cmux-settings

cmux-settings

cmux reads user settings from ~/.config/cmux/cmux.json (JSONC). A file watcher applies changes on save, no restart. Legacy ~/.config/cmux/settings.json is read only as a fallback for keys absent from cmux.json.

Schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/manaflow-ai/cmux/main/web/data/cmux.schema.json. The authoritative path list is Sources/CmuxSettingsJSONPathSupport.swift; the installed skill carries a generated copy in references/all-keys.md. Settings sections are app, terminal, notifications, sidebar, sidebarAppearance, workspaceColors, automation, browser, shortcuts. Non-settings sections (actions, ui, commands, vault, rightSidebar) share the same file.

Helper script

Use the bundled helper for every read/write. It strips JSONC comments, writes atomically, and validates keys against the schema.

skills/cmux-settings/scripts/cmux-settings <subcommand>            # from a cmux checkout
~/.codex/skills/cmux-settings/scripts/cmux-settings <subcommand>   # installed Codex skill

The rest of this doc assumes it is on $PATH as cmux-settings; from a checkout, export PATH="$PWD/skills/cmux-settings/scripts:$PATH".

Command	What it does
cmux-settings path	Print the config path.
cmux-settings dump	Print the raw file (preserves comments).
cmux-settings dump --no-comments	Print the parsed JSON.
cmux-settings get <a.b.c>	Print value at dotted JSON path.
cmux-settings set <a.b.c> <value>	Set value. <value> is parsed as JSON (true, 42, "text", […], {…}); unquoted plain words are stored as strings.
cmux-settings unset <a.b.c>	Delete key, reverting to the in-app default.
cmux-settings list-supported	List every settings JSON path the app recognizes.
cmux-settings validate	Parse the file and flag unknown settings keys.
cmux-settings open	Open cmux.json in $EDITOR, VS Code, Cursor, or TextEdit.

--file <path> overrides the target file, useful for --file ~/.config/cmux/settings.json.

Workflow

1. Look up the key when the user named a setting in plain English:

   cmux-settings list-supported | rg -i 'sidebar.*terminal|terminal.*sidebar'
   

2. Set it. JSON literals must be valid JSON.

   cmux-settings set sidebarAppearance.matchTerminalBackground true
   cmux-settings set app.appearance dark
   cmux-settings set shortcuts.bindings.newTab '["ctrl+b","c"]'
   cmux-settings set browser.hostsToOpenInEmbeddedBrowser '["localhost","*.internal.example"]'
   

3. Read back and cmux-settings validate.
4. Tell the user it auto-reloaded, and that cmux-settings unset <key> reverts it.

Quick reference

• Appearance: app.appearance ("system" | "light" | "dark"), app.appIcon, app.menuBarOnly, app.minimalMode.
• Sidebar tint: sidebarAppearance.matchTerminalBackground, .tintColor, .tintOpacity (0..1).
• Sidebar details: sidebar.hideAllDetails, .showBranchDirectory, .showPullRequests, .showPorts, .showLog.
• Notifications: notifications.dockBadge, .sound (enum including "none", "custom_file"), .customSoundFilePath, .hooks (array).
• Browser: browser.defaultSearchEngine, .theme, .defaultZoomLevel, .openTerminalLinksInCmuxBrowser, .hostsToOpenInEmbeddedBrowser.
• Automation: automation.socketControlMode (off | cmuxOnly | automation | password | allowAll), .portBase, .portRange.
• Shortcuts: shortcuts.bindings.<actionId> = "cmd+b", ["ctrl+b","c"], null, or "" to unbind. Action ids in references/shortcut-actions.md.

Full list of settings, defaults, and descriptions: cmux-settings list-supported or references/all-keys.md.

Rules

• Only edit cmux.json. Never settings.json unless the user explicitly asks; it is legacy and read only when a key is absent from cmux.json.
• Never tell the user to restart cmux. The file watcher reloads on save.
• Always cmux-settings validate after a bulk edit. Unknown keys mean the user pasted a key the app does not consume.
• Do not blindly overwrite actions, ui, commands, vault, or rightSidebar; they share the file and hold hand-tuned non-settings config.
• Shortcut action ids must match the schema enum. Look them up before binding.
• Colors are #RRGGBB; opacities are 0..1.
• Translate app-level phrasing ("Settings > Notifications > Dock badge") to the JSON path first; web/app/[locale]/(landing)/docs/configuration/page.tsx mirrors the schema 1:1.