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: "\uf418 " # Use nerdtree branch icon as prefix
merge_strategy: rebase # Make workmux merge do rebase by default
agent: claude

panes:
  - command: <agent> # Start the configured agent (e.g., claude)
    focus: true
  - split: horizontal # Second pane with default shell

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

Most options have sensible defaults. You only need to configure what you want to customize.

Basic options

Option	Description	Default
main_branch	Branch to merge into	Auto-detected
worktree_dir	Directory for worktrees (absolute or relative)	<project>__worktrees/
window_prefix	Prefix for tmux window names	wm-
agent	Default agent for <agent> placeholder	claude
merge_strategy	Default merge strategy (merge, rebase, squash)	merge

Naming options

Option	Description	Default
worktree_naming	How to derive names from branches	full
worktree_prefix	Prefix for worktree directories and windows	none

worktree_naming strategies:

• full: Use the full branch name (slashes become dashes)
• basename: Use only the part after the last / (e.g., prj-123/feature → feature)

Panes

Define your tmux pane layout with the panes array:

panes:
  - command: <agent>
    focus: true
  - command: npm run dev
    split: horizontal
    size: 15

Each pane supports:

Option	Description	Default
command	Command to run (use <agent> for configured agent)	Shell
focus	Whether this pane receives focus	false
split	Split direction (horizontal or vertical)	—
size	Absolute size in lines/cells	50%
percentage	Size as percentage (1-100)	50%

TIP

The <agent> placeholder must be the entire command value to be substituted. To add extra flags, either include them in the agent config (e.g., agent: "claude --verbose") or use the literal command name (e.g., command: "claude --verbose").

File operations

Copy or symlink files into new worktrees:

files:
  copy:
    - .env
  symlink:
    - node_modules
    - .pnpm-store

Both copy and symlink accept glob patterns.

Lifecycle hooks

Run commands at specific points in the worktree lifecycle. All hooks run with the worktree directory as the working directory and receive environment variables: WM_HANDLE, WM_WORKTREE_PATH, WM_PROJECT_ROOT.

Hook	When it runs	Additional env vars
post_create	After worktree creation, before tmux window opens	—
pre_merge	Before merging (aborts on failure)	WM_BRANCH_NAME, WM_TARGET_BRANCH
pre_remove	Before worktree removal (aborts on failure)	—

Example:

post_create:
  - direnv allow

pre_merge:
  - just check

Agent status icons

Customize the icons shown in tmux window names:

status_icons:
  working: "🤖" # Agent is processing
  waiting: "💬" # Agent needs input (auto-clears on focus)
  done: "✅" # Agent finished (auto-clears on focus)

Set status_format: false to disable automatic tmux format modification.

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

Automatic setup with panes

Use the panes configuration to automate environment setup. Unlike post_create hooks which must finish before the tmux window opens, pane commands execute immediately within the new window.

This can be used for:

• Installing dependencies: Run npm install or cargo build in a focused pane to monitor progress.
• Starting services: Launch dev servers, database containers, or file watchers automatically.
• Running agents: Initialize AI agents with specific context.

Since these run in standard tmux panes, you can interact with them (check logs, restart servers) just like a normal terminal session.

TIP

Running dependency installation (like pnpm install) in a pane command rather than post_create has a key advantage: you get immediate access to the tmux window while installation runs in the background. With post_create, you'd have to wait for the install to complete before the window even opens. This also means AI agents can start working immediately in their pane while dependencies install in parallel.

panes:
  # Pane 1: Install dependencies, then start dev server
  - command: pnpm install && pnpm run dev

  # Pane 2: AI agent
  - command: <agent>
    split: horizontal
    focus: true