The Terminal skill enables advanced interactive terminal session management using tmux, specifically designed for commands requiring TTY or stdin. It allows Claude to handle persistent sessions, maintain environment states, and execute interactive CLI tools like Vim, SSH, and Top, bridging the gap between simple script execution and complex system interaction.

When should I use terminal?

terminal is useful in the following scenarios: • Interactive File Editing: Seamlessly use text editors like Vim or Nano to modify code and configuration files with full TTY support and persistent state. • Real-time System Monitoring: Execute and interact with live monitoring tools such as 'top' or 'htop' to observe system performance and manage processes dynamically. • Persistent Remote Access: Manage SSH sessions and remote server interactions that require interactive authentication and TTY persistence across multiple turns. • Complex CLI Workflows: Handle multi-step command sequences that rely on maintained environment variables, working directories, and interactive prompts that standard bash tools cannot support.

name	terminal
description	\|

Terminal

Provides interactive terminal sessions for executing commands that require TTY or stdin.

Key Features

Send keystrokes to a tmux session and capture output
Persistent sessions maintain state (environment variables, working directory)
Multiple sessions can be managed independently
Special key support (Enter, Escape, Up, Down, C-c, etc.)

Usage

Run scripts/terminal.sh with the following commands:

Execute: Send keys and capture output

scripts/terminal.sh execute [options] [keys...]

Options:

--session NAME - Session name (auto-generated if omitted, reuses last session)
--read-wait MS - Wait time before capturing output (default: 1000)
--key-delay MS - Delay between keystrokes (default: 0)
--literal - Send keys literally without parsing special keys
--raw-output - Preserve escape sequences (ANSI colors, formatting) in output
--width N - Terminal width for new sessions
--height N - Terminal height for new sessions

Keys: Pass keys as separate arguments. Special keys are automatically recognized:

Control keys: C-c, C-d, C-z, C-u, etc.
Function keys: F1-F12
Navigation: Up, Down, Left, Right, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown
Other: Enter, Escape, Tab, BSpace (backspace), DC (delete)

Close: Terminate a session

scripts/terminal.sh close --session NAME

Cleanup: Terminate all sessions

scripts/terminal.sh cleanup

Examples

Run a command:

scripts/terminal.sh execute 'echo hello world' Enter

Start an interactive program:

scripts/terminal.sh execute 'top' Enter --read-wait 2000

Send keys to exit (press q):

scripts/terminal.sh execute q

Edit a file with vim:

scripts/terminal.sh execute 'vim file.txt' Enter --read-wait 1000

Navigate vim and save:

scripts/terminal.sh execute ':wq' Enter

Cancel a running command:

scripts/terminal.sh execute C-c

Use a named session:

scripts/terminal.sh execute --session dev 'cd /project && npm start' Enter
scripts/terminal.sh execute --session dev  # Check output later
scripts/terminal.sh close --session dev

Capture colored output:

scripts/terminal.sh execute --raw-output 'ls --color=always' Enter
scripts/terminal.sh execute --raw-output 'grep --color=always pattern file.txt' Enter

Best Practices

Use empty keys to check current terminal state: scripts/terminal.sh execute
End commands with Enter to execute them
Use --literal for text containing special key names
Use --read-wait with longer values for slow commands
Use C-c to interrupt running processes

terminal

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases