workmux 0.1.29

An opinionated workflow tool that orchestrates git worktrees and tmux
workmux-0.1.29 is not a library.

Giga opinionated zero-friction workflow tool for managing git worktrees and tmux windows as isolated development environments. Perfect for running multiple AI agents in parallel without conflict.

→ Why git worktrees?

workmux demo

Philosophy

  • One worktree, one tmux window: Each git worktree gets its own dedicated, pre-configured tmux window.
  • Frictionless: Multi-step workflows are reduced to simple commands.
  • Configuration as code: Define your tmux layout and setup steps in .workmux.yaml.

The core principle is that tmux is the interface. If you already live in tmux, you shouldn't need to learn a new TUI app or separate interface to manage your work. With workmux, managing parallel development tasks, or multiple AI agents, is as simple as managing tmux windows.

Features

  • Create git worktrees with matching tmux windows in a single command (add)
  • Automatically set up your preferred pane layout (editor, shell, watchers, etc.)
  • Run post-creation hooks (install dependencies, setup database, etc.)
  • Copy or symlink configuration files (.env, node_modules) into new worktrees
  • Merge branches and clean up everything (worktree, tmux window, branches) in one command (merge)
  • List all worktrees with their tmux and merge status
  • Bootstrap projects with an initial configuration file (init)
  • Dynamic shell completions for branch names

Hype

"I've been using (and loving) workmux which brings together tmux, git worktrees, and CLI agents into an opinionated workflow."
— @Coolin96 🔗

"Thank you so much for your work with workmux! It's a tool I've been wanting to exist for a long time."
— @rstacruz 🔗

Installation

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install raine/workmux/workmux

Cargo

Requires Rust. Install via rustup if you don't have it.

cargo install workmux

Quick start

  1. Initialize configuration (optional):

    workmux init

    This creates a .workmux.yaml file to customize your workflow (pane layouts, setup commands, file operations, etc.). workmux works out of the box with sensible defaults, so this step is optional.

  2. Create a new worktree and tmux window:

    workmux add new-feature

    This will:

    • Create a git worktree at <project_root>/../<project_name>__worktrees/new-feature
    • Create a tmux window named new-feature
    • Automatically switch your tmux client to the new window

  3. Do your thing

  4. When done, merge and clean up:

    # Run in the worktree window
workmux merge

Merges your branch into main and cleans up everything (tmux window, worktree, and local branch).

Configuration

workmux uses a two-level configuration system:

  • Global (~/.config/workmux/config.yaml): Personal defaults for all projects
  • Project (.workmux.yaml): Project-specific overrides

Project settings override global settings. For post_create and file operation lists (files.copy, files.symlink), you can use "<global>" to include global values alongside project-specific ones. Other settings like panes are replaced entirely when defined in the project config.

Global configuration example

~/.config/workmux/config.yaml:

window_prefix: wm-

panes:
  - command: nvim .
    focus: true
  # Just a default shell (command omitted)
  - split: horizontal

post_create:
  - mise install

files:
  symlink:
    - node_modules

agent: claude

Project configuration example

.workmux.yaml:

post_create:
  - '<global>'
  - mise use

files:
  symlink:
    - '<global>' # Include global symlinks (node_modules)
    - .pnpm-store # Add project-specific symlink

panes:
  - command: pnpm install
    focus: true
  - command: <agent>
    split: horizontal
  - command: pnpm run dev
    split: vertical

For a real-world example, see workmux's own .workmux.yaml.

Configuration options

  • main_branch: Branch to merge into (optional, auto-detected from remote or checks for main/master)
  • worktree_dir: Custom directory for worktrees (absolute or relative to repo root)
  • window_prefix: Prefix for tmux window names (default: wm-)
  • panes: Array of pane configurations
    • command: Optional command to run when the pane is created. Use this for long-running setup like dependency installs so output is visible in tmux. If omitted, the pane starts with your default shell. Use <agent> to use the configured agent.
    • focus: Whether this pane should receive focus (default: false)
    • split: How to split from previous pane (horizontal or vertical)
    • size: Optional absolute size in lines (for vertical splits) or cells (for horizontal splits). Mutually exclusive with percentage. If neither is specified, tmux splits 50/50.
    • percentage: Optional size as a percentage (1-100) of the available space. Mutually exclusive with size. If neither is specified, tmux splits 50/50.
  • post_create: Commands to run after worktree creation but before the tmux window opens. These block window creation, so keep them short (e.g., copying config files).
  • files: File operations to perform on worktree creation
    • copy: List of glob patterns for files/directories to copy
    • symlink: List of glob patterns for files/directories to symlink
  • agent: The default agent command to use for <agent> in pane commands (e.g., claude, gemini). This can be overridden by the --agent flag. Default: claude.

Default behavior

  • Worktrees are created in <project>__worktrees as a sibling directory to your project by default
  • If no panes configuration is defined, workmux provides opinionated defaults:
    • For projects with a CLAUDE.md file: Opens the configured agent (see agent option) in the first pane, defaulting to claude if none is set.
    • For all other projects: Opens your default shell.
    • Both configurations include a second pane split horizontally
  • post_create commands are optional and only run if you configure them

Directory structure

Here's how workmux organizes your worktrees by default:

~/projects/
├── my-project/               <-- Main project directory
│   ├── src/
│   ├── package.json
│   └── .workmux.yaml
│
└── my-project__worktrees/    <-- Worktrees created by workmux
    ├── feature-A/            <-- Isolated workspace for 'feature-A' branch
    │   ├── src/
    │   └── package.json
    │
    └── bugfix-B/             <-- Isolated workspace for 'bugfix-B' branch
        ├── src/
        └── package.json

Each worktree is a separate working directory for a different branch, all sharing the same git repository. This allows you to work on multiple branches simultaneously without conflicts.

You can customize the worktree directory location using the worktree_dir configuration option (see Configuration options).

Shell alias (recommended)

For faster typing, alias workmux to wm:

alias wm='workmux'

Commands

  • add - Create a new worktree and tmux window
  • merge - Merge a branch and clean up everything
  • remove - Remove a worktree without merging
  • list - List all worktrees with status
  • init - Generate configuration file
  • open - Open a tmux window for an existing worktree
  • claude prune - Clean up stale Claude Code entries
  • completions - Generate shell completions

workmux add <branch-name>

Creates a new git worktree with a matching tmux window and switches you to it immediately. If the branch doesn't exist, it will be created automatically.

  • <branch-name>: Name of the branch to create or switch to, or a remote branch reference (e.g., origin/feature-branch). When you provide a remote reference, workmux automatically fetches it and creates a local branch with the name derived from the remote branch (e.g., origin/feature/foo creates local branch feature/foo). Optional when using --pr.

Useful options

  • --base <branch|commit|tag>: Specify a base branch, commit, or tag to branch from when creating a new branch. By default, new branches are created from the current branch you have checked out.
  • --pr <number>: Checkout a GitHub pull request by its number into a new worktree.
    • Requires the gh command-line tool to be installed and authenticated.
    • The local branch name defaults to the PR's head branch name, but can be overridden (e.g., workmux add custom-name --pr 123).
  • -b, --background: Create the tmux window in the background without switching to it. Useful with --prompt-editor.
  • -w, --with-changes: Move uncommitted changes from the current worktree to the new worktree, then reset the original worktree to a clean state. Useful when you've started working on main and want to move your branches to a new worktree.
  • --patch: Interactively select which changes to move (requires --with-changes). Opens an interactive prompt for selecting hunks to stash.
  • -u, --include-untracked: Also move untracked files (requires --with-changes). By default, only staged and modified tracked files are moved.
  • -p, --prompt <text>: Provide an inline prompt that will be automatically passed to AI agent panes.
  • -P, --prompt-file <path>: Provide a path to a file whose contents will be used as the prompt.
  • -e, --prompt-editor: Open your $EDITOR (or $VISUAL) to write the prompt interactively.
  • -a, --agent <name>: The agent(s) to use for the worktree(s). Can be specified multiple times to generate a worktree for each agent. Overrides the agent from your config file.

Skip options

These options allow you to skip expensive setup steps when they're not needed (e.g., for documentation-only changes):

  • -H, --no-hooks: Skip running post_create commands
  • -F, --no-file-ops: Skip file copy/symlink operations (e.g., skip linking node_modules)
  • -C, --no-pane-cmds: Skip executing pane commands (panes open with plain shells instead)

What happens

  1. Creates a git worktree at <project_root>/../<project_name>__worktrees/<branch-name>
  2. Runs any configured file operations (copy/symlink)
  3. Executes post_create commands if defined (runs before the tmux window opens, so keep them fast)
  4. Creates a new tmux window named after the branch
  5. Sets up your configured tmux pane layout
  6. Automatically switches your tmux client to the new window

Examples

# Create a new branch and worktree
workmux add user-auth

# Use an existing branch
workmux add existing-work

# Create a new branch from a specific base
workmux add hotfix --base production

# Create a worktree from a remote branch (creates local branch "user-auth-pr")
workmux add origin/user-auth-pr

# Remote branches with slashes work too (creates local branch "feature/foo")
workmux add origin/feature/foo

# Move uncommitted changes to a new worktree (including untracked files)
workmux add feature/new-thing --with-changes -u

# Move only staged/modified files (not untracked files)
workmux add fix/bug --with-changes

# Interactively select which changes to move
workmux add feature/partial --with-changes --patch

# Create a worktree with an inline prompt for AI agents
workmux add feature/ai --prompt "Implement user authentication with OAuth"

# Override the default agent for a specific worktree
workmux add feature/testing -a gemini

# Create a worktree with a prompt from a file
workmux add feature/refactor --prompt-file task-description.md

# Open your editor to write a prompt interactively
workmux add feature/new-api --prompt-editor

# Skip expensive setup for documentation-only changes
workmux add docs-update --no-hooks --no-file-ops --no-pane-cmds

# Skip just the file operations (e.g., you don't need node_modules)
workmux add quick-fix --no-file-ops

# Create a worktree in the background without switching to it
workmux add feature/parallel-task --background

Checking out Pull Requests

# Checkout PR #123. The local branch will be named after the PR's branch.
workmux add --pr 123

# Checkout PR #456 with a custom local branch name
workmux add fix/api-bug --pr 456

AI agent integration

When you provide a prompt via --prompt, --prompt-file, or --prompt-editor, workmux automatically injects the prompt into panes running the configured agent command (e.g., claude, gemini, or whatever you've set via the agent config or --agent flag) without requiring any .workmux.yaml changes:

  • Panes with a command matching the configured agent are automatically started with the given prompt.
  • You can keep your .workmux.yaml pane configuration simple (e.g., panes: [{ command: "<agent>" }]) and let workmux handle prompt injection at runtime.

This means you can launch AI agents with task-specific prompts without modifying your project configuration for each task.

Parallel workflows & multi-worktree generation

workmux can generate multiple worktrees from a single add command, which is ideal for running parallel experiments or delegating tasks to multiple AI agents. This is controlled by three mutually exclusive modes:

  • (-a, --agent): Create a worktree for each specified agent.
  • (-n, --count): Create a specific number of worktrees.
  • (--foreach): Create worktrees based on a matrix of variables.

When using any of these modes, branch names are generated from a template, and prompts can be templated with variables.

Multi-worktree options
  • -a, --agent <name>: When used multiple times, creates one worktree for each agent.
  • -n, --count <number>: Creates <number> worktree instances. Can be combined with a single --agent flag to apply that agent to all instances.
  • --foreach <matrix>: Creates worktrees from a variable matrix string. The format is "var1:valA,valB;var2:valX,valY". All value lists must have the same length. Values are paired by index position (zip, not Cartesian product): the first value of each variable goes together, the second with the second, etc.
  • --branch-template <template>: A MiniJinja (Jinja2-compatible) template for generating branch names.
    • Available variables: {{ base_name }}, {{ agent }}, {{ num }}, and any variables from --foreach.
    • Default: {{ base_name }}{% if agent %}-{{ agent | slugify }}{% endif %}{% for key, value in foreach_vars %}-{{ value | slugify }}{% endfor %}{% if num %}-{{ num }}{% endif %}
Prompt templating

When generating multiple worktrees, any prompt provided via -p, -P, or -e is treated as a MiniJinja template. You can use variables from your generation mode to create unique prompts for each agent or instance.

Variable matrices in prompt files

Instead of passing --foreach on the command line, you can specify the variable matrix directly in your prompt file using YAML frontmatter. This is more convenient for complex matrices and keeps the variables close to the prompt that uses them.

Format:

Create a prompt file with YAML frontmatter at the top, separated by ---:

Example 1: mobile-task.md

---
foreach:
  platform: [iOS, Android]
  lang: [swift, kotlin]
---

Build a {{ platform }} app using {{ lang }}. Implement user authentication and
data persistence.

workmux add mobile-app --prompt-file mobile-task.md
# Generates worktrees: mobile-app-ios-swift, mobile-app-android-kotlin

Example 2: agent-task.md (using agent as a foreach variable)

---
foreach:
  agent: [claude, gemini]
---

Implement the dashboard refactor using your preferred approach.

workmux add refactor --prompt-file agent-task.md
# Generates worktrees: refactor-claude, refactor-gemini

Behavior:

  • Variables from the frontmatter are available in both the prompt template and the branch name template
  • All value lists must have the same length, and values are paired by index position (same zip behavior as --foreach)
  • CLI --foreach overrides frontmatter with a warning if both are present
  • Works with both --prompt-file and --prompt-editor
Examples
# Create one worktree for claude and one for gemini with a focused prompt
workmux add my-feature -a claude -a gemini -p "Implement the new search API integration"
# Generates worktrees: my-feature-claude, my-feature-gemini

# Create 2 instances of the default agent
workmux add my-feature -n 2 -p "Implement task #{{ num }} in TASKS.md"
# Generates worktrees: my-feature-1, my-feature-2

# Create worktrees from a variable matrix
workmux add my-feature --foreach "platform:iOS,Android" -p "Build for {{ platform }}"
# Generates worktrees: my-feature-ios, my-feature-android

# Create agent-specific worktrees via --foreach
workmux add my-feature --foreach "agent:claude,gemini" -p "Implement the dashboard refactor"
# Generates worktrees: my-feature-claude, my-feature-gemini

# Use frontmatter in a prompt file for cleaner syntax
# task.md contains:
# ---
# foreach:
#   env: [staging, production]
#   task: [smoke-tests, integration-tests]
# ---
# Run {{ task }} against the {{ env }} environment
workmux add testing --prompt-file task.md
# Generates worktrees: testing-staging-smoke-tests, testing-production-integration-tests

workmux merge [branch-name]

Merges a branch into the main branch and automatically cleans up all associated resources (worktree, tmux window, and local branch).

  • [branch-name]: Optional name of the branch to merge. If omitted, automatically detects the current branch from the worktree you're in.

Useful options

  • --ignore-uncommitted: Commit any staged changes before merging without opening an editor
  • --delete-remote, -r: Also delete the remote branch after a successful merge
  • --keep, -k: Keep the worktree, window, and branch after merging (skip cleanup). Useful when you want to verify the merge before cleaning up.

Merge strategies

By default, workmux merge performs a standard merge commit. You can customize the merge behavior with these mutually exclusive flags:

  • --rebase: Rebase the feature branch onto main before merging (creates a linear history via fast-forward merge). If conflicts occur, you'll need to resolve them manually in the worktree and run git rebase --continue.
  • --squash: Squash all commits from the feature branch into a single commit on main. You'll be prompted to provide a commit message in your editor.

What happens

  1. Determines which branch to merge (specified branch or current branch if omitted)
  2. Checks for uncommitted changes (errors if found, unless --ignore-uncommitted is used)
  3. Commits staged changes if present (unless --ignore-uncommitted is used)
  4. Merges your branch into main using the selected strategy (default: merge commit)
  5. Deletes the tmux window (including the one you're currently in if you ran this from a worktree) — skipped if --keep is used
  6. Removes the worktree — skipped if --keep is used
  7. Deletes the local branch — skipped if --keep is used

Typical workflow

When you're done working in a worktree, simply run workmux merge from within that worktree's tmux window. The command will automatically detect which branch you're on, merge it into main, and close the current window as part of cleanup.

Examples

# Merge branch from main branch (default: merge commit)
workmux merge user-auth

# Merge the current worktree you're in
# (run this from within the worktree's tmux window)
workmux merge

# Rebase onto main before merging for a linear history
workmux merge user-auth --rebase

# Squash all commits into a single commit
workmux merge user-auth --squash

# Merge and also delete the remote branch
workmux merge user-auth --delete-remote

# Merge but keep the worktree/window/branch to verify before cleanup
workmux merge user-auth --keep
# ... verify the merge in main ...
workmux remove user-auth  # clean up later when ready

workmux remove <branch-name> (alias: rm)

Removes a worktree, tmux window, and branch without merging (unless you keep the branch). Useful for abandoning work or cleaning up experimental branches.

  • <branch-name>: Name of the branch to remove.

Useful options

  • --force, -f: Skip confirmation prompt and ignore uncommitted changes
  • --delete-remote, -r: Also delete the remote branch
  • --keep-branch, -k: Remove only the worktree and tmux window while keeping the local branch (incompatible with --delete-remote)

Examples

# Remove with confirmation if unmerged
workmux remove experiment

# Use the alias
workmux rm old-work

# Remove worktree/window but keep the branch
workmux remove --keep-branch experiment

# Force remove without prompts
workmux rm -f experiment

# Force remove and delete remote branch
workmux rm -f -r old-work

workmux list (alias: ls)

Lists all git worktrees with their tmux window status and merge status.

Examples

# List all worktrees
workmux list

Example output

BRANCH      TMUX    UNMERGED    PATH
------      ----    --------    ----
main        -       -           ~/project
user-auth   ✓       -           ~/project__worktrees/user-auth
bug-fix     ✓       ●           ~/project__worktrees/bug-fix

Key

  • ✓ in TMUX column = tmux window exists for this worktree
  • ● in UNMERGED column = branch has commits not merged into main
  • - = not applicable

workmux init

Generates .workmux.yaml with example configuration and "<global>" placeholder usage.

Examples

workmux init

workmux open <branch-name>

Opens a new tmux window for a pre-existing git worktree, setting up the configured pane layout and environment. This is useful any time you closed the tmux window for a worktree you are still working on.

  • <branch-name>: Name of the branch that has an existing worktree.

Useful options

  • --run-hooks: Re-runs the post_create commands (these block window creation).
  • --force-files: Re-applies file copy/symlink operations. Useful for restoring a deleted .env file.

What happens

  1. Verifies that a worktree for <branch-name> exists and a tmux window does not.
  2. Creates a new tmux window named after the branch.
  3. (If specified) Runs file operations and post_create hooks.
  4. Sets up your configured tmux pane layout.
  5. Automatically switches your tmux client to the new window.

Examples

# Open a window for an existing worktree
workmux open user-auth

# Open and re-run dependency installation
workmux open user-auth --run-hooks

# Open and restore configuration files
workmux open user-auth --force-files

workmux claude prune

Removes stale entries from Claude config (~/.claude.json) that point to deleted worktree directories. When you run Claude Code in worktrees, it stores per-worktree settings in that file. Over time, as worktrees are merged or deleted, it can accumulate entries for paths that no longer exist.

What happens

  1. Scans ~/.claude.json for entries pointing to non-existent directories
  2. Creates a backup at ~/.claude.json.bak before making changes
  3. Removes all stale entries
  4. Reports the number of entries cleaned up

Safety

  • Only removes entries for absolute paths that don't exist
  • Creates a backup before modifying the file
  • Preserves all valid entries and relative paths

Examples

# Clean up stale Claude Code entries
workmux claude prune

Example output

  - Removing: /Users/user/project__worktrees/old-feature

✓ Created backup at ~/.claude.json.bak
✓ Removed 3 stale entries from ~/.claude.json

workmux completions <shell>

Generates shell completion script for the specified shell. Completions provide tab-completion for commands and dynamic branch name suggestions.

  • <shell>: Shell type: bash, zsh, or fish.

Examples

# Generate completions for zsh
workmux completions zsh

See the Shell Completions section for installation instructions.

Workflow example

Here's a complete workflow:

# Start a new feature
workmux add user-auth

# Work on your feature...
# (tmux automatically sets up your configured panes and environment)

# When ready, merge and clean up
workmux merge user-auth

# Start another feature
workmux add api-endpoint

# List all active worktrees
workmux list

Why workmux?

workmux turns a multi-step manual workflow into two simple commands, making parallel development workflows practical.

Without workmux

# 1. Manually create the worktree and environment
git worktree add ../worktrees/user-auth -b user-auth
cd ../worktrees/user-auth
cp ../../project/.env.example .env
ln -s ../../project/node_modules .
npm install
# ... and other setup steps

# 2. Manually create and configure the tmux window
tmux new-window -n user-auth
tmux split-window -h 'npm run dev'
tmux send-keys -t 0 'claude' C-m
# ... repeat for every pane in your desired layout

# 3. When done, manually merge and clean everything up
cd ../../project
git switch main && git pull
git merge --no-ff user-auth
tmux kill-window -t user-auth
git worktree remove ../worktrees/user-auth
git branch -d user-auth

With workmux

# Create the environment
workmux add user-auth

# ... work on the feature ...

# Merge and clean up
workmux merge

The parallel AI workflow (with workmux)

Delegate multiple complex tasks to AI agents and let them work at the same time. This workflow is cumbersome to manage manually.

# Task 1: Refactor the user model (for Agent 1)
workmux add refactor/user-model

# Task 2: Build a new API endpoint (for Agent 2, in parallel)
workmux add feature/new-api

# ... Command agents work simultaneously in their isolated environments ...

# Merge each task as it's completed
workmux merge refactor/user-model
workmux merge feature/new-api

Why git worktrees?

Git worktrees let you have multiple branches checked out at once in the same repository, each in a separate directory. This provides two main advantages over a standard single-directory setup:

  • Painless context switching: Switch between tasks just by changing directories (cd ../other-branch). There's no need to git stash or make temporary commits. Your work-in-progress, editor state, and command history remain isolated and intact for each branch.

  • True parallel development: Work on multiple branches simultaneously without interference. You can run builds, install dependencies (npm install), or run tests in one worktree while actively coding in another. This isolation is perfect for running multiple AI agents in parallel on different tasks.

In a standard Git setup, switching branches disrupts your flow by requiring a clean working tree. Worktrees remove this friction. workmux automates the entire process and pairs each worktree with a dedicated tmux window, creating fully isolated development environments. See Why workmux? for how workmux streamlines this workflow.

Git worktree caveats

While powerful, git worktrees have nuances that are important to understand. workmux is designed to automate solutions to these, but awareness of the underlying mechanics helps.

Gitignored files require configuration

When git worktree add creates a new working directory, it's a clean checkout. Files listed in your .gitignore (e.g., .env files, node_modules, IDE configuration) will not exist in the new worktree by default. Your application will be broken in the new worktree until you manually create or link these necessary files.

This is a primary feature of workmux. Use the files section in your .workmux.yaml to automatically copy or symlink these files on creation:

# .workmux.yaml
files:
  copy:
    - .env # Copy environment variables
  symlink:
    - .next/cache # Share Next.js build cache

Note: Symlinking node_modules can be efficient but only works if all worktrees share identical dependencies. If different branches have different dependency versions, each worktree needs its own installation. For dependency installation, consider using a pane command instead of post_create hooks - this runs the install in the background without blocking the worktree and window creation:

panes:
  - command: npm install
    focus: true
  - split: horizontal

Conflicts

Worktrees isolate your filesystem, but they do not prevent merge conflicts. If you modify the area of code on two different branches (in two different worktrees), you will still have a conflict when you merge one into the other.

The best practice is to work on logically separate features in parallel worktrees. When conflicts are unavoidable, use standard git tools to resolve them. You can also leverage an AI agent within the worktree to assist with the conflict resolution.

Package manager considerations (pnpm, yarn)

Modern package managers like pnpm use a global store with symlinks to node_modules. Each worktree typically needs its own pnpm install to set up the correct dependency versions for that branch.

If your worktrees always have identical dependencies (e.g., working on multiple features from the same base), you could potentially symlink node_modules between worktrees. However, this breaks as soon as branches diverge in their dependencies, so it's generally safer to run a fresh install in each worktree.

Note: In large monorepos, cleaning up node_modules during worktree removal can take significant time. workmux has a special cleanup mechanism that moves node_modules to a temporary location and deletes it in the background, making the remove command return almost instantly.

Build directories (Rust target, etc.)

For compiled languages, symlinking build directories can save disk space and speed up builds:

# .workmux.yaml
files:
  symlink:
    - target

Local git ignores (.git/info/exclude) are not shared

The local git ignore file, .git/info/exclude, is specific to the main worktree's git directory and is not respected in other worktrees. Personal ignore patterns for your editor or temporary files may not apply in new worktrees, causing them to appear in git status.

For personal ignores, use a global git ignore file. For project-specific ignores that are safe to share with your team, add them to the project's main .gitignore file.

Tips

Closing tmux windows

You can close workmux-managed tmux windows using tmux's standard kill-window command (e.g., <prefix> & or tmux kill-window -t <window-name>). This will properly terminate all processes running in the window's panes. The git worktree will remain on disk, and you can reopen a window for it anytime with:

workmux open <branch-name>

However, it's recommended to use workmux merge or workmux remove for cleanup instead, as these commands clean up both the tmux window and the git worktree together. Use workmux list to see which worktrees have detached tmux windows.

Shell completions

To enable tab completions for commands and branch names, add the following to your shell's configuration file.

For bash, add to your .bashrc:

eval "$(workmux completions bash)"

For zsh, add to your .zshrc:

eval "$(workmux completions zsh)"

For fish, add to your config.fish:

workmux completions fish | source

Requirements

  • Rust (for building)
  • Git 2.5+ (for worktree support)
  • tmux

Inspiration and related tools

workmux is inspired by wtp, an excellent git worktree management tool. While wtp streamlines worktree creation and setup, workmux takes this further by tightly coupling worktrees with tmux window management.

For managing multiple AI agents in parallel, tools like claude-squad and vibe-kanban offer dedicated interfaces, like a TUI or kanban board. In contrast, workmux adheres to its philosophy that tmux is the interface, providing a native tmux experience for managing parallel workflows without requiring a separate interface to learn.

See also