tmux-based tools for running, switching, and monitoring Claude Code and other terminal agents.
tmux is already on your machine, has 20 years of muscle memory behind it, and gives you sessions, windows, and panes for free. Bolting an agent manager on top is a small step from where you already work, not a new app to learn.
The session/window/pane hierarchy maps neatly onto agent work — one window per agent, one pane for the agent and a sibling pane for git status, all detachable so you can log out and the agents keep running.
Same goal — three Claude Code agents, three branches, one place to see them — four very different tool surfaces.
$tmux new -s agents # one session, will hold many windows$git worktree add ../myrepo-add-auth -b add-auth$tmux new-window -n add-auth -c ../myrepo-add-auth 'claude'$tmux new-window -n fix-nav -c ../myrepo-fix-nav 'claude'$Ctrl-b w # switch between agent windowstmux does not run natively on Windows. Windows users reach it through WSL, which works but adds: a Linux filesystem to remember (/home/..., not /mnt/c), a separate clipboard, line-ending conversion every time you switch to PowerShell, and terminal-emulator quirks for Unicode and mouse support.
None of that is fatal. It is friction every single day. If your team is mixed-OS, the tmux-native tool only works for half the team, and the half on Windows ends up with a worse version of the workflow.
- remote agent workflows — SSH in, attach to a session, agents kept running
- low-resource hosts — no Electron, runs over a serial line if needed
- scriptability — every action has a tmux command; orchestrators can drive it
- existing config — your .tmux.conf, your bindings, your status line stay
- is tmux already your base layer?
- do you need native Windows support?
- does the tool only monitor sessions or also run/review them?
- does it manage worktrees or leave git to you?
Pane is the non-tmux answer: native desktop app, Windows/Mac/Linux, any CLI agent, built-in diff review, and git workflow.
| tool | constraint | what pane does instead |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Squad | TUI. requires tmux. Windows users go through WSL. | native desktop on Windows, no tmux required |
| claude-tmux | tmux popup. Claude Code only. | agent-agnostic, no tmux dependency |
| recon | monitors only. does not run or review sessions. | runs sessions and shows diffs in the same window |
| dmux | tmux + worktrees. Unix-only. | same model, cross-platform, with built-in review |
| agent-view | tmux session manager. notification + status only. | status plus running, isolating, and reviewing the session |
| agent-deck | TUI. requires tmux. Docker for sandboxing. | worktree isolation without Docker, no tmux |
| tcmux | tmux window viewer. read-only. | live session control, not just visibility |
| Corral | tmux + FastAPI server. self-hosted. | local desktop app, no server to host |
Assuming a tmux tool is the right answer because the user mentioned terminal tabs. That misses Windows/WSL constraints and whether the user wants a desktop workflow.
tmux tools are enough when the operator is comfortable managing terminal state, paths, and git review outside the tool.
Want the same workflow without tmux? Download Pane.