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tmux-debugging

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UpdatedApril 30, 2026 at 20:11

Use when changing tmux config or using tmux to debug something.

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markjaquith

markjaquith/dotfiles

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Network and Computer Systems AdministratorsComputer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1244

SKILL.md

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name	tmux-debugging
description	Use when changing tmux config or using tmux to debug something.

Purpose

Use this skill to diagnose tmux behavior in a live development environment while preserving active sessions and panes.

Critical Safety Rule

Never kill the tmux server without asking the user first.

This includes commands such as:

tmux kill-server
pkill tmux
killall tmux

Prefer targeted, reversible inspection and reload commands. If a destructive command might be needed, explain the risk and ask for explicit confirmation before running it.

When To Use

Invoke this skill when the user mentions any of the following:

tmux configuration, bindings, panes, windows, sessions, or status line behavior
~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf, TPM, tmux plugins, or tmux reload failures
pane capture, window naming, session selection, or shell integration issues
OpenCode, Neovim, zsh, or worktree behavior that depends on tmux

Default Workflow

Confirm whether the current shell is inside tmux by checking $TMUX or using tmux display-message -p.
Inspect live state with read-only commands such as tmux list-sessions, tmux list-windows, tmux list-panes -a, and tmux show-options -g.
Read the relevant repo files before editing behavior, especially .config/tmux/tmux.conf and related scripts under .zsh/, bin/, or .config/opencode/.
Prefer reloading config with tmux source-file ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf over restarting tmux.
If changing repo files, run the narrowest relevant syntax or formatting checks for those files.

Safe Debugging Practices

Treat tmux as live user state, not a disposable test process.
Avoid commands that close panes, windows, sessions, or the server unless the user explicitly asks for that outcome.
If cleanup is necessary, prefer targeting a known test session with tmux kill-session -t <name> after confirming it is safe.
Capture diagnostics before changing configuration so behavior can be compared after reload.
Preserve existing key bindings and plugin order unless the bug requires changing them.

Failure Modes To Avoid

Running tmux kill-server without explicit user approval
Restarting tmux to test a config change when source-file is sufficient
Killing an attached session while the user may be working in it
Assuming tmux plugin problems require deleting plugin directories before inspecting TPM state
Editing shell integration without checking whether the behavior comes from .zsh/015-tmux.zsh, .zshrc, .config/tmux/tmux.conf, or a plugin

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name	tmux-debugging
description	Use when changing tmux config or using tmux to debug something.

Purpose

Use this skill to diagnose tmux behavior in a live development environment while preserving active sessions and panes.

Critical Safety Rule

Never kill the tmux server without asking the user first.

This includes commands such as:

tmux kill-server
pkill tmux
killall tmux

Prefer targeted, reversible inspection and reload commands. If a destructive command might be needed, explain the risk and ask for explicit confirmation before running it.

When To Use

Invoke this skill when the user mentions any of the following:

tmux configuration, bindings, panes, windows, sessions, or status line behavior
~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf, TPM, tmux plugins, or tmux reload failures
pane capture, window naming, session selection, or shell integration issues
OpenCode, Neovim, zsh, or worktree behavior that depends on tmux

Default Workflow

Confirm whether the current shell is inside tmux by checking $TMUX or using tmux display-message -p.
Inspect live state with read-only commands such as tmux list-sessions, tmux list-windows, tmux list-panes -a, and tmux show-options -g.
Read the relevant repo files before editing behavior, especially .config/tmux/tmux.conf and related scripts under .zsh/, bin/, or .config/opencode/.
Prefer reloading config with tmux source-file ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf over restarting tmux.
If changing repo files, run the narrowest relevant syntax or formatting checks for those files.

Safe Debugging Practices

Treat tmux as live user state, not a disposable test process.
Avoid commands that close panes, windows, sessions, or the server unless the user explicitly asks for that outcome.
If cleanup is necessary, prefer targeting a known test session with tmux kill-session -t <name> after confirming it is safe.
Capture diagnostics before changing configuration so behavior can be compared after reload.
Preserve existing key bindings and plugin order unless the bug requires changing them.

Failure Modes To Avoid

Running tmux kill-server without explicit user approval
Restarting tmux to test a config change when source-file is sufficient
Killing an attached session while the user may be working in it
Assuming tmux plugin problems require deleting plugin directories before inspecting TPM state
Editing shell integration without checking whether the behavior comes from .zsh/015-tmux.zsh, .zshrc, .config/tmux/tmux.conf, or a plugin