txm: Terminal Session Manager

txm is a unified command-line interface for managing terminal multiplexer sessions. It supports tmux, zellij, and GNU Screen through a single consistent set of commands, with automatic backend detection and native shell completions.

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Installation

Quick Install (recommended)

Downloads and installs the latest release automatically.

User-local (installs to ~/.local/bin):

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MohamedElashri/txm/main/utils/install.sh | bash

System-wide (installs to /usr/local/bin, requires root):

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MohamedElashri/txm/main/utils/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --system

The installer also handles the man page and shell completions automatically.

Pre-built Binaries

Download the appropriate archive for your platform from the releases page:

Platform	Archive
Linux x86_64	txm_Linux_x86_64.zip
Linux arm64	txm_Linux_arm64.zip
macOS x86_64	txm_Darwin_x86_64.zip
macOS arm64	txm_Darwin_arm64.zip

After downloading, extract and install:

unzip txm_Linux_x86_64.zip
./txm install          # user-local (~/.local/bin)
# or
./txm install --system # system-wide (/usr/local/bin) — requires sudo

Build from Source

Requirements: Go 1.24+, and at least one multiplexer installed.

git clone https://github.com/MohamedElashri/txm
cd txm
make build
./bin/txm install      # user-local
# or
sudo ./bin/txm install --system

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Autocompletion

Shell completions are installed automatically during txm install for bash, zsh, and fish.

Shell	Completion path (user)
Bash	~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/txm
Zsh	~/.zfunc/_txm
Fish	~/.config/fish/completions/txm.fish

Zsh only: add fpath+=~/.zfunc to your ~/.zshrc before the compinit call.

For a temporary session, or for PowerShell, generate on the fly:

source <(txm completion bash)   # bash
source <(txm completion zsh)    # zsh
txm completion fish | source    # fish
txm completion powershell       # powershell

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Quick Start

# Create and attach to a session
txm create my-project
txm attach my-project

# List sessions
txm list

# Create a window inside the session
txm new-window my-project editor

# Split the window vertically
txm split-window my-project editor v

# Delete the session when done
txm delete my-project

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Configuration

txm selects a backend in this priority order:

1. TXM_DEFAULT_BACKEND environment variable (one-off override)
2. ~/.txm/config file (persistent)
3. Auto-detection: tmux → zellij → screen

# Set your preferred backend
txm config set backend zellij

# View current settings
txm config show

# One-off override
TXM_DEFAULT_BACKEND=tmux txm create my-session

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Commands

Session Management

Command	Description
txm create <name>	Create a new session
txm list	List all active sessions
txm attach <name>	Attach to an existing session
txm detach	Detach from the current session
txm delete <name>	Delete a session
txm rename-session <old> <new>	Rename a session
txm nuke	Kill all sessions

Window Management

Command	Description
txm new-window <session> [name]	Create a new window/tab
txm list-windows <session>	List windows in a session
txm kill-window <session> <window>	Remove a window
txm rename-window <session> <old> <new>	Rename a window
txm next-window <session>	Switch to next window
txm prev-window <session>	Switch to previous window
txm move-window <src-session> <window> <dst-session>	Move window between sessions
txm swap-window <session> <w1> <w2>	Swap two windows
txm split-window <session> <window> <v|h>	Split a window into panes

Pane Management

Command	Description
txm list-panes <session> <window>	List panes in a window
txm kill-pane <session> <window> <pane>	Remove a pane
txm resize-pane <session> <window> <pane> <U|D|L|R> <size>	Resize a pane
txm send-keys <session> <window> <pane> <keys>	Send keystrokes to a pane

Utility

Command	Description
txm config set backend <tmux|zellij|screen>	Set default backend
txm config get backend	Show current backend
txm config show	Show all configuration
txm install [--system]	Install binary, man page, and completions
txm uninstall	Remove txm and all its files
txm version	Show version
txm completion <bash|zsh|fish|powershell>	Generate shell completion script

Note

: Session and window names may only contain alphanumeric characters, dashes (-), and underscores (_).

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Backend Support

Feature	tmux	zellij	GNU Screen
Session management	✓	✓	✓
Window operations	✓	✓	✓
Session rename	✓	✗	✗
Move window	✓	✗	✗
Swap window	✓	✗	✗
Pane split (vertical)	✓	✓	✓
Pane split (horizontal)	✓	✓	✗
Pane targeting by number	✓	✗ (focus-based)	✗

Pane targeting notes:

• tmux: Directly targets panes by number (0, 1, 2, …)
• zellij: Navigates to the target pane via focus commands (best-effort)
• screen: Basic splitting only; no per-pane addressing

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Environment Variables

Variable	Description
TXM_DEFAULT_BACKEND	Override the active backend (tmux, zellij, screen)
NO_COLOR	Disable colored output
TERM	Used for terminal capability detection

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Documentation

• Full command reference: docs/user-guide.md
• Changelog: docs/CHANGELOG.md
• Man page: man txm (installed alongside the binary)

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Uninstallation

txm uninstall removes the binary, man page, and all shell completion files automatically.

txm uninstall          # user-local installation
sudo txm uninstall     # system-wide installation

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request on GitHub.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 — see LICENSE