Ghostty + tmux Startup Automation

Path: Computer Tech/Terminal/tmux/Ghostty + tmux Startup Automation.mdUpdated: 2/3/2026

Ghostty + tmux Startup Automation

This guide shows you how to configure Ghostty terminal to automatically start tmux sessions in specific directories when you press Cmd+T.

Series navigation:

tmux Basics - Core concepts
tmux Configuration with chezmoi - Config management
TPM - Tmux Plugin Manager - Plugins
Ghostty + tmux Startup Automation (this article)
tmux Session Presets - Project layouts

What Problem Does This Solve?

Without automation:

Press Cmd+T → Generic terminal opens in ~/
Manually cd to project directory
Manually start tmux session
Manually create your layout

With automation:

Press Cmd+T → tmux session already attached
Already in your project directory
Ready to code immediately

Pre-Setup Checklist

✅ Ghostty terminal installed ✅ tmux installed and configured (tmux Configuration with chezmoi) ✅ chezmoi managing your Ghostty config

Method 1: Simple Directory Preset (Recommended for Beginners)

This method makes new Ghostty tabs open in a specific directory with tmux attached.

Step 1: Configure Ghostty Working Directory

Add to your Ghostty config (managed by chezmoi):

bash
# Edit through chezmoi
chezmoi edit "Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config"

Add these lines:

bash
# Open new windows/tabs in specific directory
working-directory = /Users/yourusername/Code/github.com/theslyprofessor/midimaze

# Auto-attach to tmux (see next step)
shell-integration-features = no-cursor,no-sudo,no-title

Step 2: Create Startup Script

Create a script that runs when terminal opens:

bash
# Create the script
touch ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach

Edit ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach:

bash
#!/bin/bash

# Auto-attach to tmux session, or create default session
if [ -z "$TMUX" ]; then
    # Check if we have a default session
    if tmux has-session -t default 2>/dev/null; then
        # Attach to existing default session
        exec tmux attach -t default
    else
        # Create new default session
        exec tmux new -s default
    fi
else
    # Already in tmux, just start shell
    exec $SHELL
fi

Step 3: Add to chezmoi

bash
# Add script to chezmoi
chezmoi add ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach

# Commit
cd ~/.local/share/chezmoi
git add .
git commit -m "Add Ghostty tmux auto-attach script"
git push

Step 4: Configure Shell to Use Script

Add to your ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc):

bash
# Auto-attach to tmux when opening new terminal
# (Only if not already in tmux and TERM_PROGRAM is Ghostty)
if [ -z "$TMUX" ] && [ "$TERM_PROGRAM" = "ghostty" ]; then
    ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach
fi

Add to chezmoi:

bash
chezmoi add ~/.zshrc
cd ~/.local/share/chezmoi
git add .
git commit -m "Add tmux auto-attach to shell rc"
git push

Result

Now when you:

Open Ghostty
Press Cmd+T for new tab
Automatically: Opens in midimaze directory with tmux attached!

Method 2: Smart Directory Detection

This method detects if you're in a project directory and creates/attaches to project-specific sessions.

Create Smart Script

Edit ~/.local/bin/tmux-smart-attach:

bash
#!/bin/bash

# Get current directory name
PROJECT_NAME=$(basename "$PWD")

# If already in tmux, do nothing
if [ -n "$TMUX" ]; then
    exec $SHELL
    exit 0
fi

# Check if we're in a known project directory
case "$PWD" in
    */midimaze)
        SESSION="midimaze"
        ;;
    */nakultiruviluamala)
        SESSION="website"
        ;;
    */PhD)
        SESSION="phd"
        ;;
    */nnt-docs)
        SESSION="nnt"
        ;;
    *)
        # Default session for other directories
        SESSION="default"
        ;;
esac

# Attach to or create the session
if tmux has-session -t "$SESSION" 2>/dev/null; then
    exec tmux attach -t "$SESSION"
else
    exec tmux new -s "$SESSION"
fi

Make it executable and add to chezmoi:

bash
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/tmux-smart-attach
chezmoi add ~/.local/bin/tmux-smart-attach

Update your .zshrc:

bash
# Smart tmux session based on directory
if [ -z "$TMUX" ] && [ "$TERM_PROGRAM" = "ghostty" ]; then
    ~/.local/bin/tmux-smart-attach
fi

Result

Now tmux sessions are automatically named based on your project!

bash
# In ~/Code/.../midimaze
tmux ls
# Shows: midimaze (attached)

# In ~/Code/.../nakultiruviluamala  
tmux ls
# Shows: website (attached)

Method 3: Per-Tab Custom Commands (Advanced)

Ghostty supports keybindings that can run different commands.

Configure Different Keybindings for Different Projects

Edit Ghostty config:

bash
chezmoi edit "Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config"

Add custom keybindings:

bash
# Default new tab (Cmd+T)
keybind = cmd+t=new_tab:~/.local/bin/tmux-smart-attach

# Midimaze tab (Cmd+Shift+M)
keybind = cmd+shift+m=new_tab:~/.local/bin/start-midimaze

# Website tab (Cmd+Shift+W)  
keybind = cmd+shift+w=new_tab:~/.local/bin/start-website

# PhD tab (Cmd+Shift+P)
keybind = cmd+shift+p=new_tab:~/.local/bin/start-phd

Create Project-Specific Scripts

For midimaze (~/.local/bin/start-midimaze):

bash
#!/bin/bash
cd ~/Code/github.com/theslyprofessor/midimaze
exec tmux new -s midimaze -A  # -A = attach if exists

For website (~/.local/bin/start-website):

bash
#!/bin/bash
cd ~/Code/github.com/theslyprofessor/nakultiruviluamala
exec tmux new -s website -A

For PhD (~/.local/bin/start-phd):

bash
#!/bin/bash
cd ~/Code/github.com/theslyprofessor/PhD
exec tmux new -s phd -A

Make them executable:

bash
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/start-*

Add to chezmoi:

bash
chezmoi add ~/.local/bin/start-*
cd ~/.local/share/chezmoi
git add .
git commit -m "Add project-specific tmux launchers"
git push

Result

Now you have keyboard shortcuts for each project:

Cmd+T → Smart session based on current directory
Cmd+Shift+M → Midimaze project
Cmd+Shift+W → Website project
Cmd+Shift+P → PhD project

Recommended Setup for Your Workflow

Based on your setup (chezmoi + midimaze focus), I recommend:

1. Update Ghostty Config

bash
chezmoi edit "Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config"

Add:

bash
# Theme
theme = Blue Matrix
window-save-state = always

# Default directory for new tabs
working-directory = /Users/ntiruviluamala/Code/github.com/theslyprofessor/midimaze

# Keybindings for splits
keybind = cmd+d=new_split:right
keybind = cmd+shift+d=new_split:down

# Navigate between panes (vim-style)
keybind = ctrl+h=goto_split:left
keybind = ctrl+j=goto_split:bottom
keybind = ctrl+k=goto_split:top
keybind = ctrl+l=goto_split:right

# Project shortcuts
keybind = cmd+shift+m=new_tab:~/.local/bin/start-midimaze
keybind = cmd+shift+w=new_tab:~/.local/bin/start-website

2. Create tmux Auto-Attach Script

bash
# Create ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach as shown in Method 1
# Add to chezmoi
chezmoi add ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach

3. Update .zshrc

bash
chezmoi edit ~/.zshrc

Add:

bash
# Auto-attach to tmux in Ghostty
if [ -z "$TMUX" ] && [ "$TERM_PROGRAM" = "ghostty" ]; then
    ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach
fi

4. Commit Everything

bash
cd ~/.local/share/chezmoi
git add .
git commit -m "Configure Ghostty + tmux auto-start workflow"
git push

Now when you press Cmd+T:

✅ Opens in midimaze directory
✅ Attaches to tmux session
✅ All config is version controlled with chezmoi
✅ Works on all your machines

Troubleshooting

Terminal opens but tmux doesn't start

Check if script is executable:

bash
ls -la ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach
# Should show: -rwxr-xr-x

Make it executable:

bash
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/tmux-auto-attach

Script runs twice (nested tmux)

Add the TMUX check to your script:

bash
if [ -n "$TMUX" ]; then
    exec $SHELL
    exit 0
fi

Ghostty config not applying

Apply chezmoi changes:

bash
chezmoi apply

Restart Ghostty.

Wrong directory opens

Check Ghostty config:

bash
chezmoi cat "Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config" | grep working-directory

Update if needed:

bash
chezmoi edit "Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config"

Next Steps

tmux Session Presets - Create complex multi-window layouts for each project
TPM - Tmux Plugin Manager - Add plugins like tmux-resurrect to save layouts automatically
tmux Basics - Review core tmux concepts

Related:

tmux Configuration with chezmoi - Managing tmux config
Dev Environment Stack - Understanding configuration layers