Agent skill
tmuxinator
Use when creating, editing, or debugging tmuxinator project configurations, setting up complex tmux session layouts, or automating development environment startup with multiple windows and panes
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/bastos/skills/tree/main/tmuxinator
Metadata
Additional technical details for this skill
- author
- github.com/bastos
- version
- 2.0
SKILL.md
Tmuxinator
Overview
Tmuxinator manages complex tmux sessions through YAML configuration files. Define windows, panes, layouts, and startup commands once, then launch reproducible development environments with a single command.
When to Use
- Setting up multi-window/pane development environments
- Automating project-specific terminal layouts
- Creating reproducible tmux sessions across machines
- Debugging tmuxinator configuration issues
Not for: Simple single-window sessions (just use tmux directly)
Quick Reference
| Command | Alias | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
tmuxinator new PROJECT |
n |
Create/edit project config |
tmuxinator new --local PROJECT |
- | Create .tmuxinator.yml in current dir |
tmuxinator start PROJECT |
s |
Launch session |
tmuxinator start PROJECT -n NAME |
- | Launch with custom session name |
tmuxinator start PROJECT --append |
- | Append windows to current session |
tmuxinator stop PROJECT |
- | Kill session |
tmuxinator stop-all |
- | Kill all tmuxinator sessions |
tmuxinator list |
l, ls |
List all projects |
tmuxinator copy OLD NEW |
c, cp |
Duplicate config |
tmuxinator delete PROJECT |
rm |
Remove config |
tmuxinator debug PROJECT |
- | Show generated shell commands |
tmuxinator doctor |
- | Diagnose issues |
Configuration Locations
~/.tmuxinator/PROJECT.yml(default)$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmuxinator/PROJECT.yml$TMUXINATOR_CONFIG/PROJECT.yml.tmuxinator.ymlin project root (local config)
Complete Configuration Reference
Project Options
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | required | Session name (no periods allowed) |
root |
string | ~/ |
Base directory for all windows |
socket_name |
string | - | Custom tmux socket name |
attach |
boolean | true |
Auto-attach to session after creation |
startup_window |
string/int | first | Window to select on startup (name or index) |
startup_pane |
int | 0 |
Pane to select within startup window |
tmux_options |
string | - | Options passed to tmux (e.g., -f ~/.tmux.alt.conf) |
tmux_command |
string | tmux |
Alternative command (e.g., byobu) |
pre_window |
string/list | - | Commands run before each pane's commands |
enable_pane_titles |
boolean | false |
Show pane titles (tmux 2.6+) |
pane_title_position |
string | - | Title position: top, bottom, or off |
pane_title_format |
string | - | Custom pane title format string |
Lifecycle Hooks
| Hook | When It Runs |
|---|---|
on_project_start |
Every session start, before windows created |
on_project_first_start |
Only on initial session creation |
on_project_restart |
When reattaching to existing session |
on_project_exit |
When detaching from session |
on_project_stop |
When tmuxinator stop is called |
pre_window |
Before each pane's commands (use for env setup) |
All hooks accept a string or list of strings:
on_project_start:
- docker-compose up -d
- redis-server --daemonize yes
Window Options
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
layout |
string | - | Pane layout (see Layout Options) |
root |
string | project root | Override working directory for this window |
panes |
list | - | List of pane definitions |
synchronize |
string | - | Sync pane input: before or after |
Pane Options
| Option | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
pane_title |
string | Title for this pane (requires enable_pane_titles) |
commands |
list | Commands to run (alternative to inline list) |
Layout Options
| Layout | Description |
|---|---|
even-horizontal |
Panes spread left-to-right, equal width |
even-vertical |
Panes spread top-to-bottom, equal height |
main-horizontal |
Large pane on top, others spread below |
main-vertical |
Large pane on left, others spread right |
tiled |
Even grid of panes |
Control main pane size:
main_pane_width: columns or percentage for main-verticalmain_pane_height: rows or percentage for main-horizontal
Custom layouts use tmux's layout string format (copy from tmux list-windows).
Full Example Configuration
# Required
name: myproject
# Project root (default: ~/)
root: ~/Code/myproject
# Optional: custom tmux socket
socket_name: myproject
# Optional: pass options to tmux command
tmux_options: -f ~/.tmux.custom.conf
# Optional: use alternative tmux (e.g., byobu)
tmux_command: tmux
# Optional: auto-attach to session (default: true)
attach: true
# Optional: select specific window/pane on startup
startup_window: editor
startup_pane: 1
# Optional: pane titles (tmux 2.6+)
enable_pane_titles: true
pane_title_position: top
pane_title_format: " #T "
# Lifecycle hooks
on_project_start: docker-compose up -d
on_project_first_start: npm install
on_project_restart: echo "Welcome back"
on_project_exit: docker-compose stop
on_project_stop: docker-compose down
# Run before every pane command (env managers, etc.)
pre_window: nvm use 18
# Windows
windows:
# Simple: window name with single command
- server: bundle exec rails s
# Window with layout and multiple panes
- editor:
layout: main-vertical
# Synchronize pane input ('before' or 'after' pane creation)
synchronize: after
panes:
- vim .
- guard
- # empty pane (just shell)
# Window with custom root
- frontend:
root: ~/Code/myproject/client
panes:
- npm start
- npm run test -- --watch
# Pane with multiple sequential commands
- backend:
panes:
-
- cd api
- source venv/bin/activate
- python manage.py runserver
# Named panes with titles
- monitoring:
panes:
- pane_title: "Logs"
commands:
- tail -f logs/app.log
- pane_title: "System"
commands:
- htop
Dynamic Configuration (ERB)
Configs are processed as ERB templates before YAML parsing:
# Environment variables
root: <%= ENV["PROJECT_DIR"] || "~/Code/default" %>
name: <%= ENV["USER"] %>-dev
# Command-line arguments: tmuxinator start myproject arg1 arg2
# Access via @args array (positional)
root: <%= @args[0] %>
# Key-value arguments: tmuxinator start myproject env=prod db=mysql
# Access via @settings hash
<% if @settings["env"] == "production" %>
root: /var/www/app
<% else %>
root: ~/Code/app
<% end %>
# Conditional windows
windows:
- main: vim
<% if @settings["with_docker"] %>
- docker: docker-compose logs -f
<% end %>
Window and Pane Patterns
Simple window with command:
windows:
- server: npm run dev
Window with multiple panes:
windows:
- dev:
panes:
- vim
- npm run watch
- npm run test -- --watch
Pane with sequential commands (send-keys style):
windows:
- build:
panes:
- # Commands sent sequentially
- cd backend
- source venv/bin/activate
- python manage.py runserver
Per-window root override:
windows:
- frontend:
root: ~/Code/myproject/frontend
panes:
- npm start
Synchronized panes (same input to all):
windows:
- cluster:
synchronize: after
panes:
- ssh server1
- ssh server2
- ssh server3
Named panes with titles (tmux 2.6+):
enable_pane_titles: true
pane_title_position: top
windows:
- main:
panes:
- pane_title: "Editor"
commands:
- vim
- pane_title: "Tests"
commands:
- npm test
Common Patterns
Full-Stack Development
name: fullstack
root: ~/Code/myapp
on_project_start:
- docker-compose up -d postgres redis
on_project_stop:
- docker-compose down
pre_window: nvm use 18
windows:
- editor:
layout: main-vertical
panes:
- vim .
- lazygit
- backend:
root: ~/Code/myapp/api
panes:
- npm run dev
- npm run test -- --watch
- frontend:
root: ~/Code/myapp/web
panes:
- npm start
- # empty for commands
- services:
panes:
- docker-compose logs -f
- htop
Remote Development (SSH)
name: remote-dev
root: ~
windows:
- remote:
panes:
- # Use array for SSH commands
- ssh user@server
- cd /var/www/app
- vim .
Microservices
name: microservices
root: ~/Code
windows:
- api-gateway:
root: ~/Code/gateway
panes:
- npm run dev
- users-service:
root: ~/Code/users
panes:
- npm run dev
- orders-service:
root: ~/Code/orders
panes:
- npm run dev
- logs:
layout: tiled
panes:
- docker logs -f gateway
- docker logs -f users
- docker logs -f orders
Environment-Aware Config
name: app-<%= @settings["env"] || "dev" %>
root: <%= @settings["env"] == "prod" ? "/var/www/app" : "~/Code/app" %>
<% if @settings["env"] == "prod" %>
attach: false
on_project_start: sudo systemctl start nginx
<% end %>
windows:
- app:
panes:
- <%= @settings["env"] == "prod" ? "tail -f /var/log/app.log" : "npm run dev" %>
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Window names reset | Add export DISABLE_AUTO_TITLE=true to shell rc |
| Commands truncated | Move long commands to scripts, source them |
| Project name invalid | Remove periods from name (tmux uses . as delimiter) |
| Layout inconsistent | Use tmuxinator debug PROJECT to see generated script |
| Session exists error | Use tmuxinator stop PROJECT first, or -n for new name |
| Panes not in order | Layouts applied after creation; order may shift |
| rbenv/nvm not loading | Use pre_window to set version before commands |
| Hooks not running | Check hook names (deprecated pre/post → on_project_*) |
Debugging
# Show what tmuxinator will execute
tmuxinator debug myproject
# Check for configuration issues
tmuxinator doctor
# Verify YAML syntax
ruby -ryaml -e "YAML.load_file('~/.tmuxinator/myproject.yml')"
# Test ERB processing
ruby -rerb -ryaml -e "puts ERB.new(File.read('~/.tmuxinator/myproject.yml')).result"
Installation
# Preferred (requires Ruby)
gem install tmuxinator
# Alternative
brew install tmuxinator
Requires tmux 1.8+ (avoid 2.5 due to bugs). Shell completions available in the GitHub repo's completion/ directory.
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