A desktop for your terminal sessions
ckmux keeps your shells and programs running when you disconnect. Reattach to a workspace of movable terminal windows, with a menu bar, mouse support, and a footer showing the keys you can use right now.
Start here
- Install ckmux on macOS, Linux, or Windows.
- Open your first session, add a terminal, and try detaching and reattaching.
- Make it yours: choose a shell, theme, and shortcuts.
Find an answer
| Task | Guide |
|---|---|
| Download, install, upgrade, or remove ckmux | Installation |
| Manage sessions or join from another client | Getting started |
| Reconnect over SSH or understand desktop logout | SSH and session lifetime |
| Use commands and environment variables | Command line |
| Navigate, copy, and paste | Keys |
| Configure the shell, display, clipboard, and printing | Configuration |
| Build and test the source | Building from source |
| Understand native Windows runtime and packaging | Native Windows |
Inside ckmux, Ctrl+B, ? opens the key reference. The Help menu opens the
in-application guide. Unix installations also include man ckmux.
Platforms and limits
Packages cover macOS Apple Silicon, Linux x86_64, and native Windows x64/ARM64. ckmux is pre-1.0; its interface and protocol may change. Windows automated installation and lifecycle checks pass, while the manual Windows Terminal and installer walkthrough remains pending. Graphics require a Sixel-capable host.
A detached server owns each session. Closing a client leaves the server and its programs running; rebooting or stopping the server ends them. Connections are local, through a Unix socket or Windows named pipe. For remote work, run ckmux on the remote machine through your usual terminal connection. Desktop logout and SSH session cleanup depend on the host; read SSH and session lifetime before relying on logout survival.