aiskillstore/tmux-processes
Patterns for running long-lived processes in tmux. Use when starting dev servers, watchers, tilt, or any process expected to outlive the conversation.
This is a copy. The original lives at comeonoliver/tmux-processes.
npx skills add https://github.com/aiskillstore/marketplace --skill tmux-processesUse send-keys pattern for reliable shell initialization. Creating a session spawns an interactive shell automatically. Use send-keys to run commands within that shell, ensuring PATH, direnv, and other initialization runs properly.
# WRONG - inline command bypasses shell init, breaks PATH/direnv
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n main 'tilt up'
# CORRECT - create session, then send command to interactive shell
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n main
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:main" 'tilt up' Enter
Always derive session name from the project:
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
For multiple processes in one project, use windows not separate sessions:
myappserver, tests, logsSESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Create session with named window, then send command
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n main
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:main" '<command>' Enter
Check if already running before starting:
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
if ! tmux has-session -t "$SESSION" 2>/dev/null; then
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n main
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:main" '<command>' Enter
else
echo "Session $SESSION already exists"
fi
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Add a new window if it doesn't exist
if ! tmux list-windows -t "$SESSION" -F '#{window_name}' | grep -q "^server$"; then
tmux new-window -t "$SESSION" -n server
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" 'npm run dev' Enter
else
echo "Window 'server' already exists"
fi
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Create session with first process
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n server
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" 'npm run dev' Enter
# Add more windows
tmux new-window -t "$SESSION" -n tests
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:tests" 'npm run test:watch' Enter
tmux new-window -t "$SESSION" -n logs
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:logs" 'tail -f logs/app.log' Enter
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Last 50 lines from first window
tmux capture-pane -p -t "$SESSION" -S -50
# From specific window
tmux capture-pane -p -t "$SESSION:server" -S -50
# Check for errors
tmux capture-pane -p -t "$SESSION" -S -100 | rg -i "error|fail|exception"
# Check for ready indicators
tmux capture-pane -p -t "$SESSION:server" -S -50 | rg -i "listening|ready|started"
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# List all sessions (see what exists)
tmux ls
# List windows in current session
tmux list-windows -t "$SESSION"
# Kill only this project's session
tmux kill-session -t "$SESSION"
# Kill specific window
tmux kill-window -t "$SESSION:tests"
# Send keys to a window (e.g., Ctrl+C to stop)
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" C-c
tmux kill-server| Scenario | Use tmux? |
|----------|-----------|
| tilt up | Yes, always |
| Dev server (npm run dev, rails s) | Yes |
| File watcher (npm run watch) | Yes |
| Test watcher (npm run test:watch) | Yes |
| Database server | Yes |
| One-shot build (npm run build) | No |
| Quick command (<10s) | No |
| Need stdout directly in conversation | No |
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Check session exists
tmux has-session -t "$SESSION" 2>/dev/null && echo "session exists" || echo "no session"
# List windows and their status
tmux list-windows -t "$SESSION" -F '#{window_name}: #{pane_current_command}'
# Check if specific window exists
tmux list-windows -t "$SESSION" -F '#{window_name}' | grep -q "^server$" && echo "server window exists"
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Send Ctrl+C then restart command
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" C-c
sleep 1
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" 'npm run dev' Enter
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
if ! tmux has-session -t "$SESSION" 2>/dev/null; then
tmux new-session -d -s "$SESSION" -n server
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" 'npm run dev' Enter
echo "Started dev server in tmux session: $SESSION"
elif ! tmux list-windows -t "$SESSION" -F '#{window_name}' | grep -q "^server$"; then
tmux new-window -t "$SESSION" -n server
tmux send-keys -t "$SESSION:server" 'npm run dev' Enter
echo "Added server window to session: $SESSION"
else
echo "Server already running in session: $SESSION"
fi
SESSION=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) || basename $PWD)
# Poll for ready message
for i in {1..30}; do
if tmux capture-pane -p -t "$SESSION:server" -S -20 | rg -q "listening|ready"; then
echo "Server ready"
break
fi
sleep 1
done
Take aiskillstore/tmux-processes from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.