# Tmux FAQ (tmuxai.dev)

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Institute | Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division |
| Subject | shell-multiplexer-auto-attach |
| Document type | Source Dossier |
| Tier | 1 |
| Source title | Tmux FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - TmuxAI |
| Source URL | https://tmuxai.dev/tmux-faq/ |
| Source publisher / author | tmuxai.dev |
| Source type | blog post |
| Source date (published) | Unknown — not stated |
| Date researched | 2026-10-09 |
| Researched by | tai (agent), model: Claude Sonnet 5, on behalf of retoor |
| Research method | web search synthesis |
| Confidence | Medium |
| Status | Active |

## Summary

A FAQ covering two distinct tmux capabilities relevant to the proposal: `capture-pane -pS - -E -` for reading the *entire* scrollback in one shot (not just the visible screen), and `pipe-pane -o 'cat >> file'` for continuously streaming a pane's live output into a file or command, stopped by re-running `pipe-pane` with no arguments.

## Key findings

- `capture-pane -pS - -E -` is the snapshot-read primitive: the full scrollback, start to end, in one call.
- `pipe-pane` is the streaming primitive: everything the pane produces from now on gets piped to a target (a file, or another command such as `grep`) continuously, until `pipe-pane` is invoked again with no target to stop it.
- These are two genuinely different operations (snapshot vs. stream) that a tai layer needs both of, not just one.

## Pros / strengths

- Gives both halves of the "remember the whole process log" requirement directly: `pipe-pane` for continuous append-only logging as it happens, `capture-pane -S -` for an on-demand full-history snapshot.

## Cons / limitations / caveats

- A FAQ-style page with short answers, no discussion of `pipe-pane`'s behavior across pane resize, tmux server restart, or very high-throughput output (buffering/backpressure).

## Relevance to tai

Directly solves the "remember the whole process log" requirement: run `pipe-pane -o 'cat >> ~/.tai/termlogs/<session>.log'` once per pane at creation time, and the entire session's raw output streams continuously into a file tai can feed through its own existing chunked FTS5 search (see `export_terminal_log` in `tai.py`) without needing a one-shot export step at all.

## Changelog

| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-09 | Initial dossier created. |