it2 session tail
Display session output (like tail, use -f to follow)
Synopsis
it2 session tail [<session-id>] [flags]
Description
Display the last lines from a session buffer. By default, shows the last N lines
and exits (like 'tail'). Use -f or --follow flag to monitor in real-time (like 'tail -f').
When following, the command polls the session buffer at regular intervals and displays
new content as it appears. Useful for monitoring long-running commands or watching
session output.
Use --wait-stable to wait until the session stabilizes (no buffer changes for 2s by default)
before exiting. This is useful for detecting when builds complete, long-running commands finish,
or terminals become idle. Combine with --wait-stable-tolerance and --wait-stable-max-wait for
advanced control.
Stability options (when using --wait-stable):
--wait-stable - Normal tolerance (2s), max-wait 10s
--wait-stable --wait-stable-tolerance=low - Quick detection (500ms), max-wait 10s
--wait-stable --wait-stable-tolerance=high - Lenient (5s), max-wait 10s
--wait-stable --wait-stable-max-wait=30s - Normal tolerance (2s), but max 30s total
Options
-
--color - Preserve ANSI color codes
-
-f,--follow - Follow output continuously (default: show last N lines and exit)
-
--format(default "table") - Output format (table|json|yaml|text)
-
--grep - Only show lines matching this pattern
-
--grep-v - Only show lines NOT matching this pattern
-
-i,--ignore-case - Case-insensitive pattern matching
-
--interval(default "1s") - Polling interval for new content
-
-n,--lines(default 10) - Number of initial lines to show (0 for none)
-
--on-finish - Only show prompt info when command finishes (requires --show-prompts)
-
--output-only - Hide command echoes and prompts, show only output
-
--show-prompts - Show prompt metadata (command, exit status, working directory)
-
--timeout(default "5s") - Command timeout
-
--url(default "ws://localhost:1912") - iTerm2 WebSocket URL
-
--wait-stable - Wait until buffer is stable (uses --wait-stable-tolerance for timing)
-
--wait-stable-max-wait(default "10s") - Maximum total time to wait for stability (default: 10s). 0 for no limit
-
--wait-stable-tolerance(default "normal") - Stability tolerance level: low (500ms), normal (2s), high (5s)
See Also
- it2 session - Manage iTerm2 sessions
Examples
# Show last 10 lines and exit
$ it2 session tail
# Show last 10 lines from specific session and exit
$ it2 session tail abc123
# Follow output continuously (like tail -f)
$ it2 session tail -f
# Follow specific session continuously
$ it2 session tail -f abc123
# Show more lines initially (using long form)
$ it2 session tail --lines 20
# Show more lines initially (using short form)
$ it2 session tail -n 20
# Filter for errors
$ it2 session tail --grep error
# Exclude debug messages
$ it2 session tail --grep-v DEBUG
# Case-insensitive pattern matching
$ it2 session tail --grep error --ignore-case
# Show only command output (hide prompts)
$ it2 session tail --output-only
# Wait until session stabilizes before exiting (default 2s tolerance)
$ it2 session tail --wait-stable
# Wait with quick detection (500ms low tolerance)
$ it2 session tail --wait-stable --wait-stable-tolerance=low
# Wait with lenient detection (5s high tolerance)
$ it2 session tail --wait-stable --wait-stable-tolerance=high
# Max 30s total wait, exit when stable for 2s
$ it2 session tail --wait-stable --wait-stable-max-wait=30s
# Follow and filter output
$ it2 session tail -f --interval 500ms --grep "✓\|✗"
# Wait for build to complete
$ it2 session tail build-session --wait-stable