Tmux MCP, developed by Bnomei, is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for tmux. Built with Rust, it enables AI clients to interact with and manage tmux sessions, windows, and panes. This server tool provides a structured interface for AI agents needing to operate within a real TTY environment, run long-running commands, or maintain resumable terminal states. It connects AI capabilities directly to the power of tmux, allowing for advanced terminal automation and interaction.

What does Tmux MCP connect to?

Tmux MCP, specifically tmux-mcp-rs, functions as an MCP server for the tmux terminal multiplexer. It establishes a connection to tmux, allowing AI clients to manage and interact with tmux sessions, windows, and panes. The server speaks MCP on standard input/output (stdio), serving as a bridge between AI agents and the tmux environment. This connection enables AI clients to execute commands and retrieve results directly within tmux's structured terminal setup.

Core features and tools

Tmux MCP offers forty-eight callable tools for structured interactions with tmux. These tools include actions such as execute-command, get-command-result, send-keys, and paste-text. It also provides capabilities to manage the tmux structure itself, with tools like create-session, create-window, and split-pane. For monitoring and termination, tools like capture-pane, kill-session, kill-window, and kill-pane are available, providing extensive control over the tmux environment.

Who is it for?

Tmux MCP is for developers building AI agents and users of these agents. It is particularly useful when an agent requires a real TTY, needs to run long-running commands, manage parallel panes, or maintain resumable terminal state. It also serves environments where an AI operates within a tmux session that a human can also attach to. Skip this if your AI agent does not require direct, persistent interaction with a tmux terminal environment.

How to get started

No credentials are required for basic operation. The server speaks MCP on stdio.

Use cases

• Creating a tmux session, listing its components, and executing commands (e.g., "Create a tmux session named workspace, list its windows and panes, then run pwd in the first pane.").
• Running API tests within a specific tmux session and retrieving results (e.g., "Run the API tests in the api session and tell me what broke.").
• Enabling an AI assistant to read process output, execute commands in a pane, inspect results, or create new tmux windows and split panes.

Tmux MCP by Bnomei offers a direct bridge for AI clients to interact with tmux terminal environments. Its Rust foundation and extensive toolset enable precise control over sessions, windows, and panes. While it provides a permissive default policy, security hardening through isolated tmux sockets and config.toml policies is recommended for production use.