cmux

cmux is an open-source terminal multiplexer and agent orchestration harness developed by Manaflow AI. It is designed specifically to streamline agentic workflows, multi-terminal sessions, and CLI-based coding assistants within a unified developer environment. In daily operations, cmux coordinates terminal panes, agent execution, and background development servers. It integrates with terminal emulators such as Ghostty and manages agent skills and execution policies through structured directories (`.agents`, `.claude`). It connects with models like Claude and Codex while supporting local HTTP service routing and TCP pairing listeners for cross-session control. Unlike traditional terminal multiplexers like tmux, cmux is tailored specifically for AI-driven software engineering. It provides structured skill indexes, multi-agent context exposure, and integrated TCP listeners that allow parallel agents to execute shell commands, run test suites, and coordinate without losing developer oversight. cmux is open-source software hosted on GitHub with an active contributor base, multi-platform development tooling, and community sponsorship options.

Tags: cli, coding agent, developer tools, OpenSource, terminal

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Key features

  • Agent Skills Architecture — Manages repository-specific workflows, testing rules, and execution context through modular .agents and .claude skill definitions. - Multi-Model Orchestration — Built-in hooks and index configurations tailored for orchestrating assistants like Claude and OpenAI Codex. - Ghostty & Terminal Integration — Native multi-pane terminal session harness optimized for modern terminal emulators. - TCP Pairing Listeners — Built-in TCP pairing infrastructure allowing remote session monitoring and mobile device client attachment. - Local Endpoint Routing — Dedicated local loopback routing for web previews and artifact links without relying on raw file URLs.

Use cases

Use Case: Multi-Agent Parallel Execution Developers run multiple agent sessions in parallel panes—such as running automated test loops in one pane while directing Claude Code refactoring in another—without session crossover.

Use Case: Standardizing Repo Agent Rules Teams enforce standardized project rules, commit workflows, and build verification steps across multiple AI agents by defining project-level skill files in .agents.

Use Case: Remote Terminal Pairing and Monitoring Developers use the built-in TCP pairing listener to connect to running terminal agent sessions remotely or via mobile companions to monitor code generation and execution progress.

Who it is for

cmux is designed for power-user developers and teams heavily utilizing CLI coding agents who need multi-pane terminal multiplexing, custom agent skills, and session pairing. It is less suitable for engineers looking for simple, standalone agent chat CLIs or complete GUI IDE replacements.

Install guide

Installation Clone the repository and run the setup scripts from source: bash git clone https://github.com/manaflow-ai/cmux.git cd cmux ./reload.sh

First Run Configure your repository skill definitions and verify listener settings: bash # Verify cmux installation and available options cmux --help

Example Session Launch cmux to initialize the multiplexer and start orchestrating your agent sessions: bash cmux

Part of CLI Coding Agents

Categories: AI Coding Agents, Developer Tools, Productivity

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