tmux.nvim

A very tiny plugin that lets you seamlessly navigate between tmux panes and vim splits.

Installation

-- Using packer.nvim

use("nathom/tmux.nvim")

If you're a stickler for lazy loading like I am, use a dedicated tmux mapping file in ~/.config/nvim/lua/config/tmux.lua and put the following in your plugin config instead:

use({ "nathom/tmux.nvim", config = [[require("config.tmux")]] })

Usage

First and foremost, you need to add the following to your .tmux.conf

# Smart pane switching with awareness of Vim splits.
# From https://github.com/christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator
is_vim="ps -o state= -o comm= -t '#{pane_tty}' \
| grep -iqE '^[^TXZ ]+ +(\\S+\\/)?g?(view|n?vim?x?)(diff)?$'"
bind-key -n Left if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys Left" "select-pane -L"
bind-key -n Down if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys Down" "select-pane -D"
bind-key -n Up if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys Up" "select-pane -U"
bind-key -n Right if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys Right" "select-pane -R"

tmux.nvim exposes 4 functions that you can map to any key of your choosing—move_left, move_right, move_up, and move_down.

Then, put the following in your config:

local map = vim.api.nvim_set_keymap
map("n", "<Left>", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_left()<cr>]])
map("n", "<Down>", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_down()<cr>]])
map("n", "<Up>", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_up()<cr>]])
map("n", "<Right>", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_right()<cr>]])

If you don't want to use arrow keys, use the following template, replacing the {side} with the appropriate key name in Vim and tmux.

# tmux.conf
is_vim="ps -o state= -o comm= -t '#{pane_tty}' \
| grep -iqE '^[^TXZ ]+ +(\\S+\\/)?g?(view|n?vim?x?)(diff)?$'"
bind-key -n {left} if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys {left}" "select-pane -L"
bind-key -n {down} if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys {down}" "select-pane -D"
bind-key -n {up} if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys {up}" "select-pane -U"
bind-key -n {right} if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys {right}" "select-pane -R"

-- init.lua or config/tmux.lua
local map = vim.api.nvim_set_keymap
map("n", "{left}", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_left()<cr>]])
map("n", "{down}", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_down()<cr>]])
map("n", "{up}", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_up()<cr>]])
map("n", "{right}", [[<cmd>lua require('tmux').move_right()<cr>]])