Scrollback Buffer
Keep useful output history without promising unlimited retention.
Availability
Implemented in the stable source; configuration and compatibility limits are described below.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Earlier output helps with debugging and review.
- Unbounded retention would use unbounded resources.
What ships with it
- Stable backend exposes scrolling, clearing, and buffer access.
- The app provides terminal-buffer search.
- Live and persisted history are bounded; restored output can be truncated.
Questions this answers
- Can I search retained terminal output?
- Is Chau7 scrollback unlimited?
- Does restore retain all live scrollback?
How it works
The stable terminal backend exposes scroll, clear, and buffer operations, and the app configures terminal history rows. Scrollback is a bounded resource, not unlimited storage.
Chau7 also has terminal-buffer search and a retention policy for persisted context. The saved restore bundle has a smaller per-record cap than live terminal scrollback, so restored history may be truncated.
Retention depends on the active buffer and app limits. The source does not support claims that Chau7 never loses output or stores complete history indefinitely.
Why it matters
Scrollback makes it possible to inspect earlier output and search for errors. Bounded retention balances history against memory and persistence costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search terminal output?
The stable app has a search path over terminal buffer content.
Is scrollback unlimited?
No. Live and persisted history have bounded retention policies.