A powerful terminal multiplexer controller that enables programmatic management of workspaces, surfaces, and notifications via a Unix socket API.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install cmux
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install cmux using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is cmux?
The cmux skill provides a bridge for AI agents and developers to interact with the cmux terminal multiplexer programmatically. By utilizing a Unix socket or the dedicated CLI, this tool allows for the dynamic creation of workspaces, complex window splitting, and precise input injection. It is an essential component for users building sophisticated environments within Openclaw Skills to manage multi-terminal workflows without manual intervention.
This skill excels at bridging the gap between automated scripts and the user's visual terminal environment. Whether you are managing complex microservices or simple command-line tasks, cmux ensures that your workspace remains organized and actionable through high-level abstractions for terminal surfaces and metadata.
cmux Use Cases
- Automating the setup of development environments with multiple pre-configured terminal splits.
- Sending real-time progress updates or notifications from long-running scripts directly to the terminal UI.
- Orchestrating multi-agent collaboration by partitioning terminal surfaces for different processes.
- Remote control of terminal sessions through external Python or Bash scripts via JSON-RPC.
How cmux Works
- The skill establishes a connection via a Unix domain socket located at /tmp/cmux.sock or executes commands through the cmux CLI.
- Users or AI agents send JSON-RPC requests for specific methods like workspace.create or surface.split.
- The cmux daemon processes these requests to manipulate the terminal layout or state in real-time.
- Feedback, such as workspace lists or system status, is returned as JSON for further processing within the Openclaw Skills ecosystem.
cmux Setup
Ensure the cmux CLI is installed and the daemon is running. The default socket is typically located at /tmp/cmux.sock. You can verify your environment using the following commands:
# Check if cmux is available
command -v cmux &> /dev/null && echo "CLI ready"
# Check for the active socket
[ -S "/tmp/cmux.sock" ] && echo "Socket ready"
To use a custom socket path, export the CMUX_SOCKET_PATH environment variable before initiating your Openclaw Skills session.
cmux Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill communicates using a structured JSON-RPC format. Below is the metadata taxonomy used for organizing terminal states:
| Component | Description | Primary Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | A high-level container for terminal sessions. | id, name, visibility |
| Surface | An individual terminal pane or split. | id, workspace_id, focus_state |
| Notification | Ephemeral messages displayed in the UI. | title, body |
| Sidebar | Metadata for tracking process health. | status_key, progress_value, log_level |
cmux Advanced Features
- Multi-surface management allowing for complex grid layouts (up/down/left/right splits).
- Programmatic input injection for sending both raw text and specific control keys like escape or backspace.
- Real-time sidebar instrumentation including progress bars and color-coded log entries (error, info, etc.).
- Python and Shell helper integration for building custom automated workflows outside of the standard CLI.
SKILL.md
Loading
Related Openclaw Skills
Skill Auto-Use
A protocol for AI agents to automatically trigger and execute installed skills based on conversation context and pre-defined rules.
Content Analyzer
A professional tool for analyzing Xiaohongshu and Douyin content and profiles to extract engagement metrics and viral strategies.
AI Code Reviewer
An intelligent development assistant that automates code analysis, detects vulnerabilities, and generates comprehensive Pull Request documentation.
Multi-Platform Poster
A cross-platform social media distribution engine that automates content adaptation and publishing for major social networks.
Sparkforge Site Deployer
A high-speed deployment utility for scaffolding and shipping static websites to production platforms in under five minutes.
Prompt Crafter
A professional-grade framework for engineering high-performance AI prompts using proven structural methodologies like RACE and Chain-of-Thought.
Featured*
