˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ My self-contained, pretty and versatile tmux configuration, made with ❤️ ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Installation

Requirements:

• tmux >= 2.6 running on Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows (WSL or Cygwin — not recommended)
• awk, perl (optionally with Time::HiRes support for sub-second timestamps), grep, and sed
• Outside of tmux, the TERM environment variable must be set to xterm-256color

⚠️ Before installing, you may want to backup your existing configuration.

You can install Oh my tmux! at any of the following locations:

• ~
• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux
• ~/.config/tmux

Automatic installation

Copy the following command and paste it into your terminal.

curl -fsSL "https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux/raw/refs/heads/master/install.sh#$(date +%s)" | bash

Manual installation in ~

$ cd
$ git clone --single-branch https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux.git
$ ln -s -f .tmux/.tmux.conf
$ cp .tmux/.tmux.conf.local .

Manual installation in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux

$ git clone --single-branch https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux.git "/path/to/oh-my-tmux"
$ mkdir -p "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux"
$ ln -s /path/to/oh-my-tmux/.tmux.conf "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf"
$ cp /path/to/oh-my-tmux/.tmux.conf.local "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf.local"

Manual installation in ~/.config/tmux

$ git clone --single-branch https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux.git "/path/to/oh-my-tmux"
$ mkdir -p ~/.config/tmux
$ ln -s /path/to/oh-my-tmux/.tmux.conf ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf
$ cp /path/to/oh-my-tmux/.tmux.conf.local ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf.local

⚠️ When installing in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux or ~/.config/tmux, the configuration file names don’t have a leading . character.

🚨 You should never alter the main .tmux.conf or tmux.conf file. If you do, you’re on your own. Instead, every customization should happen in your .tmux.conf.local or tmux.conf.local customization file copy.

If you’re a Vim user, setting the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variable to vim will enable and further customize the vi-style key bindings (see tmux manual).

If you’re new to tmux, I recommend reading the tmux getting started guide, as well as the tmux 3: Productive Mouse-Free Development book by @bphogan.

Now proceed to adjust your .local customization file copy.

Troubleshooting

• I believe something’s not quite right

  Please make sure no tmux client or server process is currently running.

  Then launch tmux with:

  $ tmux -f /dev/null -L test

  Which launches a new tmux client/server pair without loading any configuration.

  If the issue is still reproducing, please reach out to the tmux project for support.

  Otherwise, please open an issue describing what doesn’t work and I’ll do my best to address it.

• I tried to use set, bind and unbind in my .local customization file, but Oh my tmux! overwrites my preferences

  When that happens append #!important to the line:

  bind c new-window -c '#{pane_current_path}' #!important

  set -g default-terminal "screen-256color" #!important

• Status line is broken and/or gets duplicated at the bottom of the screen

  This could happen on Linux when the distribution provides a version of glib that received Unicode 9.0 upgrades (glib >= 2.50.1) while providing a version of glibc that didn’t (glibc < 2.26). Typically VTE-based terminal emulators rely on glib’s g_unichar_iswide() function while tmux relies on glibc’s wcwidth() function. When these two functions disagree, display gets messed up. You may also configure LC_CTYPE to use a UTF-8 locale.

  This can also happen on macOS when using iTerm2 and “Use Unicode version 9 character widths” is enabled in Preferences... > Profiles > Text.

  For that reason, the sample .local customization file stopped using Unicode characters for which width changed between Unicode 8.0 and 9.0 standards, as well as emojis.

• I installed Powerline and/or (patched) fonts but I can’t see the Powerline symbols

  🤯 Please realize that you don’t need to install Powerline.

  You only need fonts patched with Powerline symbols or the standalone PowerlineSymbols.otf font.

  Then make sure your .local customization file copy uses the Powerline code points for the tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_main, tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_sub, tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_main and tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_sub variables.

Features

• C-a acts as secondary prefix, while keeping default C-b prefix
• Visual theme inspired by Powerline
• Maximize any pane to a new window with <prefix> +
• Mouse mode toggle with <prefix> m
• Laptop battery status line information
• Uptime status line information
• Optional highlight of focused pane
• Configurable new sessions, windows and panes behavior (to optionally retain the current path)
• SSH/Mosh aware username and hostname status line information
• SSH/Mosh aware pane splitting (with automatic reconnection to the remote server)
• Copy to OS clipboard (needs xsel, xclip, or wl-copy on Linux)
• Support for \uXXXX (BMP) and \UXXXXXXXX (supplementary plane) Unicode escapes
• PathPicker integration, if available
• Urlscan (preferred) or Urlview integration, if available

The “Maximize any pane to a new window with <prefix> +“ feature is different from the builtin resize-pane -Z command, as it allows you to further split a maximized pane. It’s also more flexible by allowing you to maximize a pane to a new window, then change window, then go back and the pane is still in maximized state in its own window. You can then minimize a pane by using <prefix> + either from the source window or the maximized window.

Mouse mode allows you to set the active window, set the active pane, and resize panes. It also switches automatically to copy-mode when you select text.

Bindings

tmux may be controlled from an attached client by using a key combination of a prefix key, followed by a command key. This configuration uses C-a as a secondary prefix while keeping C-b as the default prefix. In the following list of key bindings:

• <prefix> means you have to either hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b
• <prefix> c means you have to hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b followed by c
• <prefix> C-c means you have to hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b followed by Ctrl + c

This configuration uses the following bindings:

• <prefix> e opens the .local customization file copy with the editor defined by the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variable (defaults to vim when empty)

• <prefix> r reloads the configuration

• C-l clears both the screen and the tmux history

• <prefix> C-c creates a new session

• <prefix> C-f lets you switch to another session by name

• <prefix> BTab brings you to the last active session

• <prefix> C-h and <prefix> C-l let you navigate windows left/right (default <prefix> n is unbound and <prefix> p is repurposed)

• <prefix> C-S-H and <prefix> C-S-L let you swap windows left/right (requires extended-keys support)

• <prefix> Tab brings you to the last active window

• <prefix> - splits the current pane vertically

• <prefix> _ splits the current pane horizontally

• <prefix> h, <prefix> j, <prefix> k and <prefix> l let you navigate panes à la Vim

• <prefix> H, <prefix> J, <prefix> K, <prefix> L let you resize panes

• <prefix> < and <prefix> > let you swap panes

• <prefix> + maximizes the current pane to a new window

• <prefix> m toggles mouse mode on or off

• <prefix> U launches Urlscan (preferred) or Urlview, if available

• <prefix> F launches Facebook PathPicker, if available

• <prefix> Enter enters copy-mode

• <prefix> b lists the paste-buffers

• <prefix> p pastes from the top paste-buffer

• <prefix> P lets you choose the paste-buffer to paste from

Additionally, copy-mode-vi matches my own Vim configuration.

Bindings for copy-mode-vi:

• v begins selection / visual mode
• C-v toggles between blockwise visual mode and visual mode
• H jumps to the start of the line
• L jumps to the end of the line
• y copies the selection to the top paste-buffer
• Escape cancels the current operation

It’s also possible to preserve the tmux stock bindings by setting the tmux_conf_preserve_stock_bindings variable to true in your .local customization file copy.

Configuration

While this configuration tries to bring sane default settings, you may want to customize it further to your needs.

🚨 Again, you should never alter the main .tmux.conf or tmux.conf file. If you do, you’re on your own.

Please refer to the sample .local customization file to know more about the variables that allow you to alter different behaviors. Upon successful installation, pressing <prefix> e will open your .local customization file copy with the editor defined by the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variable (defaults to vim when empty).

Enabling the Powerline look

Powerline originated as a status-line plugin for Vim. Its popular eye-catching look is based on the use of special symbols:

To make use of these symbols, there are several options:

• Use a font that already bundles those: this is the case for the Source Code Pro font
• Use a pre-patched font
• Use your preferred font along with the standalone Powerline font (that only contains the Powerline symbols): this highly depends on your operating system and your terminal emulator, for instance here’s a screenshot of iTerm2 configured to use PowerlineSymbols.otf for non-ASCII symbols:

  

Then edit your .local customization file copy (with <prefix> e) and adjust the following variables:

tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_main='\uE0B0'
tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_sub='\uE0B1'
tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_main='\uE0B2'
tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_sub='\uE0B3'

The Powerline manual contains further details on how to install fonts containing the Powerline symbols.

Configuring the status line

Edit your .local customization file copy (<prefix> e) and adjust the tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right variables to your liking.

This configuration supports the following builtin variables:

• #{battery_bar}: horizontal battery charge bar
• #{battery_hbar}: 1 character wide, horizontal battery charge bar
• #{battery_vbar}: 1 character wide, vertical battery charge bar
• #{battery_percentage}: battery percentage
• #{battery_status}: is battery charging or discharging?
• #{circled_window_index}: circled window number (from ⓪ to ⑳)
• #{circled_session_name}: circled session number (from ⓪ to ⑳)
• #{hostname}: SSH/Mosh aware hostname information
• #{hostname_full}: SSH/Mosh aware fully qualified hostname
• #{hostname_ssh}: SSH/Mosh aware hostname information, blank when not connected to a remote server through SSH/Mosh
• #{hostname_full_ssh}: SSH/Mosh aware fully qualified hostname, blank when not connected to a remote server through SSH/Mosh
• #{loadavg}: load average
• #{mouse}: is mouse mode enabled?
• #{pairing}: is the current session attached to more than one client?
• #{pretty_pane_current_path}: prettified #{pane_current_path} when its length is too long
• #{prefix}: is prefix being pressed?
• #{root}: is the current user root?
• #{synchronized}: are the panes synchronized?
• #{uptime_y}: uptime years
• #{uptime_d}: uptime days, modulo 365 when #{uptime_y} is used
• #{uptime_h}: uptime hours
• #{uptime_m}: uptime minutes
• #{uptime_s}: uptime seconds
• #{username}: SSH/Mosh aware username information
• #{username_ssh}: SSH/Mosh aware username information, blank when not connected to a remote server through SSH/Mosh

Besides the variables mentioned above, the tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right variables support the usual tmux syntax, e.g. using #() to call an external command that inserts weather information provided by wttr.in:

tmux_conf_theme_status_right='#{prefix}#{pairing}#{synchronized} #(curl -m 1 wttr.in?format=3 2>/dev/null; sleep 900) , %R , %d %b | #{username}#{root} | #{hostname} '

The sleep 900 call makes sure the network request is issued at most every 15 minutes regardless of the value of status-interval.

💡 You can also define your own custom variables by defining your own POSIX shell functions, see the sample .local customization file for instructions.

Finally, remember that tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right end up being given to tmux as status-left and status-right which means they’re passed through strftime(). As such, the % character has a special meaning and needs to be escaped by doubling it, e.g.

tmux_conf_theme_status_right='#(echo foo %% bar)'

See also man 3 strftime.

Using TPM plugins

This configuration comes with built-in TPM support:

• Use the set -g @plugin ... syntax to enable a plugin
• Whenever a plugin introduces a variable to be used in status-left or status-right, you can use it in the tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right variables, see instructions above 👆
• ⚠️ Do not add set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm' to any configuration file
• ⛔️ Do not add run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm' to any configuration file

⚠️ The TPM bindings differ slightly from upstream:

• Installing plugins: <prefix> I
• Uninstalling plugins: <prefix> M-u
• Updating plugins: <prefix> u

See the sample .local customization file for further instructions.

Using Oh my tmux! on Windows

⚠️ I don’t recommend running this configuration with Cygwin anymore. Forking under Cygwin is extremely slow and this configuration issues a fair amount of run-shell commands under the hood. As such, you will experience high CPU usage.

Instead, I recommend Windows Subsystem for Linux along with Windows Terminal. As an alternative, you may also consider using Mintty as a terminal for WSL.