# tmux GitHub Discussion #3567 — No Raw Socket API Planned

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Institute | Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division |
| Subject | shell-multiplexer-auto-attach |
| Document type | Source Dossier |
| Tier | 1 |
| Source title | Replies: 3 comments (tmux/tmux discussion #3567) |
| Source URL | https://github.com/tmux/tmux/discussions/3567 |
| Source publisher / author | tmux project (GitHub Discussions) |
| Source type | forum thread |
| 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 GitHub Discussion in which a user asks for a way to send raw command strings directly to the tmux server socket, bypassing the existing command/control-mode interfaces. The maintainer's recorded position is that there are no plans to offer anything beyond what already exists (the command set and control mode).

## Key findings

- tmux's server socket protocol is not a documented, stable wire format open for third-party reimplementation — the only sanctioned ways in are the `tmux` CLI commands and control mode (`-C`/`-CC`).
- This forecloses the option of a tai layer talking to the tmux server socket directly without going through the `tmux` binary itself.

## Pros / strengths

- Directly settles a design question before it becomes a dead end: don't try to speak tmux's internal socket protocol yourself.

## Cons / limitations / caveats

- A single maintainer comment in a discussion thread, not a formal API stability guarantee — could change, but is the best available signal today.

## Relevance to tai

Confirms the tai control layer must shell out to the `tmux` binary (plain commands or `-CC` control mode), not attempt to speak to `tmux`'s socket protocol directly — a cleaner, more future-proof design than reverse-engineering an undocumented wire format.

## Changelog

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