Configuration

Runtime configuration for the libtmux-mcp server. For MCP client setup, see MCP Clients.

Environment variables

Variable	Type	Default	Description
LIBTMUX_SOCKET	string	(none)	tmux socket name (-L). Isolates the MCP server to a specific tmux socket.
LIBTMUX_SOCKET_PATH	string	(none)	tmux socket path (-S). Alternative to socket name for custom socket locations.
LIBTMUX_TMUX_BIN	string	tmux	Path to tmux binary. Useful for testing with different tmux versions.
LIBTMUX_SAFETY	string	mutating	Safety tier: readonly, mutating, or destructive. See Safety tiers.

Set environment variables in your MCP client config:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "libtmux": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["libtmux-mcp"],
            "env": {
                "LIBTMUX_SOCKET": "ai_workspace",
                "LIBTMUX_SAFETY": "readonly"
            }
        }
    }
}

Socket isolation

By default, the MCP server connects to the default tmux socket. Set LIBTMUX_SOCKET to isolate AI agent activity from your personal tmux sessions:

"env": { "LIBTMUX_SOCKET": "ai_workspace" }

The agent will only see sessions on the ai_workspace socket, not your personal sessions.

All tools accept socket_name

Every tool accepts an optional socket_name parameter that overrides LIBTMUX_SOCKET for that call. This allows agents to work across multiple tmux servers in a single session.