optmux

Optimal, opinionated, batteries-included TMUX that's neat and easy for any project.

A tmuxp wrapper that creates per-project tmux config directories with TPM and plugins pre-configured.

Quick Start

# run optmux anywhere (installs on first use via uv)
uvx optmux

# strongly recommended: install wtcode + lazygit for the full experience
brew install netj/tap/optmux

Try the included example:

git clone https://github.com/netj/optmux.git && cd optmux
./example.optmux.yaml

On first run, optmux will:

1. Create .example.optmux.d/tmux/ next to the YAML file
2. Seed a default tmux.conf with TPM and plugins
3. Install TPM and all plugins (visible in window 0)
4. Launch tmuxp with an isolated tmux server

Usage

With a tmuxp YAML file

Supports .optmux.yaml, .tmuxp.yaml, and .optmuxp.yaml extensions:

optmux myproject.optmux.yaml
optmux myproject.tmuxp.yaml

Without arguments

optmux

Opens plain tmux using .optmux.d/ in the current directory — useful for a quick, isolated tmux session with the bundled config.

As a shebang

Write a tmuxp YAML config with the optmux shebang line and make it executable:

#!/usr/bin/env -S uvx optmux
session_name: myproject
windows:
  - window_name: editor
    panes:
      - vim .
  - window_name: shell
    panes:
      - ""

chmod +x myproject.optmux.yaml
./myproject.optmux.yaml

Example tmuxp YAML

Here's the included example.optmux.yaml showing shortcuts, tmux config, and window layout:

#!/usr/bin/env -S uvx optmux
session_name: example
start_directory: .

optmux:
  shortcuts:
    C-M-b: gh browse .
    C-M-e:
      command: ${VISUAL:-${EDITOR:-vim}} README.md  # exec directly (default for str, no latency)
      window: true                                  # in a new-window
    E:
      send-keys: ${VISUAL:-${EDITOR:-vim}} .        # send-keys (given command is run in a new shell)
      zoom: false                                   # do not zoom (defaults to zoom when split-window)
  tmux_config:
    project-settings: |
      set -g status-style bg=blue

windows:
  - window_name: editor
    panes:
      - vim .
  - window_name: shell
    panes:
      - ""
  - window_name: logs
    panes:
      - tail -f /var/log/system.log

Config directory

Each project gets its own .$NAME.optmux.d/ directory:

Path	Purpose
tmux/tmux.conf	Main tmux config (editable after creation)
tmux/tmux.*.conf	Additional config files you can add
tmux/tmux.sock	Tmux server socket (isolates this project)
tmux/plugins/	TPM plugin directory
tmux/plugins-update.sh	Run manually to update all plugins

optmux YAML config

Add an optmux: section to your tmuxp YAML to configure shortcuts and tmux settings:

optmux:
  shortcuts:
    C-M-b: gh browse .                              # Ctrl-Alt-b: run command directly
    C-M-e:
      command: ${VISUAL:-${EDITOR:-vim}} README.md  # exec directly (no shell)
      window: true                                  # open in a new-window
    E:
      send-keys: ${VISUAL:-${EDITOR:-vim}} .        # send-keys (runs in a new shell)
      zoom: false                                   # do not zoom (default: true for splits)
  tmux_config:
    project-settings: |
      set -g status-style bg=blue

Shortcuts

Shortcuts bind tmux keys to commands:

• C-M-* keys are bound globally (no prefix needed)
• Other keys require the tmux prefix (C-t)
• command: executes directly (default for string values)
• send-keys: sends the command to a new shell (supports shell expansion)
• window: true opens in a new window instead of a split
• zoom: false disables auto-zoom on splits (default: true)

tmux_config

Entries under tmux_config: are written as tmux.optmux-extras.{name}.conf files and auto-sourced by tmux.

Personal config (~/.optmux.yaml)

Create ~/.optmux.yaml to define personal defaults that apply to all optmux sessions:

optmux:
  shortcuts:
    C-M-g: lazygit
  tmux_config:
    my-defaults: |
      set -g status-style bg=green

Personal config is merged with per-project config. When both define the same key, personal settings take precedence.

Customization

• Edit tmux/tmux.conf to change tmux settings
• Drop tmux/tmux.mysetup.conf files for additional config (auto-sourced)
• Run tmux/plugins-update.sh from inside tmux to update plugins
• Press prefix + R to reload the config

Environment variables

optmux sets these before launching tmux/tmuxp:

Variable	Value
OPTMUX_DIR	Absolute path to the .$NAME.optmux.d/ directory
OPTMUX_NAME	Name derived from YAML filename or cwd (e.g., myproject)
TMUX_PLUGIN_MANAGER_PATH	$OPTMUX_DIR/tmux/plugins

Development

# install the latest main branch
uvx git+https://github.com/netj/optmux.git

# local editable install for development
uv tool install -e .

# test any local changes directly (best for testing branches)
uv run optmux ./example.optmux.yaml

# run tests
uv run pytest                  # all tests
uv run pytest -m "not e2e"     # skip E2E tests (no tmux needed)
uv run pytest -m e2e           # E2E only (requires tmux)

License

MIT