# a-Shell mini — *Local* Unix terminal (& ssh)

> Local Unix terminal emulator for iOS with SSH and scripting capabilities. (iPhone/iPad app by Nicolas Holzschuch.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948)
- Category: Developer Tools, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 113 App Store ratings · 87 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 368 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish
- Released: 2020-12-09
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews.md

## What is a?

a-Shell mini is a complete local terminal emulator, allowing to run most Unix commands on you iOS device. You can transfer files using scp and curl, edit them with vim and ed, process them using grep, awk and sed. Work with git repositories using lg2. 
Most commands are compiled for iOS native Arm64 format, making them fast and well integrated with iOS underlying BSD Unix.

a-Shell mini includes Python, Lua, JavaScript and webAssembly for programming and scripting. It also includes native ffmpeg and convert for fast image and video conversion.

There are also multiple network utilities: nslookup, ping, whois, ifconfig... Type help for help, help -l to get the full list of commands. 

a-Shell mini can be controlled from Shortcuts: run commands in order, process files in a-Shell, get the results as text or files, transfer files to other apps...

a-Shell mini uses iPadOS 13+ “multiple windows” ability, so you can run multiple shells at the same time, with different commands, in different directories. You can edit a file in one window with vim and process it in the other with python. 

a-Shell mini is a minimalist terminal, designed to have a very small footprint (less than 250 MB). If you need more commands, please consider a-Shell, which has more Python packages, more JavaScript modules, Perl, make, a C and C++ compiler and TeX.

## Key features

- Local Unix terminal emulator
- SSH client
- File transfer (scp, curl)
- Text editing (vim, ed)
- Scripting (Python, Lua, JavaScript)
- Network utilities (nslookup, ping)
- Shortcuts integration
- Multi-window support

## Chart rankings

- #46 in Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

## What do users think of a?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Great app for shortcuts
- 🚀 Efficient and functional
- 💡 Useful for IT tasks
- ✨ Free and awesome
- 💻 Good for remote server connection
- 🔧 Lightweight and easy to use
- 🌟 Amazing minimal version
- 👍 Swiss army knife on iOS
- 🚀 Fast response from developer
- 👍 Works perfectly with shortcuts
- 💻 Useful for Vim editing
- 👍 Great GUI and ease of use
- ⌨️ Easy to type and use arrow keys
- ✅ Does what it's supposed to
- 👍 Perfect complement to a-shell
- 🚀 Fast load times
- 💯 Absolutely fantastic
- 👍 Great for Git CLI
- 💻 Useful for SSH
- ✨ Innovative functionality

**Cons**

- 🐛 Font size not adjustable
- 🐛 Keyboard icons too large
- 🐛 App deletes itself
- 🐛 Rotating screen scrambles display
- 🐛 Pasting text shows strange characters
- 🐛 Only uses half the screen
- 🐛 Command not found errors
- 🐛 App crashes on launch
- 🐛 Cannot get absolute path
- 🐛 Cannot execute own programs
- 🐛 File association issues
- 🐛 Copy/paste selection issues
- 🐛 No module named requests in shortcuts

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Keyboard icons comically large
- App deletes itself
- Rotating iPhone/iPad scrambles display
- Pasting text results in strange characters
- App only uses half of the screen when editing files
- Command not found errors for all commands
- App crashes on launch after update
- Cannot get own absolute path
- Cannot execute own programs
- App messes up .txt file association
- Trouble selecting characters to copy and paste
- No module named requests in shortcuts

**Most requested features**

- Option to use old keyboard buttons
- Add openssl support
- Add libx265 codec for ffmpeg
- Support telnet command
- Add possibility to compile from source
- Make Ubuntu default
- Add expansion of keys (e.g., echo {a..z})
- Adjustable font size

## Recent user reviews (10 of 87)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews.md

### 5/5 — use "unset PKG_SERVER"

*2026-07-17*

it will make pkg command work

### 5/5 — 字体

*2026-06-11*

字体大小没法调节

**Developer response:** Try "config -s " followed by the new size.

### 5/5 — Bad update (temporarily, it's fixed!)

*2026-05-15*

Edit:  Great developer, it's fixed! 5 stars 🤩

This app and the full a-shell are amazing. The recent update to version 2 makes the keyboard icons comically large on the left side and unusable on the right side. Of course apple doesn't allow us consumers to install a previous version of the app so I'm stuck with this unwanted change. Please add option to use old keyboard buttons, the new ones are such a disaster.

**Developer response:** I don’t understand the issue that you describe (and it doesn’t happen on my test devices). If you could send a more detailed description with screenshots to another_shell@icloud.com? (Or using any of the bug reporting methods detailed in “help”)

### 4/5 — What would be the root password?

*2026-05-07*

It doesn’t know what is “sudo”. How can I install something with “sudo apt-get install”?

**Developer response:** There is no way to sudo here. a-Shell is using your iPhone filesystem. Sudo would give you the ability to destroy your phone. You can install packages with “pkg”.

### 3/5 — Bad update

*2026-05-07*

This app and the full a-shell are amazing. The recent update to version 2 makes the keyboard icons comically large on the left side and unusable on the right side. Of course apple doesn't allow us consumers to install a previous version of the app so I'm stuck with this unwanted change. Please add option to use old keyboard buttons, the new ones are such a disaster.

**Developer response:** I don’t understand the issue that you describe (and it doesn’t happen on my test devices). If you could send a more detailed description with screenshots to another_shell@icloud.com? (Or using any of the bug reporting methods detailed in “help”)

### 5/5 — Ich bin absolut begeistert

*2026-03-20*

Seit einiger Zeit benutze ich die App und bin als Programmierer seit mehr als 40 Jahren auf den verschiedensten Systemen aktiv: MS DOS, Windows, macOS und Linux.

Jetzt kann ich auf Reisen ohne mein MacBook, Fotos und Videos von verschiedenen Geräten auf meinem iPad sammeln und daraus Diashows erstellen, diese als mp4-Videos generieren und auf github publizieren.

Zwei selbstentwickelte Python-Skripte erledigen das Ganze in a Shell mit wenig Aufwand, kurzer Durchlaufzeit und toller Qualität. 

Die Tools ffmpeg, magick und git sind genial.

Meinem allergrößten Respekt.

### 1/5 — ごみ

*2026-02-28*

かすかな？何もできないんだけど

### 5/5 — Must have app for shortcut poweruser

*2026-01-07*

You can make shortcut do what apple haven’t implemented using this app

### 5/5 — Straordinaria

*2025-12-15, version 1.17.3*

Complimenti allo sviluppatore, ha fatto un lavoro straordinario, e soprattutto un grande grazie per aver fatto un lavoro del genere e averla lasciata gratis. imperdibile!

### 5/5 — Can you make Ubuntu default

*2025-12-06*

I need it for Ubuntu

## Frequently asked questions about a

### What is a-Shell mini?

a-Shell mini is a local terminal emulator for iOS devices that allows you to run most Unix commands directly on your device. It supports file transfers, text editing, scripting with languages like Python and Lua, and various network utilities.

### What are the key features of a-Shell mini?

Key features include a local Unix terminal, SSH client, file transfer capabilities using scp and curl, text editing with vim and ed, scripting support for Python, Lua, and JavaScript, network utilities like nslookup and ping, integration with Shortcuts, and multi-window support for multitasking.

### How much does a-Shell mini cost?

Based on the provided information, a-Shell mini is a paid application. It does not have in-app purchases or ads, indicating a one-time purchase model.

### What are some common use cases for a-Shell mini?

Common use cases include running Unix commands for development or system administration tasks on the go, editing files locally, scripting automation with Python or Lua, transferring files securely via SSH, and utilizing network diagnostic tools directly from your iOS device.

### What are the compatibility requirements for a-Shell mini?

a-Shell mini requires iPadOS 13 or later to utilize its multi-window capabilities. It is designed to run efficiently on iOS devices, with commands compiled for native Arm64 format.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1.0 — 2026-07-02

- fixed a major cause of crash at startup
- $TERM is now xterm-256colors (it enables many more options in curses)
- store bookmarks for already accessible directories 
- get the volume name as a bookmark when you select a mounted device with pickFolder
- fixed issues with reloading in internalbrowser
- added more optional entitlements for interacting with the system using pyobjc

### 2.0.3 — 2026-05-29

- fixed an issue with "cd -" in dash
- fixed an issue with Thai keyboards
- removed automatic autocomplete after completing a directory

### 2.0.2 — 2026-05-15

Multiple improvements over versions 2.0.0 and 2.0.1:
- single-arrow buttons by default for iPhones that don't have LiquidGlass (iOS 18 and below)
- brought back the ability to have the old toolbar on iPads (a fix for iPads where the standard toolbar does not appear)
- fix for pickFolder inside other commands
- fix for ffmpeg and control-C
- fix for escape sequences (\033) in prompt definitions
- several fixes for ssh and ssh-agent inside dash
- openurl does not percent-encode urls that are already percent-encoded 
- openurl checks that is has a valid URL

### 2.0.1 — 2026-05-06

- Fixes three bugs that were present in version 2.0.0, plus everything that was already present in version 2.0.0:
- new terminal rendering system (SwiftTerm), much faster than the previous one, but with incompatible changes
- better integration with VoiceOver
- better autocomplete
- new config options, for blinking cursors
- multi-arrow buttons on iPhones
- better user interface for the internal browser
- added Python package: curl-cffi

### 2.0.0 — 2026-05-01

- new terminal rendering system (SwiftTerm), much faster than the previous one, but with incompatible changes
- better integration with VoiceOver
- better autocomplete
- new config options, for blinking cursors
- multi-arrow buttons on iPhones
- better user interface for the internal browser
- added Python package: curl-cffi

## Apps similar to a

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NeoServer:SSH Mosh Terminal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/neoserverssh-mosh-terminal/id6448362669) | 4.8 (284) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [Terminal & SSH](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terminal-and-ssh/id1558156247) | 4.3 (105) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [Termius - Modern SSH Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/termius-modern-ssh-client/id549039908) | 4.7 (18,903) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [WebSSH - Sysadmin Toolbox](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webssh-sysadmin-toolbox/id497714887) | 4.7 (2,515) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [Textastic Code Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textastic-code-editor/id1049254261) | 4.7 (2,497) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [SSH Client - Secure ShellFish](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-client-secure-shellfish/id1336634154) | 4.8 (1,468) | Free | Developer Tools |

## More apps by Nicolas Holzschuch

- [Carnets - Jupyter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carnets-jupyter/id1450994949)
- [a-Shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438)
- [Carnets - Jupyter (with scipy)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carnets-jupyter-with-scipy/id1559497253)

All apps by Nicolas Holzschuch: https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*