cmux-orchestrator

name

cmux-orchestrator

description

Orchestrate the cmux terminal — named layouts (workshop, ops-deck), sidebar dashboarding (status, progress, logs), browser automation, cross-workspace agent coordination, and theme customization. Use this skill whenever inside a cmux terminal (CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID is set), the user mentions cmux, asks to set up a workspace layout, open a browser pane, update sidebar status/progress, spawn agents across workspaces, change themes, or says 'workshop' or 'ops deck'. Also use when other skills need to update the sidebar or rename the workspace tab.

cmux Orchestrator

cmux is a terminal multiplexer built for coding agents. This skill keeps the live rules in first-load context; longer layout recipes live in references/.

Orient First

Always inspect the current cmux state before creating panes, browser surfaces, or agent workspaces:

cmux tree --all
cmux identify

Read the tree output carefully. It marks [selected], [focused], and the current position. Avoid duplicate panes and wrong-workspace actions by knowing the current landscape first.

Core Model

Window -> Workspace -> Pane -> Surface

• Workspace: sidebar tab with cwd, status, progress, and logs.
• Pane: split region inside a workspace.
• Surface: terminal or browser tab inside a pane.
• Addressing: use refs like workspace:3 / surface:5, or $CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID / $CMUX_SURFACE_ID.
• Split order: split down first for full-width bottom rows, then split the top pane right for a browser.
• Naming: rename every workspace and tab with semantic labels such as tests, dev server, or API docs.

Sidebar Dashboard

Use the sidebar proactively. It is the user's at-a-glance status surface.

cmux set-status "phase" "running tests" --icon "bolt.fill" --color "#00BFFF"
cmux clear-status "phase"

cmux set-progress 0.5 --label "Running tests (3/6)"
cmux clear-progress

cmux log "Deployment started"
cmux log --level error --source "test-runner" "3 tests failed"

cmux rename-workspace "bread-builder tests"
cmux notify --title "Tests Complete" --body "All 42 tests passed"

Use notifications sparingly. Use status/progress/logs at every meaningful phase transition.

Verify After Acting

After sending commands to another surface, read the screen to confirm the command actually ran:

cmux send --surface surface:5 "npm test -- --watch"
cmux send-key --surface surface:5 Enter
cmux read-screen --surface surface:5 --lines 15

If the command failed, read the error, correct the command or cwd, and verify again. The sidebar should reflect reality, not intent.

Browser Pattern

cmux embeds a Playwright-powered browser. Discover elements before interacting:

cmux browser open-split https://hono.dev
cmux browser --surface surface:5 wait --load-state complete
cmux browser --surface surface:5 snapshot --interactive --compact
cmux browser --surface surface:5 click "a:has-text('Middleware')"
cmux browser --surface surface:5 snapshot --selector "main" --compact

For full syntax, run cmux browser --help.

Prompt Via Inbox

When launching an agent into a pane, write the detailed prompt to the repo-shared agent inbox first, then start the agent with a short instruction to check its inbox.

. ~/.claude/skills/agent-inbox/scripts/lib.sh
inbox_root="$(agent_inbox_root)"
mkdir -p "$inbox_root/coder"/{new,tmp,archive}
mkdir -p "$inbox_root/orchestrator"/{new,tmp,archive}

This creates a durable dispatch record, lets the child re-read instructions, and keeps cross-workspace communication consistent. See references/workshop.md and references/ops-deck.md for full examples.

Conventions

Workshop

A focused layout for one project: agent pane, browser preview, dev server row, test watcher row, and a repo-shared inbox. Use when the user says "set up a workshop for X".

Detailed flow: references/workshop.md.

Worktree Workshop

Creates an isolated worktree from a branch name, then sets up the standard Workshop layout inside it.

Detailed flow: references/worktree-workshop.md.

Respond to PR Review Workshop

Fetches unresolved PR review context, creates or reuses the PR worktree, opens a workshop around the PR, and launches an agent with review response context.

Detailed flow: references/pr-review-workshop.md.

Ops Deck

A multi-agent monitoring layout for parallel work. The orchestrator writes inbox tasks, spawns agent workspaces, watches screen output, and collects structured replies.

Detailed flow: references/ops-deck.md.

Status Sweep

Quick reconnaissance across workspaces using cmux tree --all and cmux read-screen.

Detailed flow: references/status-sweep.md.

Wake-on-Reply

When a child writes a reply to the parent inbox, it can wake the parent session if needed.

Detailed flow: references/wake-on-reply.md.

Themes

cmux themes list
cmux themes set "Tokyo Night"
cmux themes clear

Config: ~/Library/Application Support/com.cmuxterm.app/config.ghostty

Integration With Other Skills

When inside cmux, other skills should update the sidebar:

if [ -n "$CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID" ]; then
  cmux set-status "phase" "running" --icon "bolt.fill"
  cmux rename-workspace "descriptive title"
fi

• session-titles: use cmux rename-workspace.
• agent-inbox: use repo-shared .agents/inbox/.
• Multi-step tasks: use cmux set-progress and cmux log.

Quick Reference

Need	Command
Full help	cmux --help
Browser help	cmux browser --help
What exists	cmux tree --all
Where am I	cmux identify
Keyboard shortcuts	cmux shortcuts
Open a directory	cmux /path/to/dir
View markdown	cmux markdown open file.md