
Image-based widgets
Show remote or local images, including API-generated visuals, with edge-to-edge display and optional filters for a lightweight visual panel.
Automation launchers
Build one-tap launcher widgets that open a URL, start a Shortcut, open a Mac app, or run a shell command from the widget itself.
Cross-device automation workflows
Use Shortcuts, the URL scheme, or the CLI in different contexts: manual runs, scheduled automations, browser links, or shell scripts.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Supports a broad range of widget content, including text, progress, charts, images, and tables.
- Has three documented update paths: CLI, Shortcuts, and a custom URL scheme.
- Provides per-widget targeting and shared state across Apple devices through iCloud sync.
- Includes detailed formatting controls for colors, fonts, titles, captions, padding, and chart rendering.
- Can attach actions to widgets so a tap or click can trigger a follow-up task.
Cons
- The public pricing page at /pricing returns 404, so pricing information has to come from the home page rather than a dedicated plan page.
- Some automation behaviors are platform-specific: macOS supports all documented tap actions, while iOS supports URL and Shortcut actions only.
FAQ
How do I automate TerminalWidget updates?
TerminalWidget can be updated from the command line, Shortcuts, and a custom URL scheme. The docs also reference AppleScript support, and the site says the CLI is included for Mac workflows.
Which platforms does TerminalWidget support?
The source pages describe support for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, with widgets that sync across Apple devices when iCloud is enabled.
What kinds of content can a widget show?
The documentation covers text, icons, progress bars, charts and graphs, tables, images, colors, titles, captions, and widget tap actions. Chart and progress behavior is defined through payload fields such as chart format, progress, caption, label-y, and timestamp.
Do iPhone and iPad widgets need any special setup?
On iOS and iPadOS, the docs say widgets update through the URL scheme or Shortcuts actions, and that notifications must be enabled on the device for background iCloud refreshes to work reliably.
How is TerminalWidget priced?
The site does not show a pricing page at /pricing, but the home page states that TerminalWidget is available as a universal app on the App Store for $19.99.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Developer Tool
- Platforms
- macOS, iOS, iPadOS
- Source domain
- terminalwidget.app
- Price
- $19.99 on the App Store
- Automation interfaces
- CLI, Shortcuts, URL scheme, AppleScript
- Sync
- iCloud sync across Apple devices when enabled
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