tmux

# tmux Session Control Control tmux sessions by sending keystrokes and reading output. Essential for managing Claude Code sessions. ## When to Use ✅ **USE this skill when:** - Monitoring Claude/Codex sessions in tmux - Sending input to interactive terminal applications - Scraping output from long-running processes in tmux - Navigating tmux panes/windows programmatically - Checking on background work in existing sessions ## When NOT to Use ❌ **DON'T use this skill when:** - Running one-off shell commands → use `exec` tool directly - Starting new background processes → use `exec` with `background:true` - Non-interactive scripts → use `exec` tool - The process isn't in tmux - You need to create a new tmux session → use `exec` with `tmux new-session` ## Example Sessions | Session | Purpose | | ----------------------- | --------------------------- | | `shared` | Primary interactive session | | `worker-2` - `worker-8` | Parallel worker sessions | ## Common Commands ### List Sessions ```bash tmux list-sessions tmux ls ``` ### Capture Output ```bash # Last 20 lines of pane tmux capture-pane -t shared -p | tail -20 # Entire scrollback tmux capture-pane -t shared -p -S - # Specific pane in window tmux capture-pane -t shared:0.0 -p ``` ### Send Keys ```bash # Send text (doesn't press Enter) tmux send-keys -t shared "hello" # Send text + Enter tmux send-keys -t shared "y" Enter # Send special keys tmux send-keys -t shared Enter tmux send-keys -t shared Escape tmux send-keys -t shared C-c # Ctrl+C tmux send-keys -t shared C-d # Ctrl+D (EOF) tmux send-keys -t shared C-z # Ctrl+Z (suspend) ``` ### Window/Pane Navigation ```bash # Select window tmux select-window -t shared:0 # Select pane tmux select-pane -t shared:0.1 # List windows tmux list-windows -t shared ``` ### Session Management ```bash # Create new session tmux new-session -d -s newsession # Kill session tmux kill-session -t sessionname # Rename session tmux rename-session -t old new ``` ## Sending Input Safely For interactive TUIs (Claude Code, Codex, etc.), split text and Enter into separate sends to avoid paste/multiline edge cases: ```bash tmux send-keys -t shared -l -- "Please apply the patch in src/foo.ts" sleep 0.1 tmux send-keys -t shared Enter ``` ## Claude Code Session Patterns ### Check if Session Needs Input ```bash # Look for prompts tmux capture-pane -t worker-3 -p | tail -10 | grep -E "❯|Yes.*No|proceed|permission" ``` ### Approve Claude Code Prompt ```bash # Send 'y' and Enter tmux send-keys -t worker-3 'y' Enter # Or select numbered option tmux send-keys -t worker-3 '2' Enter ``` ### Check All Sessions Status ```bash for s in shared worker-2 worker-3 worker-4 worker-5 worker-6 worker-7 worker-8; do echo "=== $s ===" tmux capture-pane -t $s -p 2>/dev/null | tail -5 done ``` ### Send Task to Session ```bash tmux send-keys -t worker-4 "Fix the bug in auth.js" Enter ``` ## Notes - Use `capture-pane -p` to print to stdout (essential for scripting) - `-S -` captures entire scrollback history - Target format: `session:window.pane` (e.g., `shared:0.0`) - Sessions persist across SSH disconnects