Launch Terminal with tmux Sessions

If you’re a tmux user, you can configure Zed to automatically attach to a project-specific tmux session when you open the terminal.

Configuration

Add this to your settings.json file:

{
  "terminal": {
    "shell": {
      "with_arguments": {
        "program": "/bin/zsh",  // or path to your preferred shell
        "args": ["-c", "tmux new-session -A -s \"$(basename \"$PWD\")\""]
      }
    }
  }
}

How It Works

This configuration uses $(basename "$PWD") to automatically name the tmux session after your current project directory. Each project gets its own dedicated tmux session.

The -A flag means “attach to existing session or create new one”, so:

• First time opening a terminal in a project: creates a new tmux session
• Subsequent times: reconnects to the existing session
• Different projects: get different tmux sessions automatically

Benefits

This is great for those who prefer keyboard-driven workflows for:

• Selecting text in the terminal
• Copying output with tmux copy mode
• Navigating through terminal history
• Splitting panes within tmux
• Persistent sessions that survive Zed restarts

You get all the power of tmux while working in Zed, with automatic project-based session management!