comparison · hands-on

Pane vs claude-tmux

TL;DR

claude-tmux is a small, free popup that lives inside tmux and lists your Claude Code sessions with status lights, so you can jump between them and run git and pull request chores without leaving the terminal. It only knows Claude Code, has no diff view or notifications, needs a Rust toolchain to install, and hasn't had a release since April 2026. Pane is a desktop app that runs any CLI agent side by side, each in its own worktree, with diffs, git buttons, notifications and native Windows and WSL support. If you already live in tmux and only use Claude Code, claude-tmux is a neat add-on; for a full workflow, pick Pane.

or
Download*
Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install
Paste that in PowerShell.Linux

which one should you pick?

pick claude-tmux if

  • → you already run Claude Code in tmux and want a fast switcher
  • → you work over SSH and want everything to stay in the terminal
  • → you want pull request create, merge and close from a menu
  • → you're happy building a Rust tool from source

pick pane if

  • → you use agents besides Claude Code, like Codex, Cursor, Aider or Gemini
  • → you want to review diffs before you commit
  • → you want notifications when an agent finishes or needs you
  • → you're on Windows, or keep code inside WSL
  • → you want a maintained app you install, not compile

at a glance

yespartly, or with a catchno

pane13 yes · 2 partly · 0 noclaude-tmux3 yes · 6 partly · 6 no
basics
what it isdesktop app: real terminals for agents, side by sidea tmux popup that lists and switches Claude Code sessions
made byDcoupleone maintainer (Niels Groen)
licenseAGPL-3.0, freeAGPL-3.0, free
maintenancev2.4, releases most daysv0.4.0, last release April 17, 2026
platforms
installone installerbuild from source with cargo; no binaries
native Windowsyes (x64 and ARM64)no (needs tmux)
repos inside WSLyes: agents, terminals and git run in the distroworks inside WSL; not mentioned in its docs
macOS and Linuxyes, signed installers and packagesyes, wherever tmux and Rust run
agents
agentsany CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built inClaude Code only; others show as unknown
agent statusworking, finished and waiting dots on every paneread from the screen; a waiting prompt showed as unknown
agents that run agentsSessions, plus the runpane CLI and an MCP serverno
everyday work
worktree per taskyes, on by defaultoptional, from a menu
review changesChanges panel and diff tabsno diff view
commit and pushbuttons and shortcuts; your hooks runstage all, one-line message; skips git hooks
pull requestsa Session opens and tracks them; Open PR once one existscreate, view, merge and close from the menu
notificationson by defaultnone; open the popup to check
remote and teams
phoneiOS and Android app coming soon; browser app via Remote Pane todayan SSH app

basics

what it is

pane

desktop app: real terminals for agents, side by side

claude-tmux

a tmux popup that lists and switches Claude Code sessions

made by

pane

Dcouple

claude-tmux

one maintainer (Niels Groen)

license

pane

AGPL-3.0, free

claude-tmux

AGPL-3.0, free

maintenance

pane

v2.4, releases most days

claude-tmux

v0.4.0, last release April 17, 2026

platforms

install

pane

one installer

claude-tmux

build from source with cargo; no binaries

native Windows

pane

yes (x64 and ARM64)

claude-tmux

no (needs tmux)

repos inside WSL

pane

yes: agents, terminals and git run in the distro

claude-tmux

works inside WSL; not mentioned in its docs

macOS and Linux

pane

yes, signed installers and packages

claude-tmux

yes, wherever tmux and Rust run

agents

agents

pane

any CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built in

claude-tmux

Claude Code only; others show as unknown

agent status

pane

working, finished and waiting dots on every pane

claude-tmux

read from the screen; a waiting prompt showed as unknown

agents that run agents

pane

Sessions, plus the runpane CLI and an MCP server

claude-tmux

no

everyday work

worktree per task

pane

yes, on by default

claude-tmux

optional, from a menu

review changes

pane

Changes panel and diff tabs

claude-tmux

no diff view

commit and push

pane

buttons and shortcuts; your hooks run

claude-tmux

stage all, one-line message; skips git hooks

pull requests

pane

a Session opens and tracks them; Open PR once one exists

claude-tmux

create, view, merge and close from the menu

notifications

pane

on by default

claude-tmux

none; open the popup to check

remote and teams

phone

pane

iOS and Android app coming soon; browser app via Remote Pane today

claude-tmux

an SSH app

Facts checked on October 3 and 4, 2026: claude-tmux v0.4.0 and Pane v2.4.157. Hands-on: claude-tmux built from source and run in WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04, tmux 3.4) with real Claude Code; Pane 2.4.155 on the same PC.

by the numbers

installed size

pane429 MBclaude-tmux7.7 MB

start time

pane3.6 s (median)claude-tmux0.23 s (median)

idle RAM

pane780 MBclaude-tmux10 MB

Measured on the same PC (claude-tmux inside WSL2). Shorter bars are better. claude-tmux has no download of its own: you build it from source.

what it's like to use

We gave both tools the same small job in a test repo: add a --version flag to a CLI, then review and commit it. Here's what you see at each step. Green notes work well, blue ones are nice touches, amber ones are confusing, and red ones are missing or broken.

1.starting a task

Pane

Pane: a short create dialogPick the repo, base branch and name, and Pane makes a worktree. You pick the agent and type the task once the pane opens.Pane 2.4.155 on Windows 11, repo inside WSL2, October 3, 2026

claude-tmux

claude-tmux: a session from a worktreeFrom the popup's menu, pick a branch and folder, and claude-tmux creates the worktree and starts claude in a new tmux session.claude-tmux 0.4.0 in WSL2, October 3, 2026

2.agents at work

Pane

Pane: the agent's real terminalPane runs the agent's own terminal UI, exactly as it looks anywhere else, with several panes going at once.Pane 2.4.155, three panes running Claude Code

claude-tmux

claude-tmux: one list, status lightsEvery tmux session is a row with a status, path and branch. The selected session's screen shows in a preview below.claude-tmux 0.4.0, four tmux sessions

3.reviewing the change

Pane

Pane: Changes panel and diff tabsPane lists every touched file with its line counts. Click one and its diff opens as a tab next to the agent.Pane 2.4.155, after the agent finished

claude-tmux

claude-tmux: actions, no diffOpen a session's actions to see its branch and whether it has changes. There's no diff view: you read the agent's summary or use your own tools.claude-tmux 0.4.0, actions for a worktree session

4.committing

Pane

Pane: one shortcutCtrl+Shift+K commits. The header says Ready to merge, and push and merge are one click each.Pane 2.4.155, right after Ctrl+Shift+K

claude-tmux

claude-tmux: a one-line commitAfter Stage all changes, Commit asks for a one-line message.claude-tmux 0.4.0, commit dialog

the real difference: switcher or manager

claude-tmux helps you move between Claude Code sessions you already run. Pane runs, isolates and reviews the work for any agent.

claude-tmux is a popup you open with a tmux key. It lists your sessions, shows which Claude Code sessions are busy or idle by reading their screens, and lets you jump to one, create one from a worktree, or run git and pull request actions. It has no settings file and no background process, and uses about 10 MB of memory.

Pane is the workspace itself. Every task gets a pane with its own worktree, the agent's real terminal, a diff view, git buttons and a notification when the agent finishes or needs you, and it works with any CLI agent.

agents

claude-tmux is built for Claude Code only. Pane runs any agent.

New claude-tmux sessions always start claude, with no setting to change it, and other agents show up as unknown. Status depends on Claude Code's process name and screen layout, so it breaks when those change: a version-numbered process title broke detection for some users in April 2026, and two fixes are still unmerged.

Pane runs Claude Code, Codex and Cursor with built-in buttons, and any other command line agent as a custom command.

review and git

claude-tmux goes further than most tmux tools on pull requests, but has no diff and skips git hooks.

From its menu you can stage everything, commit, push, pull, fetch, and create, view, merge or close a pull request, including a single "merge PR and close session" action. Commits go through libgit2, so your pre-commit and lint hooks don't run, and pulls are fast-forward only.

Pane shows every changed file with its diff before you commit, and its commit, push, pull, rebase and merge run through git, so your hooks run as usual.

windows and wsl

claude-tmux needs tmux, so on Windows it only runs inside WSL. Pane is a native Windows app that also runs WSL repos.

claude-tmux doesn't support Windows and doesn't mention WSL, but it runs inside WSL if you build it there, which is how we tested it. You'll need Rust, a C compiler and OpenSSL headers to build it.

Pane installs as a native Windows app on x64 and ARM64, and runs agents, terminals and git inside WSL for repos you keep there.

maintenance

claude-tmux's last release was in April 2026, with five community pull requests waiting.

The last commit and release, v0.4.0, are from April 17, 2026. Five pull requests from five contributors, for GitLab support, a flicker fix, mouse support, preview size and performance, are open without a reply, and the maintainer has said he only takes changes he wants himself. Pane releases most days.

our verdict

If you already live in tmux, only use Claude Code and want a fast way to see and jump between sessions, claude-tmux is a tidy, tiny add-on.

If you want to run several agents of any kind, review their changes, get notified and commit safely, on Windows, WSL, macOS or Linux, pick Pane.

how we tested

On October 3, 2026 we built claude-tmux 0.4.0 from source inside WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04, tmux 3.4), ran several Claude Code sessions, created one from a worktree, committed and pushed, and checked that a failing pre-commit hook was skipped. We gave Pane 2.4.155 the same task in a private test repo. We backed up every agent config before the test and restored anything a tool changed.

Facts about each product come from its own docs, release notes, issue tracker and source code, checked on the same dates. Measurements are single-machine numbers, not lab benchmarks.

What we ran
  • → Pane 2.4.155 on Windows 11, native and WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04) repos
  • → claude-tmux 0.4.0 built from source in WSL2 with tmux 3.4
  • → Claude Code (Opus 5.5) on the account's existing login
Who wrote this
We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We tried to be fair: claude-tmux's strengths are listed as plainly as Pane's, every claim was checked against the product itself or its docs and source, and the screenshots are unedited captures from our own runs.
Corrections
If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it and update the date at the top. Open an issue on GitHub
Sources

frequently asked questions

more comparisons

Pane vs Claude SquadPane vs reconPane vs Terminal Multiplexers
See also: tmux agent managers · terminal multiplexers
or
Download*
Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install
Paste that in PowerShell.Linux

By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. .