tmux-IDE: A Terminal-Based Multi-Agent IDE for Claude

What tmux-IDE Does

tmux-IDE is a lightweight, terminal-based IDE that prepares Claude agent-team layouts in one terminal session. It builds a lead pane, teammate-ready Claude panes, and development tools in a single tmux layout. The tool enables the environment, then Claude forms the team after you prompt it.

Key Features and Setup

The tool is version 1.3.0 and can be installed multiple ways:

• $ curl -fsSL https://tmux.thijsverreck.com/install.sh | sh
• npm i -g tmux-ide
• npx tmux-ide for instant trial

The install script registers the Claude Code skill automatically, allowing Claude to configure your workspace automatically.

How It Works

tmux-IDE prepares panes and enables agent-team mode. From there, you prompt the lead Claude agent to organize the team and assign work in natural language. The lead coordinates the team while teammates work independently in their own panes with focused tasks.

Agents communicate through shared tasks and messages. The lead assigns tasks, teammates claim them and report back. Once the layout is running, the lead can recruit teammates, reassign work, and reshape the workflow through normal Claude prompting.

Configuration and Usage

Layouts are defined declaratively in YAML:

ide.yml
name: my-project
rows:
  - size: 70%
    panes:
      - title: Claude 1
        command: claude
      - title: Claude 2
        command: claude
      - panes:
        - title: Dev Server
        - title: Shell

Quick start commands:

• $ tmux-ide init --template agent-team → Creates ide.yml with agent team layout
• $ tmux-ide → Launches IDE session with lead and teammate-ready panes
• $ tmux-ide restart → Restarts with updated layout

The tool auto-detects stacks including Next.js, Vite, Python, and Go, running dev servers alongside your agent team. Layouts are reproducible across machines and projects.

This tool is for developers who want to create always-on coding setups using SSH and tmux, particularly useful for long-running coding tasks where you want to start work, give instructions to AI agents, and disconnect while they continue working.