Gems & Shards
Multitasking across projects gets messy fast. Crystl keeps everything organized with gems, shards, and the Crystal Rail.
A gem is a project workspace in Crystl — a directory on your machine with all its terminal sessions grouped together. The Crystal Rail is a glass bar on any screen edge that shows all your gems at a glance. Switch projects with a single click, even with dozens open.
Within each gem, shards are individual terminal sessions. Each shard runs its own shell and can have its own Claude Code instance. Create isolated shards backed by git worktrees for parallel work without conflicts. Claude sessions autosave and restore when you restart Crystl, so you pick up right where you left off.
Why it matters
Project-scoped workspaces
Each gem groups all sessions for one project. No more guessing which terminal belongs where.
Tabbed sessions
Shards are tabs inside a gem. Run multiple Claude agents, each on its own task.
Crystal Rail navigation
A glass bar on any screen edge shows all your gems. One click to switch, drag to reorder.
Agent config editor
Set approval mode, pick CLAUDE.md templates, and configure agent files per project — all from Gem Settings.
Session autosave & restore
Claude sessions are saved automatically and restored when you restart Crystl. No lost context, no re-explaining what you were working on. Codex and Gemini CLI don't offer session restore yet.
Ready to try it?
Create a free account and download Crystl for macOS.
get started getting started guide →Frequently asked questions
- How many projects can I have open at once?
- The free plan supports up to 5 gems. The Guild plan gives you unlimited gems.
- Can I rearrange gems in the Crystal Rail?
- Yes — drag gems to reorder them. The Rail remembers your layout between sessions.
- What happens to my shards when I close a gem?
- Claude sessions autosave continuously. When you restart Crystl, every session is restored exactly where you left off — context, conversation, and all. Closing a gem also saves the session history so you can browse past sessions any time.
- Can two gems point to the same directory?
- Yes. This can be useful for separate workspaces with different shard configurations for the same project.
- Does Crystl only work with Claude Code?
- Crystl is built around Claude Code, but it also has early support for OpenAI Codex. Features like approval panels rely on hooks that Claude Code provides.
More features
Track Everything
See what every Claude session is doing at a glance.
Parallel Sessions
Run multiple Claude instances on the same repo without conflicts.
Conversation History
Every session is preserved. Scroll back through the full context anytime.
Prompt Integration
Facet Inserts give you one-click access to saved prompts, commands, and shortcuts.
Agent Config Editor
Create, edit, and manage CLAUDE.md, rules, skills, and agent config files with a block editor, file chooser, and project optimizer.
Project Optimizer
Scan your project for gaps in agent configuration — missing files, incomplete docs, oversized code, and setup issues — with one-click fixes.
Starter Bundles
New gems launch with CLAUDE.md, rules, skills, and MCP config — all pre-configured from your bundle library.
Skills Library
Browse and import slash commands that teach Claude new tricks — code review, testing, deployment, and more.
Remote Development
Full Crystl integration over SSH — approval panels, file relay, and click-to-open on remote machines.
Crystl Quest
Assemble a party of specialized agents. Each brings unique skills, coordinates in shared chat, and executes in parallel.
Screenshot Bar
Drag recent screenshots into the terminal. Spotlight-powered, always up to date.