terminal-manager

name

terminal-manager

description

Manage persistent terminal sessions (tmux) using the terminal_manager CLI tool. Use this skill whenever the user needs long-running terminal sessions, EDA tool shells, background processes, or persistent command environments. Trigger when the user mentions terminal management, persistent sessions, tmux, background processes, EDA tool sessions (DC shell, VCS, Innovus), or wants to run commands that need session state persistence — even if they don't explicitly say "terminal_manager".

terminal_manager — Persistent Terminal Session Manager

A standalone CLI tool for managing persistent tmux terminal sessions. Invoke it via shell commands — no SDK, no Python import, no REST API.

All sessions are managed by a shared background daemon that starts automatically. Terminal state persists across CLI invocations.

Workflow

1. terminal_manager create --name <name> — create a terminal session
2. terminal_manager execute <id> '<command>' — run a command and get output
3. terminal_manager read <id> — read current terminal output
4. terminal_manager write <id> '<text>' — send keystrokes
5. terminal_manager list — see all terminals
6. terminal_manager close <id> — destroy when done

The daemon starts automatically on the first command. No explicit start needed.

When to Use Terminal Manager

Use TM when:

• Running EDA tools (DC shell, VCS, Innovus) that take over the terminal
• Long-running processes (builds, simulations) you need to check later
• Operations requiring session state persistence
• Multi-step workflows in the same shell environment
• Any task requiring "come back later" capability

Don't use TM when:

• Running simple one-shot commands (ls, cat, grep)
• Quick queries that don't need context

---

Commands

create

Create a new terminal session.

terminal_manager create [--name NAME] [--shell SHELL] [--cwd DIR] [--json]

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
--name	no	auto	Display name for the terminal
--shell	no	bash	Shell to use
--cwd	no	current dir	Working directory
--json	no	off	JSON output

Returns: terminal ID, name, shell, cwd, status.

execute

Run a command and wait for completion. Returns output and exit code.

terminal_manager execute <id> <command> [--timeout SEC] [--json]

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
id	yes	—	Terminal ID
command	yes	—	Command string
--timeout	no	30	Timeout in seconds
--json	no	off	JSON output

Returns: command output, exit code, timeout flag.

read

Read current visible output from a terminal.

terminal_manager read <id> [--lines N] [--json]

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
id	yes	—	Terminal ID
--lines	no	50	Lines to capture
--json	no	off	JSON output

write

Send text (keystrokes) to a terminal.

terminal_manager write <id> <input> [--no-enter] [--json]

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
id	yes	—	Terminal ID
input	yes	—	Text to send
--no-enter	no	off	Don't press Enter
--json	no	off	JSON output

wait-for

Wait for a pattern to appear in terminal output.

terminal_manager wait-for <id> <pattern> [--timeout SEC] [--json]

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
id	yes	—	Terminal ID
pattern	yes	—	Text to wait for
--timeout	no	30	Timeout in seconds
--json	no	off	JSON output

status

Show terminal status and metadata.

terminal_manager status <id> [--json]

list

List all terminal sessions.

terminal_manager list [--json]

close

Close (destroy) a terminal session.

terminal_manager close <id> [--json]

update

Update terminal metadata (name, description).

terminal_manager update <id> [--name NAME] [--description DESC] [--json]

start / stop

Explicitly start or stop the daemon (usually not needed — auto-starts).

terminal_manager start [--json]
terminal_manager stop [--json]

commands / help-cmd

Discover available daemon commands and their parameters.

terminal_manager commands [--json]
terminal_manager help-cmd <command-name> [--json]

---

Best Practices

Practice	Why
Check list before creating	Avoid duplicate terminals for the same task
Give terminals descriptive names	--name dc_shell is better than default names
Use execute for commands with exit codes	write + read doesn't capture exit status
Use wait-for for async patterns	More reliable than polling with read
Close terminals when done	Frees tmux sessions and system resources
Use --json for programmatic access	Structured output is easier to parse

Error Reference

Code	Meaning	Fix
NO_TMUX	tmux not installed	Install tmux
NOT_FOUND	Terminal ID not found	Check list for valid IDs
SESSION_DEAD	tmux session died	Create a new terminal
MISSING_PARAM	Required parameter missing	Check help-cmd for usage
DAEMON_ERROR	Cannot reach daemon	Run terminal_manager start

Terminal Session Naming Convention

Give each terminal a descriptive name:

• dc_shell — Design Compiler sessions
• build_server — Long-running builds
• python_repl — Interactive Python
• vcs_sim — VCS simulation runs
• innovus_pnr — Place & route sessions