iTerm2 Layout Configuration Skill

iTerm2 Layout Configuration

Configure iTerm2 workspace layouts with proper separation of concerns: private paths in TOML config, publishable code in Python script.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Configuring iTerm2 workspace layouts
Adding, removing, or modifying workspace tabs
Setting up AutoLaunch scripts for iTerm2
Configuring git worktree tab auto-discovery

Configuration Overview

File Locations

| File | Location | Purpose | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | | Config (private) | ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml | User's workspace paths | | Script (public) | ~/scripts/iterm2/default-layout.py | Layout logic | | Template | ~/scripts/iterm2/layout.example.toml | Example config |

Config File Format

# ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml

[layout]
left_pane_ratio = 0.20    # 0.0 to 1.0
settle_time = 0.3         # seconds

[commands]
left = "br --sort-by-type-dirs-first"
right = "zsh"

[worktrees]
# Optional: Enable git worktree discovery
# main_repo_root = "~/projects/my-project"
# worktree_pattern = "my-project.worktree-*"

[[tabs]]
name = "home"
dir = "~"

[[tabs]]
name = "projects"
dir = "~/projects"

[[tabs]]
dir = "~/Documents"  # name defaults to "Documents"

Setup Instructions

First-Time Setup

/usr/bin/env bash << 'CONFIG_EOF'
# 1. Ensure config directory exists
mkdir -p ~/.config/iterm2

# 2. Copy template
cp ~/scripts/iterm2/layout.example.toml ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml

# 3. Edit with your workspace paths
# Add [[tabs]] entries for each workspace

# 4. Restart iTerm2 to test
CONFIG_EOF

Adding a New Tab

Add a [[tabs]] entry to ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml:

[[tabs]]
name = "MyProject"  # Tab display name (optional)
dir = "~/path/to/project"

Name field:

If omitted, uses directory basename
Custom names useful for abbreviations (e.g., "AF" instead of "alpha-forge")

Removing a Tab

Delete or comment out the [[tabs]] entry:

# [[tabs]]
# name = "OldProject"
# dir = "~/old/project"

Configuration Schema

| Section | Key | Type | Default | Description | | ------------- | ------------------ | ------ | -------------- | ------------------------- | | [layout] | left_pane_ratio | float | 0.20 | Left pane width (0.0-1.0) | | [layout] | settle_time | float | 0.3 | Wait after cd (seconds) | | [commands] | left | string | br... | Left pane command | | [commands] | right | string | zsh | Right pane command | | [worktrees] | alpha_forge_root | string | null | Worktree root (optional) | | [worktrees] | worktree_pattern | string | *.worktree-* | Glob pattern | | [[tabs]] | dir | string | required | Directory path | | [[tabs]] | name | string | basename | Tab display name |

Troubleshooting

Error: "Layout configuration not found"

Symptom: Script Console shows error about missing config

Solution:

# Create config from template
cp ~/scripts/iterm2/layout.example.toml ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml

Error: "Invalid TOML syntax"

Symptom: Script Console shows TOML parse error

Solution:

Check TOML syntax (quotes, brackets)
Validate with: python3 -c "import tomllib; tomllib.load(open('~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml', 'rb'))"

Tabs Not Appearing

Symptom: iTerm2 opens but no custom tabs created

Causes:

No [[tabs]] entries in config
Config file in wrong location
Script not in AutoLaunch

Solution:

# Verify config location
ls -la ~/.config/iterm2/layout.toml

# Verify AutoLaunch symlink
ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/iTerm2/Scripts/AutoLaunch/

# Check Script Console for errors
# iTerm2 > Scripts > Manage > Console

Directory Does Not Exist Warning

Symptom: Tab skipped with warning in Script Console

Solution: Verify directory path exists or create it:

mkdir -p ~/path/to/missing/directory

Error Handling Behavior

The script uses "print + early return" pattern:

Missing config: Logs instructions to Script Console, exits cleanly
Invalid TOML: Logs parse error with details, exits cleanly
Missing directory: Logs warning, skips tab, continues with others

Viewing errors: Scripts > Manage > Console in iTerm2

Git Worktree Detection (Optional)

Enable dynamic tab creation for git worktrees:

[worktrees]
main_repo_root = "~/projects/my-project"
worktree_pattern = "my-project.worktree-*"

How it works:

Script globs for ~/projects/my-project.worktree-* directories
Validates each against git worktree list
Generates acronym-based tab names (e.g., AF-ssv for sharpe-statistical-validation)
Inserts worktree tabs after main project tab

Agent Skills: iTerm2 Layout Configuration

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