tmux - Interactive Terminal Control
Control interactive CLI programs (REPLs, debuggers, servers) in separate tmux panes.
Setup: Before first use, find tmux-ctl path:
find ~/.claude -name "tmux-ctl" -path "*/tmux/bin/tmux-ctl" 2>/dev/null | head -1
Use this full path for all tmux-ctl commands below.
Core Commands
# Simple execution (auto-cleanup)
tmux-ctl eval "npm test"
# REPL one-shot
tmux-ctl repl python "2+2" # → 4
tmux-ctl repl node "console.log(42)" # → 42
tmux-ctl repl psql mydb "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5"
# REPL session (persistent, maintains state)
tmux-ctl repl python
tmux-ctl exec "import sys"
tmux-ctl exec "x = 42"
tmux-ctl exec "x + 10" # → 52
tmux-ctl close
# Long-running processes
tmux-ctl start "npm run dev" --name=server --wait="Server started"
tmux-ctl logs server --tail=20
tmux-ctl stop server
# Parallel execution
tmux-ctl start "npm run build" --name=build
tmux-ctl start "npm test" --name=test
tmux-ctl ps # list all
tmux-ctl wait build test # wait for completion
tmux-ctl logs build | grep "Success"
tmux-ctl stop build test
# Context switching
tmux-ctl use server # switch to named process
tmux-ctl exec "ls" # runs in server context
When to Use
- eval: One-off commands, get output
- repl: Python/Node/psql REPLs (one-shot or persistent)
- exec: Execute in current context
- start/stop: Long-running processes with named tracking
- ps/logs: Monitor running processes
- use: Switch between contexts
Supported REPLs
Auto-configured: python, node, psql
Patterns
Testing interactive script:
tmux-ctl start "./installer.sh" --name=installer
tmux-ctl use installer
tmux-ctl exec "username" # answer prompts
tmux-ctl exec "y"
tmux-ctl logs installer | grep "Success"
Parallel builds:
tmux-ctl start "npm run build" --name=build
tmux-ctl start "npm run lint" --name=lint
tmux-ctl wait build lint
Database queries:
tmux-ctl repl psql mydb "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users"
For low-level API, troubleshooting, and advanced usage: see reference.md