tmux Configuration

tmux is a terminal multiplexer that lets you switch easily between several programs in one terminal, detach them (they keep running in the background) and reattach them to a different terminal.

Features #

• Popup windows - Quick access to sessions and tools without leaving current context
• Session management - Easy switching between projects
• Vi mode - Familiar keybindings for copy mode
• Minimal status bar - Hidden by default, toggle when needed

Setup #

Installation #

Install via mise:

mise install tmux

Or your package manager:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install tmux

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S tmux

Configuration #

The config file is ~/.tmux.conf. Main settings:

# Vi mode for copy/paste
setw -g mode-keys vi

# Don't detach on destroy
set-option -g detach-on-destroy off

# Focus events for nvim integration
set-option -g focus-events on

# Hidden status bar by default
set-option -g status off

Key Bindings #

Prefix #

The prefix key is Ctrl+Space (custom):

bind Space send-prefix

Session Management #

Copy Mode #

Copy uses wl-copy on Wayland or xclip on X11.

Status Bar #

Git Integration #

Workspaces #

Popup Windows #

Popups are a key feature - they let you access tools without leaving your current context:

# Example: switch sessions without leaving current window
bind C-j display-popup -E "\
    tmux list-sessions -F '#{?session_attached,,#{session_name}}' |\
    sed '/^$/d' |\
    fzf --reverse --header jump-to-session --preview 'tmux capture-pane -pt {}' \\
        --bind 'enter:execute(tmux switch-client -t {})+accept'"

Workflows #

Project Hopping #

1. Alt+Space to see all workspace sessions
2. Ctrl+J to fuzzy-find any session
3. Alt+G for a quick scratch pad

Git Workflow #

1. Alt+F to write a commit message in a popup
2. Alt+Shift+F for full gitui when needed

Todo Management #

1. Ctrl+T opens a dedicated todo session with three files:
   • backlog.md - Things to do eventually
   • doing.md - Currently working on
   • done.md - Completed tasks

Clipboard Integration #

Copy mode automatically integrates with system clipboard:

bind -T copy-mode-vi Enter send-keys -X copy-pipe-and-cancel \\
    "bash -c 'command -v wl-copy >/dev/null && wl-copy || \\
    xclip -i -f -selection primary | xclip -i -selection clipboard'"

See Also #

Home

tmux source code. Contribute to tmux/tmux development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub · github.com