tmux

name	tmux
description	Manages tmux sessions, windows, and panes, including detached SSH-surviving jobs and scripted send-keys layouts. Use when persisting remote work, multiplexing a server terminal, or automating multi-pane workspaces. Not for Windows Terminal / tmux-less PowerShell splits, GNU screen, or GUI IDE terminals.
version	1.0.1
category	development
risk	safe
source	community
date_added	2026-03-28
tags	["tmux","terminal","multiplexer","sessions","shell","remote","automation"]
tools	["claude","cursor","gemini"]

tmux — Terminal Multiplexer

Overview

tmux keeps terminal sessions alive across SSH disconnects, splits work across multiple panes, and enables fully scriptable terminal automation. This skill covers session management, window/pane layout, keybinding patterns, and using tmux non-interactively from shell scripts — essential for remote servers, long-running jobs, and automated workflows.

The hierarchy has three levels: sessions (top level, survives disconnects), windows (tabs within a session), and panes (splits within a window). Everything is controllable from outside via tmux <command> or from inside via the prefix key (Ctrl-b by default).

Windows host note: tmux runs on the remote Linux/macOS server or inside WSL. On the Windows host you typically launch it from PowerShell via ssh user@host or wsl tmux .... All commands below are POSIX-shell commands executed on the target machine, not in PowerShell directly.

When to Use

• Setting up or managing persistent terminal sessions on remote servers
• Running long-running processes that must survive SSH disconnects
• Scripting multi-pane terminal layouts (logs + shell + editor)
• Automating tmux commands from bash scripts without user interaction
• Pair programming via shared sessions on the same server

Prerequisites

• tmux installed on the target machine (Linux, macOS, or WSL)
• SSH access to the remote host if managing remote sessions
• Optional: ~/.tmux.conf under version control for reproducible configs

Procedure

1. Session Management

# Create a new named session
tmux new-session -s work

# Create detached (background) session
tmux new-session -d -s work

# Create detached session and start a command
tmux new-session -d -s build -x 220 -y 50 "make all"

# Attach to a session
tmux attach -t work
tmux attach          # attaches to most recent session

# List all sessions
tmux list-sessions
tmux ls

# Detach from inside tmux



tmux kill-session -t work


tmux kill-session -a


tmux rename-session -t old-name new-name


tmux switch-client -t other-session


tmux has-session -t work 2>/dev/null &&