tmux

Original source / Raw SKILL.md

---
name: tmux
description: Remote-control tmux sessions for interactive CLIs by sending keystrokes and scraping pane output.
metadata:
  { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🧵", "os": ["darwin", "linux"], "requires": { "bins": ["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


---

## Skill Companion Files

> Additional files collected from the skill directory layout.

### scripts/find-sessions.sh

```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

usage() {
  cat <<'USAGE'
Usage: find-sessions.sh [-L socket-name|-S socket-path|-A] [-q pattern]

List tmux sessions on a socket (default tmux socket if none provided).

Options:
  -L, --socket       tmux socket name (passed to tmux -L)
  -S, --socket-path  tmux socket path (passed to tmux -S)
  -A, --all          scan all sockets under OPENCLAW_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR
  -q, --query        case-insensitive substring to filter session names
  -h, --help         show this help
USAGE
}

socket_name=""
socket_path=""
query=""
scan_all=false
socket_dir="${OPENCLAW_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR:-${CLAWDBOT_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR:-${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/openclaw-tmux-sockets}}"

while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
  case "$1" in
    -L|--socket)      socket_name="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -S|--socket-path) socket_path="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -A|--all)         scan_all=true; shift ;;
    -q|--query)       query="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -h|--help)        usage; exit 0 ;;
    *) echo "Unknown option: $1" >&2; usage; exit 1 ;;
  esac
done

if [[ "$scan_all" == true && ( -n "$socket_name" || -n "$socket_path" ) ]]; then
  echo "Cannot combine --all with -L or -S" >&2
  exit 1
fi

if [[ -n "$socket_name" && -n "$socket_path" ]]; then
  echo "Use either -L or -S, not both" >&2
  exit 1
fi

if ! command -v tmux >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "tmux not found in PATH" >&2
  exit 1
fi

list_sessions() {
  local label="$1"; shift
  local tmux_cmd=(tmux "$@")

  if ! sessions="$("${tmux_cmd[@]}" list-sessions -F '#{session_name}\t#{session_attached}\t#{session_created_string}' 2>/dev/null)"; then
    echo "No tmux server found on $label" >&2
    return 1
  fi

  if [[ -n "$query" ]]; then
    sessions="$(printf '%s\n' "$sessions" | grep -i -- "$query" || true)"
  fi

  if [[ -z "$sessions" ]]; then
    echo "No sessions found on $label"
    return 0
  fi

  echo "Sessions on $label:"
  printf '%s\n' "$sessions" | while IFS=$'\t' read -r name attached created; do
    attached_label=$([[ "$attached" == "1" ]] && echo "attached" || echo "detached")
    printf '  - %s (%s, started %s)\n' "$name" "$attached_label" "$created"
  done
}

if [[ "$scan_all" == true ]]; then
  if [[ ! -d "$socket_dir" ]]; then
    echo "Socket directory not found: $socket_dir" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  shopt -s nullglob
  sockets=("$socket_dir"/*)
  shopt -u nullglob

  if [[ "${#sockets[@]}" -eq 0 ]]; then
    echo "No sockets found under $socket_dir" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  exit_code=0
  for sock in "${sockets[@]}"; do
    if [[ ! -S "$sock" ]]; then
      continue
    fi
    list_sessions "socket path '$sock'" -S "$sock" || exit_code=$?
  done
  exit "$exit_code"
fi

tmux_cmd=(tmux)
socket_label="default socket"

if [[ -n "$socket_name" ]]; then
  tmux_cmd+=(-L "$socket_name")
  socket_label="socket name '$socket_name'"
elif [[ -n "$socket_path" ]]; then
  tmux_cmd+=(-S "$socket_path")
  socket_label="socket path '$socket_path'"
fi

list_sessions "$socket_label" "${tmux_cmd[@]:1}"

```

### scripts/wait-for-text.sh

```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

usage() {
  cat <<'USAGE'
Usage: wait-for-text.sh -t target -p pattern [options]

Poll a tmux pane for text and exit when found.

Options:
  -t, --target    tmux target (session:window.pane), required
  -p, --pattern   regex pattern to look for, required
  -F, --fixed     treat pattern as a fixed string (grep -F)
  -T, --timeout   seconds to wait (integer, default: 15)
  -i, --interval  poll interval in seconds (default: 0.5)
  -l, --lines     number of history lines to inspect (integer, default: 1000)
  -h, --help      show this help
USAGE
}

target=""
pattern=""
grep_flag="-E"
timeout=15
interval=0.5
lines=1000

while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
  case "$1" in
    -t|--target)   target="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -p|--pattern)  pattern="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -F|--fixed)    grep_flag="-F"; shift ;;
    -T|--timeout)  timeout="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -i|--interval) interval="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -l|--lines)    lines="${2-}"; shift 2 ;;
    -h|--help)     usage; exit 0 ;;
    *) echo "Unknown option: $1" >&2; usage; exit 1 ;;
  esac
done

if [[ -z "$target" || -z "$pattern" ]]; then
  echo "target and pattern are required" >&2
  usage
  exit 1
fi

if ! [[ "$timeout" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
  echo "timeout must be an integer number of seconds" >&2
  exit 1
fi

if ! [[ "$lines" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
  echo "lines must be an integer" >&2
  exit 1
fi

if ! command -v tmux >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "tmux not found in PATH" >&2
  exit 1
fi

# End time in epoch seconds (integer, good enough for polling)
start_epoch=$(date +%s)
deadline=$((start_epoch + timeout))

while true; do
  # -J joins wrapped lines, -S uses negative index to read last N lines
  pane_text="$(tmux capture-pane -p -J -t "$target" -S "-${lines}" 2>/dev/null || true)"

  if printf '%s\n' "$pane_text" | grep $grep_flag -- "$pattern" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    exit 0
  fi

  now=$(date +%s)
  if (( now >= deadline )); then
    echo "Timed out after ${timeout}s waiting for pattern: $pattern" >&2
    echo "Last ${lines} lines from $target:" >&2
    printf '%s\n' "$pane_text" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  sleep "$interval"
done

```