Capture pane output

A pane runs asynchronously: sending a command does not mean its output is already on screen. Capture repeatedly until the expected line appears, with a deadline so a failed command cannot leave the program waiting forever.

This complete program creates a private tmux server, captures its output, and cleans up. Follow the setup and run instructions below. You need tmux and a Unix environment; no existing tmux session is required.

Read what’s on screen¶

The program sends printf with a leading newline, then waits for the complete line libtmux capture ready. The newline keeps a late shell prompt off that line. Matching the whole line avoids mistaking the echoed command for its output.

package main

import (
  "context"
  "errors"
  "fmt"
  "log"
  "os"
  "path/filepath"
  "time"

  "github.com/libtmux/libtmux-go/tmux"
)

func main() {
  if err := capture(); err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
  }
}

func capture() (err error) {
  directory, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "libtmux-capture-")
  if err != nil {
    return err
  }
  server, err := tmux.NewServer(tmux.ServerOptions{
    SocketPath: filepath.Join(directory, "tmux.sock"),
    ConfigFile: "/dev/null",
  })
  if err != nil {
    return errors.Join(err, os.RemoveAll(directory))
  }
  defer func() {
    cleanup, stop := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), time.Second)
    defer stop()
    if cleanupErr := server.Kill(cleanup); cleanupErr != nil {
      err = errors.Join(err, fmt.Errorf("stop private server at %s: %w",
        filepath.Join(directory, "tmux.sock"), cleanupErr))
      return
    }
    err = errors.Join(err, os.RemoveAll(directory))
  }()
  ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
  defer cancel()
  if _, err = server.NewSession(ctx, tmux.NewSessionRequest{
    Name: "capture", Command: "sh",
    Environment: map[string]string{"ENV": "/dev/null"},
  }); err != nil {
    return err
  }
  panes, err := server.Panes(ctx)
  if err != nil {
    return err
  }
  if len(panes) == 0 {
    return errors.New("the session has no pane")
  }
  pane := panes[0]
  command := "printf '\\nlibtmux capture ready\\n'"
  if err := pane.SendKeys(ctx, tmux.SendKeysRequest{Command: &command}); err != nil {
    return err
  }
  for {
    lines, err := pane.Capture(ctx, tmux.CapturePaneRequest{})
    if err != nil {
      return err
    }
    for _, line := range lines {
      if line == "libtmux capture ready" {
        fmt.Println(line)
        return nil
      }
    }
    select {
    case <-ctx.Done():
      return ctx.Err()
    case <-time.After(20 * time.Millisecond):
    }
  }
}

Cleanup is registered before session creation. If stopping tmux fails, the error reports the retained socket path so the server remains reachable.

Wait for output or completion¶

The program above checks the captured screen for up to five seconds. The short pause between checks limits polling; the observed output determines when the loop finishes. A tmux capture is a view of the screen and scrollback, so it can miss output that has already scrolled away. Use a stream or a completion signal for long-running commands when that distinction matters.

Capturing output covers capture options, while Sending keys explains why sending and waiting are separate operations.

Setup and run¶

Use an empty directory. The commands pin the library revision used to verify the program.

Save the program and module file using the displayed names. Use Go 1.26 or newer.

module example.com/capture

go 1.26.0

require github.com/libtmux/libtmux-go v0.0.0

replace github.com/libtmux/libtmux-go => ./libtmux

$ git clone https://github.com/libtmux/libtmux-go libtmux &&
  git -C libtmux checkout bb06e26e116e941813ca40bf45e7e3a47d38f52a &&
  GOWORK=off go mod tidy &&
  GOWORK=off go run .

Where this comes from¶

This complete program was run against the library revision pinned above. The displayed code is checked against the bytes from that run.

Scripting & web

Compiled & native

JVM

.NET

tmux

Capture pane output

Read what’s on screen¶

Wait for output or completion¶

Setup and run¶

Where this comes from¶