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The Cockpit Shell

Cockpit is a new shell for the Wayland desktop app: a different way to drive the same Wayland, introduced in 0.12.0.

It is offered as a choice. Classic is still there, exactly where it was, and it is not going anywhere because Cockpit arrived.

You pick, and you can change your mind

Section titled “You pick, and you can change your mind”

Cockpit is not switched on for you and it is not a migration with a deadline. When you first meet it, you choose which shell you want to work in, and you can change that choice later without losing anything.

Both shells drive the same app. Your chats, projects, assistants, models, skills, and connected tools are the same underneath either one. Switching shells changes how you work, not what you have.

Which one should you use

Section titled “Which one should you use”

Neither is the advanced version of the other, so the honest answer is to try Cockpit and keep whichever fits your hands better.

  • Classic is the shell Wayland has always had. If your habits are built on it, nothing has changed for you.
  • Cockpit is worth a look if you want to see whether a different arrangement suits the way you actually work.
Section titled “Related”