Organizing Coder Terminals - Revision history

Justinaquino: Added RCA: tmux send-keys broke launchers, fixed with direct exec; ce-char-gen troubleshooting

2026-05-02T08:13:26Z

Added RCA: tmux send-keys broke launchers, fixed with direct exec; ce-char-gen troubleshooting

@@ Line 142: / Line 142: @@
 | <code>title</code> command not found || <code>.bashrc</code> not loaded || Start an interactive shell, or run <code>source ~/.bashrc</code>
 |-
-| Default title shows <code>title "project"</code> || Working as designed — it's the syntax reminder || Type <code>title "your real project"</code> to replace it
+| Default title shows <code>title "project"</code> || Working as designed — syntax reminder || Type <code>title "your real project"</code> to replace it
 |-
 | AI agent crashed and pane is dead || Process exited || Press <code>Ctrl+b r</code> to respawn
@@ Line 148: / Line 150: @@
 | Session already exists || Previous session still running || <code>tmux attach -t &lt;name&gt;</code> or <code>tmux kill-session -t &lt;name&gt;</code>
 |}
 == See Also ==

Justinaquino: Updated: default title is now the command reminder 'title "project"' (2026-05-02)

2026-05-02T07:27:04Z

Updated: default title is now the command reminder 'title "project"' (2026-05-02)

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 == How to Title Your Session ==
 Inside any terminal, type:
@@ Line 128: / Line 139: @@
 |-
 | Tab right-click has no "Set Title" || GNOME Terminal 3.44+ removed it || Use <code>title</code> bash command or <code>Ctrl+b ,</code>
 |-
 | AI agent crashed and pane is dead || Process exited || Press <code>Ctrl+b r</code> to respawn

Justinaquino: Created article on organizing coder terminals with tmux (2026-05-02)

2026-05-02T07:09:30Z

Created article on organizing coder terminals with tmux (2026-05-02)

New page

== Problem ==

When running multiple AI coding agents (Claude, Kimi, Qwen, OpenCode) in separate GNOME Terminal windows, every tab looks identical — usually titled by the running process name (e.g., "Kimi Code"). After opening 3–4 terminals, it becomes impossible to tell at a glance which terminal belongs to which project without clicking into each one.

GNOME Terminal 3.44+ removed the "Set Title" option from the tab right-click menu, eliminating the old manual workaround.

== Solution ==

Use '''tmux''' inside every terminal:
* One named tmux session per project (e.g., <code>claude</code>, <code>kimi</code>, <code>qwen</code>)
* A <code>title</code> bash command that renames both the tmux window and the terminal title
* Persistent panes — if an AI agent crashes, the pane stays alive and can be respawned

== Quick Start ==

=== Launch All Agents at Once ===

Run on the Ubuntu desktop:
<pre>
~/start_dev_env.sh
</pre>

This opens 5 GNOME Terminal windows:
{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Window Title !! Tmux Session !! Purpose
|-
| 1 || Claude Code — tmux || claude || Claude Code AI agent
|-
| 2 || OpenCode Claude — tmux || opencode-claude || OpenCode (Claude provider)
|-
| 3 || OpenCode Kimi — tmux || kimi || OpenCode (Kimi provider)
|-
| 4 || OpenCode Qwen — tmux || qwen || OpenCode (Qwen provider)
|-
| 5 || Tmux — General || general || Plain bash for git, docker, file ops
|}

Each session survives even if the GNOME Terminal window is closed.

=== Launch Individual Agents ===

Double-click any desktop launcher:
* <code>~/Desktop/claude.sh</code>
* <code>~/Desktop/kimi.sh</code>
* <code>~/Desktop/opencode.sh</code>
* <code>~/Desktop/Qwen.sh</code>

Each launcher auto-creates or reattaches to its tmux session.

== How to Title Your Session ==

Inside any terminal, type:
<pre>
title "ce char gen"
</pre>

This does two things:
# Renames the tmux window (visible in the green status bar at the bottom)
# Sets the GNOME Terminal tab/window title

Change it anytime:
<pre>
title "mneme shipgen"
title "IT-knowledge docs"
title "$(hostname)" # reset to hostname
</pre>

The title auto-resets after every shell prompt, so AI agents cannot overwrite it.

=== Tmux-Only Renaming ===
<pre>
tmux rename-window "my project" # rename current window
tmux rename-session "newname" # rename entire session
</pre>

=== Key Shortcuts ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Key !! Action
|-
| Ctrl+b , || Rename current window (interactive prompt)
|-
| Ctrl+b r || Respawn pane (restart AI agent if it crashed)
|-
| Ctrl+b d || Detach session (keeps it running in background)
|-
| Ctrl+b | || Split pane horizontally
|-
| Ctrl+b - || Split pane vertically
|-
| Alt+Arrow || Switch panes
|-
| Ctrl+b R || Reload tmux config
|}

== Reattaching to Sessions ==

If a terminal window is closed, the tmux session keeps running:
<pre>
tmux list-sessions
tmux attach-session -t claude
tmux attach-session -t kimi
</pre>

Aliases added to <code>~/.bashrc</code>:
<pre>
tls # list sessions
tas claude # attach to claude session
</pre>

== Configuration Files ==

{| class="wikitable"
! File !! Purpose
|-
| <code>~/.tmux.conf</code> || Tmux settings (status bar, mouse, key bindings)
|-
| <code>~/.bashrc</code> || <code>title()</code> function + auto-reset + tmux aliases
|-
| <code>~/.config/tmux-launcher.sh</code> || Helper script for desktop launchers
|}

== Troubleshooting ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Symptom !! Cause !! Fix
|-
| Title shows "Kimi Code" instead of custom || AI resets it via escape sequences || <code>PROMPT_COMMAND</code> auto-resets after every prompt
|-
| Tab right-click has no "Set Title" || GNOME Terminal 3.44+ removed it || Use <code>title</code> bash command or <code>Ctrl+b ,</code>
|-
| AI agent crashed and pane is dead || Process exited || Press <code>Ctrl+b r</code> to respawn
|-
| Session already exists || Previous session still running || <code>tmux attach -t <name></code> or <code>tmux kill-session -t <name></code>
|}

== See Also ==

* [[IT Knowledge Base]]
* [[Forgejo]]
* [[Docker Stacks]]

[[Category:System Administration]]
[[Category:Development Environment]]
[[Category:AI Agents]]