tmux
Remote-control tmux sessions for interactive CLIs by sending keystrokes and scraping pane output.
Best for DevOps automationWorks with GitHub
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- author
@volcengine- language
- Python
★23kstars
1.6kforks
Apr 19, 2026
✦overview.md
Key Features
- ·Remote-control tmux sessions via keystrokes
- ·Scrape pane output for programmatic access
- ·Use isolated sockets for session management
- ·Target specific panes with session:window.pane format
- ·Monitor sessions with attach and capture-pane commands
Use Cases
- →Automating interactive CLI tools that require a TTY
- →Running and controlling Python REPL sessions programmatically
- →Managing multiple terminal sessions from automated workflows
- →Scraping output from long-running interactive processes
Best for
- ✓DevOps automation
- ✓Interactive CLI tool automation
- ✓Session-based terminal workflows
Not ideal for
- !Non-interactive background tasks
- !Simple command execution without TTY requirements
FAQs
name
tmux
description
Remote-control tmux sessions for interactive CLIs by sending keystrokes and scraping pane output.
metadata:{"vikingbot":{"emoji":"🧵","os":["darwin","linux"],"requires":{"bins":["tmux"]}}}
tmux Skill
Use tmux only when you need an interactive TTY. Prefer exec background mode for long-running, non-interactive tasks.
Quickstart (isolated socket, exec tool)
SOCKET_DIR="${NANOBOT_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR:-${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/vikingbot-tmux-sockets}"
mkdir -p "$SOCKET_DIR"
SOCKET="$SOCKET_DIR/vikingbot.sock"
SESSION=vikingbot-python
tmux -S "$SOCKET" new -d -s "$SESSION" -n shell
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- 'PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1 python3 -q' Enter
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -J -t "$SESSION":0.0 -S -200
After starting a session, always print monitor commands:
To monitor:
tmux -S "$SOCKET" attach -t "$SESSION"
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -J -t "$SESSION":0.0 -S -200
Socket convention
- Use
NANOBOT_TMUX_SOCKET_DIRenvironment variable. - Default socket path:
"$NANOBOT_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR/vikingbot.sock".
Targeting panes and naming
- Target format:
session:window.pane(defaults to:0.0). - Keep names short; avoid spaces.
- Inspect:
tmux -S "$SOCKET" list-sessions,tmux -S "$SOCKET" list-panes -a.
Finding sessions
- List sessions on your socket:
{baseDir}/scripts/find-sessions.sh -S "$SOCKET".
$install
1-click copynpx skills add volcengine/OpenViking --skill tmuxSafety assessment
★
Clarity score
How clear and easy to understand the SKILL.md instructions are, rated from 1 to 5.
4/ 5
very goodClear and well structured, with only minor parts that might need a second read.
◎
Actionability score
How directly an agent can act on the SKILL.md instructions, rated from 1 to 5.
5/ 5
very highHighly actionable with clear, concrete steps that an agent can follow directly.