kmux - Konsole with Native tmux Integration

Like iTerm2's tmux integration, but for Linux/KDE.

kmux is a fork of Konsole (KDE's terminal emulator) that adds first-class tmux integration. Instead of running tmux inside a plain terminal, kmux communicates directly with a tmux server via tmux's control mode (tmux -CC), mapping tmux windows and panes onto native Konsole tabs and splits — detach, reattach, and remote sessions included, with the full Konsole feature set on top.

If you've used tmux -CC with iTerm2 on a Mac and missed it on Linux, this is that. The only comparable Linux option is WezTerm's (still-maturing) control-mode support; kmux instead builds the integration on Konsole's full KDE feature set — profiles, color schemes, KPart embedding, bookmarks.

• Native tmux control-mode bridge — kmux starts tmux in control mode (tmux -C) and maps tmux state directly into native UI elements instead of running tmux inside a nested terminal.
• Tabs and splits synchronized with tmux — tmux windows map to Konsole tabs and tmux panes map to native split containers, with focus/layout updates kept in sync in both directions.
• Full pane/window operations from kmux UI — split, close, move, swap, break, and select panes/windows from kmux actions, with tmux updated immediately.
• Zoom/maximize parity — tmux pane zoom and Konsole maximize actions mirror each other (including the Ctrl+Shift+E zoom workflow).
• Prefix key palette (dynamic) — pressing the tmux prefix key opens a popup of live tmux key bindings; selecting an entry executes its tmux command.
• Native choose-tree replacement — tmux choose-tree bindings are intercepted and opened as a kmux popup, with panes/windows/sessions modes and fuzzy filtering.
• Server-wide tree switcher — quickly jump to any tmux session, window, or pane from a searchable hierarchical picker.
• Multi-window tmux workflows — detach a tmux-backed tab into a new kmux window and merge it back later, while staying attached to the same tmux session.
• Session lifecycle actions — detach the current tmux client or create and switch to a brand-new tmux session directly from kmux actions.
• Working-directory aware creation — new panes/windows/sessions preserve the expected working directory behavior during tmux operations.
• Remote/socket-aware startup — attach/create sessions by tmux session name, socket name/path, custom tmux binary path, and optional remote shell wrapper (--rsh / KMUX_RSH).
• Full Konsole feature set — color schemes, keyboard shortcuts, KPart embedding, profiles, bookmarks, and everything else Konsole provides.

kmux is packaged on the AUR as kmux-git:

yay -S kmux-git        # or: paru -S kmux-git

1. Install dependencies. On Arch Linux:

   pacman -S base-devel cmake ninja git extra-cmake-modules \
     qt6-base qt6-multimedia qt6-5compat qt6-tools \
     kcoreaddons kconfig kio kparts kcrash knotifications \
     kxmlgui kbookmarks kiconthemes kconfigwidgets kwindowsystem \
     kpty kdbusaddons kglobalaccel knewstuff knotifyconfig \
     ktextwidgets kwidgetsaddons kservice ki18n \
     icu tmux util-linux
   

   On Ubuntu/Debian (neon):

   apt install git cmake make g++ extra-cmake-modules \
     libkf6config-dev libkf6auth-dev libkf6package-dev \
     libkf6declarative-dev libkf6coreaddons-dev libkf6kcmutils-dev \
     libkf6i18n-dev libkf6crash-dev libkf6newstuff-dev \
     libkf6textwidgets-dev libkf6iconthemes-dev libkf6dbusaddons-dev \
     libkf6notifyconfig-dev libkf6pty-dev libkf6notifications-dev \
     libkf6parts-dev qt6-base-dev libqt6core6t64 libqt6widgets6 \
     libqt6gui6 libqt6qml6 qt6-multimedia-dev libicu-dev
   

2. Clone: git clone https://github.com/futpib/kmux.git
3. Configure: cmake -B kmux/build -G Ninja kmux/
4. Build: cmake --build kmux/build
5. Install: cmake --install kmux/build

kmux is based on Konsole. Bug reports and feature requests that are not specific to the tmux integration should be directed to the Konsole project.

• kmux on GitHub
• kmux-git on the AUR
• CI / Builds
• Upstream Konsole