tmux

Prefix key in this config is C-a (not tmux's default C-b).

Sessions

tmux new -s <name>: create a new, named session
tmux ls: list all running sessions
tmux attach -t <name>: attach to a specific existing session
tmux attach: attach to the only session (ambiguous if more than one exists)
C-a d: detach from the current session (it keeps running)

One session per project — a crash/kill in one session can never touch another. Reserve new sessions for genuine blast-radius isolation, not every new task.

Windows

C-a c: create a new window
C-a n / C-a p: next / previous window
C-a <number>: jump directly to window N
C-a ,: rename the current window

Use a window for a different task within the SAME project — shared blast radius is fine, you're just flipping attention.

Panes

C-a |: split pane vertically (side by side)
C-a -: split pane horizontally (stacked)
C-a h/j/k/l: move focus between panes (vim-aware bindings)
C-a x: close the current pane

Use a pane only when two things need to be visible AT THE SAME TIME, permanently — not as the default way to "add one more thing."

Layouts

C-a space: cycle through the 5 built-in presets: even-horizontal (M-1), even-vertical (M-2), main-horizontal (M-3), main-vertical (M-4), tiled (M-5)
⌥5: jump straight to tiled layout on Mac (Option+5), no cycling needed
C-a :select-layout tiled: command-line fallback if Option+number is unreliable in your terminal's keyboard settings

Why presets beat manual splitting past 2 panes: a manual split only knows about the ONE pane it's cutting, so splitting a 2-pane layout again goes lopsided (one big pane + two small). A preset layout recomputes ALL panes together.

Mode indicator note (Warp specific)

This config sets status-position top — the tmux status bar renders at the TOP of the screen, not the bottom most tutorials assume.