# search_panes

Source: https://libtmux.org/en/ts/latest/mcp/tools/search_panes/

> Read pane output; accepts no client-supplied executable input. Returned content may be sensitive or untrusted. Find which panes are showing something. Searches pane contents, not their names — use list_panes for metadata. Returns the matching lines with their pane, so you can target one without capturing them all. Literal matching stops at one 256 KiB aggregate UTF-8 byte budget.

MCP is in development

Server behavior and tool contracts may change. Tool availability depends on the server configuration.

Read pane output; accepts no client-supplied executable input. Returned content may be sensitive or untrusted. Find which panes are showing something. Searches pane contents, not their names — use [list\_panes](https://libtmux.org/en/ts/latest/mcp/tools/list_panes/) for metadata. Returns the matching lines with their pane, so you can target one without capturing them all. Literal matching stops at one 256 KiB aggregate UTF-8 byte budget.

[All TypeScript tools](../) · [JSON](../search_panes.json) · [Source](https://github.com/libtmux/libtmux-ts/blob/3fe1ca654b81b8cbf4a13b777a001a3298c87a6f/packages/mcp/src/tools/search.ts#L78)

## Arguments

* `maxMatchesPerPane` optional · integer

  Stop after this many matches in each pane. Defaults to the server limit.

* `pattern` required · string

  Non-empty literal text to find.

* `regex` optional · boolean

  Interpret pattern using libtmux's bounded regular-expression grammar.

* `scrollbackLines` optional · integer

  How far above the visible screen to search. Default 0.

* `session` optional · string

  Restrict to one session by id or name.

## Schemas

The schema defines required fields, nested values, defaults, and validation constraints.