Tools

All tools accept an optional socket_name parameter for multi-server support. It defaults to the LIBTMUX_SOCKET env var. See Configuration.

Which tool do I want?

Reading terminal content?

• Know which pane? → capture_pane readonly

• Need text + cursor + mode in one call? → snapshot_pane readonly

• Don’t know which pane? → search_panes readonly

• Need to wait for specific output? → wait_for_text readonly

• Need to wait for any change? → wait_for_content_change readonly

• Only need metadata (PID, path, size)? → get_pane_info readonly

• Need an arbitrary tmux variable? → display_message readonly

Targeting a pane by layout?

• “The bottom-right pane”, “top-left”, any corner → find_pane_by_position readonly

• Already know the pane_id → use it directly

Running a command?

• send_keys mutating — then wait_for_text readonly + capture_pane readonly

• Pasting multi-line text? → paste_text mutating

Creating workspace structure?

• New session → create_session mutating

• New window → create_window mutating

• New pane → split_window mutating

Navigating?

• Switch pane → select_pane mutating (by ID or direction)

• Switch window → select_window mutating (by ID, index, or direction)

Rearranging layout?

• Swap two panes → swap_pane mutating

• Move window → move_window mutating

• Change layout → select_layout mutating

Scrollback / copy mode?

• Enter copy mode → enter_copy_mode mutating

• Exit copy mode → exit_copy_mode mutating

• Log output to file → pipe_pane mutating

Coordinating across panes?

• Block until signalled → wait_for_channel mutating

• Signal a waiter → signal_channel mutating

Staging multi-line input?

• Stage content → load_buffer mutating

• Push into pane → paste_buffer mutating

• Read back → show_buffer readonly

• Free server state → delete_buffer mutating

Auditing tmux hooks?

• Enumerate → show_hooks readonly

• Inspect one → show_hook readonly

Changing settings?

• tmux options → show_option readonly / set_option mutating

• Environment vars → show_environment readonly / set_environment mutating

Reaching for a workflow recipe? The server also ships four short MCP prompts the client renders for the model — see Prompts. They cover the most common patterns (run-and-wait, diagnose-failing-pane, build-dev-workspace, interrupt-gracefully) with embedded UUID-scoped wait channels and shell-agnostic guidance.

Inspect readonly

Read tmux state without changing anything.

list_sessions

List all active sessions.

list_sessions

list_windows

List windows in a session.

list_windows

list_panes

List panes in a window.

list_panes

capture_pane

Read visible content of a pane.

capture_pane

get_pane_info

Get detailed pane metadata.

get_pane_info

find_pane_by_position

Resolve “the bottom-right pane” (or any corner) to a PaneInfo.

find_pane_by_position

search_panes

Search text across panes.

search_panes

wait_for_text

Wait for text to appear in a pane.

wait_for_text

get_server_info

Get tmux server info.

get_server_info

list_servers

Discover live tmux servers under $TMUX_TMPDIR.

list_servers

show_option

Query a tmux option value.

show_option

show_environment

Show tmux environment variables.

show_environment

snapshot_pane

Rich capture: content + cursor + mode + scroll.

snapshot_pane

wait_for_content_change

Wait for any screen change.

wait_for_content_change

display_message

Query arbitrary tmux format strings.

display_message

show_buffer

Read back an MCP-staged paste buffer.

show_buffer

show_hooks

Enumerate configured tmux hooks at a scope.

show_hooks

show_hook

Inspect a single tmux hook by name.

show_hook

Act mutating

Create or modify tmux objects.

create_session

Start a new tmux session.

create_session

create_window

Add a window to a session.

create_window

split_window

Split a window into panes.

split_window

send_keys

Send commands or keystrokes to a pane.

send_keys

rename_session

Rename a session.

rename_session

rename_window

Rename a window.

rename_window

resize_pane

Adjust pane dimensions.

resize_pane

resize_window

Adjust window dimensions.

resize_window

select_layout

Set window layout.

select_layout

set_pane_title

Set pane title.

set_pane_title

clear_pane

Clear pane content.

clear_pane

set_option

Set a tmux option.

set_option

set_environment

Set a tmux environment variable.

set_environment

select_pane

Focus a pane by ID or direction.

select_pane

select_window

Focus a window by ID, index, or direction.

select_window

swap_pane

Exchange positions of two panes.

swap_pane

move_window

Move window to another index or session.

move_window

pipe_pane

Stream pane output to a file.

pipe_pane

enter_copy_mode

Enter copy mode for scrollback.

enter_copy_mode

exit_copy_mode

Exit copy mode.

exit_copy_mode

paste_text

Paste multi-line text via tmux buffer.

paste_text

load_buffer

Stage multi-line text into an MCP-namespaced tmux buffer.

load_buffer

paste_buffer

Paste an MCP buffer into a target pane.

paste_buffer

wait_for_channel

Block until a tmux wait-for channel is signalled.

wait_for_channel

signal_channel

Wake clients blocked on a wait-for channel.

signal_channel

Destroy destructive

Tear down tmux objects. Not reversible.

kill_session

Destroy a session and all its windows.

kill_session

kill_window

Destroy a window and all its panes.

kill_window

kill_pane

Destroy a pane.

kill_pane

kill_server

Kill the entire tmux server.

kill_server

delete_buffer

Delete an MCP-staged tmux paste buffer.

delete_buffer