tmux Plugins Guide: TPM, Resurrect, Continuum & More

Why Use tmux Plugins?

Plugins extend tmux functionality without writing complex configurations from scratch. The tmux plugin ecosystem is mature and stable, with well-maintained plugins that solve common workflow challenges.

With plugins, you can add powerful features such as session persistence across reboots, seamless clipboard integration with your operating system, vim-style navigation between tmux panes and vim splits, and much more. Instead of spending hours crafting custom scripts, you can install a plugin and have it working in seconds.

The plugin ecosystem is centered around TPM (Tmux Plugin Manager), which provides a simple and consistent way to install, update, and remove plugins. Most popular plugins follow the same conventions, making them easy to configure and combine.

Installing TPM (Tmux Plugin Manager)

TPM is the standard plugin manager for tmux. It handles installing, updating, and removing plugins with simple key bindings. Start by cloning the TPM repository:

# Clone TPM into the tmux plugins directory
git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

Next, add the following to your ~/.tmux.conf:

# List of plugins
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'

# Initialize TPM (keep this line at the very bottom of tmux.conf)
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

Reload your tmux configuration to activate TPM:

# Reload tmux.conf from within tmux
tmux source ~/.tmux.conf

TPM provides the following key bindings for managing plugins:

After adding a new plugin to your ~/.tmux.conf, press prefix + I to install it. TPM will clone the plugin repository and source it automatically.

tmux-sensible

tmux-sensible provides a universal set of defaults that everyone can agree on. It should be your first plugin because it eliminates the need for many common configuration tweaks.

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'

What tmux-sensible configures for you:

tmux-sensible is designed to be non-intrusive. It only sets options that have not already been set by the user, so your custom configuration always takes precedence. This makes it a safe and recommended starting point for any tmux setup.

tmux-resurrect

tmux-resurrect saves and restores your entire tmux environment, including sessions, windows, panes, and the processes running in them. This means you can restart your computer and get back to exactly where you left off.

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'

Key bindings for tmux-resurrect:

tmux-resurrect can also restore vim and neovim sessions, as well as pane contents. Configure these additional features in your ~/.tmux.conf:

# Restore vim sessions (requires vim-obsession plugin in vim)
set -g @resurrect-strategy-vim 'session'

# Restore neovim sessions
set -g @resurrect-strategy-nvim 'session'

# Restore pane contents
set -g @resurrect-capture-pane-contents 'on'

# Restore additional programs (space-separated list)
set -g @resurrect-processes 'ssh psql mysql'

Saved environments are stored in ~/.tmux/resurrect/. Each save creates a new file, so you can also manually restore from an earlier save point if needed.

tmux-continuum

tmux-continuum works alongside tmux-resurrect to provide automatic saving and restoring of your tmux environment. Instead of manually pressing key bindings, continuum handles everything in the background.

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf (requires tmux-resurrect)
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-continuum'

Configure continuum behavior:

# Automatic save interval in minutes (default: 15)
set -g @continuum-save-interval '15'

# Automatic restore when tmux server starts
set -g @continuum-restore 'on'

# Show continuum status in tmux status bar
set -g status-right 'Continuum: #{continuum_status}'

With both resurrect and continuum configured, your tmux environment becomes virtually indestructible. Sessions are saved every 15 minutes automatically, and when you start tmux, your last saved environment is restored without any manual intervention.

tmux-yank

tmux-yank enables copying to the system clipboard from tmux copy mode. It eliminates the need for manual clipboard configuration and works across different platforms automatically.

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-yank'

tmux-yank automatically detects and uses the appropriate clipboard tool for your platform:

Key bindings in copy mode:

With tmux-yank installed, you no longer need to manually configure clipboard integration for each platform. Enter copy mode with prefix + [, select text, and press y to copy it to your system clipboard.

vim-tmux-navigator

vim-tmux-navigator provides seamless navigation between tmux panes and vim splits using the same key bindings. This is a must-have plugin for vim users who work with tmux panes.

# Add to ~/.tmux.conf
set -g @plugin 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

Navigation key bindings (work in both tmux and vim):

For this to work, you also need to install the matching vim plugin. Add it to your vim configuration:

" Using vim-plug
Plug 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

" Using lazy.nvim (Neovim)
{ "christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator" }

Once both the tmux plugin and vim plugin are installed, you can navigate seamlessly between vim splits and tmux panes using Ctrl+h/j/k/l. The navigation is context-aware: if you are at the edge of a vim split, it moves to the adjacent tmux pane, and vice versa.

Other Notable Plugins

Beyond the essential plugins covered above, the tmux ecosystem offers many other useful plugins worth considering:

Install any of these by adding the corresponding set -g @plugin line to your ~/.tmux.conf and pressing prefix + I.

Complete Plugin Configuration Example

Here is a complete and recommended plugin section for your ~/.tmux.conf. This configuration includes the most essential plugins with sensible default settings:

# ======================
# Plugins
# ======================
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-continuum'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-yank'
set -g @plugin 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'

# ======================
# Plugin Settings
# ======================

# tmux-resurrect: restore pane contents and vim sessions
set -g @resurrect-capture-pane-contents 'on'
set -g @resurrect-strategy-vim 'session'
set -g @resurrect-strategy-nvim 'session'

# tmux-continuum: auto-save and auto-restore
set -g @continuum-restore 'on'
set -g @continuum-save-interval '15'

# ======================
# Initialize TPM (keep this line at the very bottom of tmux.conf)
# ======================
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

After adding this configuration, start tmux and press prefix + I to install all plugins. TPM will clone each plugin repository into ~/.tmux/plugins/ and source them automatically.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices to keep your tmux plugin setup clean and maintainable: