GitHub - raine/workmux: git worktrees + tmux windows for zero-friction parallel dev

Parallel development in tmux with git worktrees

Why? · Install · Quick start · Commands · Changelog

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.

Philosophy

Native tmux integration: Workmux creates windows in your current tmux session. Your existing shortcuts, themes, and workflow stay intact.
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
Automatic branch name generation from prompts using LLM
Display Claude agent status in tmux window names (setup)
Shell completions

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

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.
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 wm-new-feature (the prefix is configurable)
- Automatically switch your tmux client to the new window
Do your thing

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-). See Nerdfont window prefix for a nicer look.
worktree_naming: Strategy for deriving worktree/window names from branch names
- full (default): Use the full branch name (slashes become dashes)
- basename: Use only the part after the last / (e.g., prj-123/feature → feature)
worktree_prefix: Prefix prepended to worktree directory and window names. Note: This stacks with window_prefix, so a worktree with worktree_prefix: web- and window_prefix: wm- creates windows like wm-web-feature.
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.
merge_strategy: Default strategy for workmux merge (merge, rebase, or squash). CLI flags (--rebase, --squash) always override this setting. Default: merge.
status_format: Whether to automatically configure tmux to display agent status icons in the window list. Default: true.
status_icons: Custom icons for agent status display.
- working: Icon shown when agent is processing (default: 🤖)
- waiting: Icon shown when agent needs user input (default: 💬) - auto-clears on window focus
- done: Icon shown when agent finished (default: ✅) - auto-clears on window focus

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
path - Get the filesystem path of a 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, a remote branch reference (e.g., origin/feature-branch), or a GitHub fork reference (e.g., user:branch). Remote and fork references are automatically fetched and create a local branch with the derived name. Optional when using --pr.

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).
-A, --auto-name: Generate branch name from prompt using LLM. See Automatic branch name generation.
--name <name>: Override the worktree directory and tmux window name. By default, these are derived from the branch name (slugified). Cannot be used with multi-worktree generation (--count, --foreach, or multiple --agent).
-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

Determines the handle for the worktree by slugifying the branch name (e.g., feature/auth becomes feature-auth). This can be overridden with the --name flag.
Creates a git worktree at <worktree_dir>/<handle> (the worktree_dir is configurable and defaults to a sibling directory of your project)
Runs any configured file operations (copy/symlink)
Executes post_create commands if defined (runs before the tmux window opens, so keep them fast)
Creates a new tmux window named <window_prefix><handle> (e.g., wm-feature-auth with window_prefix: wm-)
Sets up your configured tmux pane layout
Automatically switches your tmux client to the new window

Examples

Basic usage

# 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

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

# Use a custom name for the worktree directory and tmux window
workmux add feature/long-descriptive-branch-name --name short

Checking out pull requests and fork branches

# 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

# Checkout a fork branch using GitHub's owner:branch format (copy from GitHub UI)
workmux add someuser:feature-branch

Moving changes to a new worktree

# 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

AI agent prompts

# 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

Skipping setup steps

# 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

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.

Automatic branch name generation

The --auto-name (-A) flag generates a branch name from your prompt using an LLM via the llm CLI tool.

Usage

# Opens editor for prompt, generates branch name
workmux add -A

# With inline prompt
workmux add -A -p "Add OAuth authentication"

# With prompt file
workmux add -A -P task-spec.md

Requirements

Install the llm CLI tool:

pipx install llm

Configure a model (e.g., OpenAI):

llm keys set openai
# Or use a local model
llm install llm-ollama

Configuration

Optionally specify a model and/or custom system prompt in .workmux.yaml:

auto_name:
  model: 'gemini-2.5-flash-lite'
  system_prompt: |
    Generate a concise git branch name based on the task description.

    Rules:
    - Use kebab-case (lowercase with hyphens)
    - Keep it short: 1-3 words, max 4 if necessary
    - Focus on the core task/feature, not implementation details
    - No prefixes like feat/, fix/, chore/

    Examples of good branch names:
    - "Add dark mode toggle" → dark-mode
    - "Fix the search results not showing" → fix-search
    - "Refactor the authentication module" → auth-refactor
    - "Add CSV export to reports" → export-csv
    - "Shell completion is broken" → shell-completion

    Output ONLY the branch name, nothing else.

If model is not configured, uses llm's default model.

Recommended models for fast, cheap branch name generation:

gemini-2.5-flash-lite (recommended)
gpt-5-nano

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 a target branch (main by default) 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.

Options

--into <branch>: Merge into the specified branch instead of the main branch. Useful for stacked PRs, git-flow workflows, or merging subtasks into a parent feature branch. If the target branch has its own worktree, the merge happens there; otherwise, the main worktree is used.
--ignore-uncommitted: Commit any staged changes before merging without opening an editor
--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 (configurable via merge_strategy). You can override the configured behavior with these mutually exclusive flags:

--rebase: Rebase the feature branch onto the target 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 the target. You'll be prompted to provide a commit message in your editor.

What happens

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

# Merge into a different branch (stacked PRs)
workmux merge feature/subtask --into feature/parent

`workmux remove [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.

[name]: Worktree name (the directory name). Defaults to current directory name if omitted.

Options

--gone: Remove worktrees whose upstream remote branch has been deleted (e.g., after a PR is merged on GitHub). Automatically runs git fetch --prune first.
--force, -f: Skip confirmation prompt and ignore uncommitted changes
--keep-branch, -k: Remove only the worktree and tmux window while keeping the local branch

Examples

# Remove the current worktree (run from within the worktree)
workmux remove

# Remove a specific worktree 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

# Remove worktrees whose remote branches were deleted (e.g., after PR merge)
workmux rm --gone

# Force remove all gone worktrees (no confirmation)
workmux rm --gone -f

`workmux list` (alias: `ls`)

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

Options

--pr: Show GitHub PR status for each worktree. Requires the gh CLI to be installed and authenticated. Note that it shows pull requests' statuses with Nerd Font icons, which requires Nerd Font compatible font installed.

Examples

# List all worktrees
workmux list

# List with PR status
workmux list --pr

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.

`workmux open <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.

<name>: Worktree name (the directory name, which is also the tmux window name without the prefix). This is the name you see in your tmux window list.

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

Verifies that a worktree with <name> exists and a tmux window does not.
Creates a new tmux window named after the worktree.
(If specified) Runs file operations and post_create hooks.
Sets up your configured tmux pane layout.
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 path <name>`

Prints the filesystem path of an existing worktree. Useful for scripting or quickly navigating to a worktree directory.

<name>: Worktree name (the directory name).

Examples

# Get the path of a worktree
workmux path user-auth
# Output: /Users/you/project__worktrees/user-auth

# Use in scripts or with cd
cd "$(workmux path user-auth)"

# Copy a file to a worktree
cp config.json "$(workmux path feature-branch)/"

`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

Scans ~/.claude.json for entries pointing to non-existent directories
Creates a backup at ~/.claude.json.bak before making changes
Removes all stale entries
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.

Agent status tracking

Workmux can display the status of Claude Code in your tmux window list, giving you at-a-glance visibility into what the agent in each window doing.

Key

🤖 = agent is working
💬 = agent is waiting for user input
✅ = agent finished (auto-clears on window focus)

Currently only Claude Code seems to support hooks that enable this kind of functionality. Gemini's support is on the way.

Setup

Install the workmux status plugin in Claude Code:

claude plugin marketplace add raine/workmux
claude plugin install workmux-status

Alternatively, you can manually add the hooks to ~/.claude/settings.json. See .claude-plugin/plugin.json for the hook configuration.

Workmux automatically modifies your tmux window-status-format to display the status icons. This happens once per session and only affects the current tmux session (not your global config).

Customization

You can customize the icons in your config:

# ~/.config/workmux/config.yaml
status_icons:
  working: '🔄'
  waiting: '⏸️'
  done: '✔️'

If you prefer to manage the tmux format yourself, disable auto-modification and add the status variable to your ~/.tmux.conf:

# ~/.config/workmux/config.yaml
status_format: false

# ~/.tmux.conf
set -g window-status-format '#I:#W#{?@workmux_status, #{@workmux_status},}#{?window_flags,#{window_flags}, }'
set -g window-status-current-format '#I:#W#{?@workmux_status, #{@workmux_status},}#{?window_flags,#{window_flags}, }'

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
Conflicts
Package manager considerations (pnpm, yarn)
Rust projects
Symlinks and .gitignore trailing slashes
Local git ignores (.git/info/exclude) are not shared

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.

Rust projects

Unlike node_modules, Rust's target/ directory should not be symlinked between worktrees. Cargo locks the target directory during builds, so sharing it would block parallel builds and defeat the purpose of worktrees.

Instead, use sccache to share compiled dependencies across worktrees:

brew install sccache

Add to ~/.cargo/config.toml:

[build]
rustc-wrapper = "sccache"

This caches compiled dependencies globally, so new worktrees benefit from cached artifacts without any lock contention.

Symlinks and `.gitignore` trailing slashes

If your .gitignore uses a trailing slash to ignore directories (e.g., tests/venv/), symlinks to that path in the created worktree will not be ignored and will show up in git status. This is because venv/ only matches directories, not files (symlinks).

To ignore both directories and symlinks, remove the trailing slash:

- tests/venv/
+ tests/venv

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

Nerdfont window prefix

If you have a Nerd Font installed (fonts patched with icons for developers), you can use the git branch icon as your window prefix for a cleaner look:

# ~/.config/workmux/config.yaml
window_prefix: "\uf418 "

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.

Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing! Bug reports and feature suggestions are always welcome via issues.

My goal is to keep the project simple and fun to maintain. I am generally not interested in reviewing complex PRs, refactors, or major feature additions, as they turn a fun hobby project into administrative work.

If you have a small fix, feel free to submit it. For anything larger, please open an issue first. Thanks for understanding.

Related projects

tmux-file-picker — Pop up fzf in tmux to quickly insert file paths, perfect for AI coding assistants
tmux-bro — Smart tmux session manager that sets up project-specific sessions automatically
claude-history — Search and view Claude Code conversation history with fzf
consult-llm-mcp — MCP server that lets Claude Code consult stronger AI models (o3, Gemini, GPT-5.1 Codex)

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 310 Commits
.claude-plugin		.claude-plugin
.github		.github
meta		meta
scripts		scripts
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
.workmux.yaml		.workmux.yaml
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
Cargo.lock		Cargo.lock
Cargo.toml		Cargo.toml
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
justfile		justfile

License

raine/workmux

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

Philosophy

Features

Hype

Installation

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

Cargo

Quick start

Configuration

Global configuration example

Project configuration example

Configuration options

Default behavior

Directory structure

Shell alias (recommended)

Commands

workmux add <branch-name>

Options

Skip options

What happens

Examples

Basic usage

Checking out pull requests and fork branches

Moving changes to a new worktree

AI agent prompts

Skipping setup steps

AI agent integration

Automatic branch name generation

Usage

Requirements

Configuration

Parallel workflows & multi-worktree generation

Multi-worktree options

Prompt templating

Variable matrices in prompt files

Examples

workmux merge [branch-name]

Options

Merge strategies

What happens

Typical workflow

Examples

workmux remove [name] (alias: rm)

Options

Examples

workmux list (alias: ls)

Options

Examples

Example output

Key

workmux init

workmux open <name>

Options

What happens

Examples

workmux path <name>

Examples

workmux claude prune

What happens

Safety

Examples

Example output

workmux completions <shell>

Examples

Agent status tracking

Key

Setup

Customization

Workflow example

Why workmux?

Without workmux

With workmux

The parallel AI workflow (with workmux)

Why git worktrees?

Git worktree caveats

`workmux add <branch-name>`

`workmux merge [branch-name]`

`workmux remove [name]` (alias: `rm`)

`workmux list` (alias: `ls`)

`workmux init`

`workmux open <name>`

`workmux path <name>`

`workmux claude prune`

`workmux completions <shell>`

Symlinks and `.gitignore` trailing slashes

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

Packages