Automatic Session Output (screen) Logging

[ntwrknrd]

I’d like to propose a feature for Automatic Session Output Logging, which I believe would be beneficial for users who prefer to log all sessions, even when considering the potential security implications (e.g., files are often saved on encrypted disks). This feature could streamline workflows and create an easier/more reliable experience to track previous session history.

My specific use case: I regularly log commands and their execution times for auditing purposes, such as writing Root Cause Analyses. While timestamps would be a great addition, I understand that could be outside the current scope, as there are many ways to handle this on the remote end (e.g., including timestamps in the shell prompt or running uptime periodically on systems where that may be impossible). However, many terminal emulators already provide similar logging features, so this might be a natural/valuable enhancement.

Currently, I rely on Ghostty’s write_screen_file:open function via shortcut, which works well. However, the files are saved to unpredictable directories:

cj@m3mbp T % pwd
/private/var/folders/3y/ndtjpgbs7c50l5mkhkyxhmh40000gn/T
cj@m3mbp T % find . -type f -name "screen.txt" 2>/dev/null
./adVDpkA5fgwYRGHvV_2nCQ/screen.txt
./2fKy7C64ZLwhIIc15EJ2BQ/screen.txt
./_zIO8oUwkyb5wgSoJJrgSA/screen.txt
./A-txne5uSpHwds_foLKf5g/screen.txt

I believe the following additions would be beneficial:

1. Add an option to automatically write this file on session exit.
2. Add options to customize the directory & naming convention of the file written.

[jhlasnik]

I believe this is a must have for any terminal application! Not having an easy and automated way to customize logging is a make or break feature for myself and many other network engineers.

[rhodes-b]

even when considering the potential security implications

As a consideration of this iTerm2 had a critical security vulnerability about session logging
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42579472