MCPInstall

zmx

by alleneubank

Use when starting dev servers, watchers, tilt, or any process expected to outlive the conversation. Provides zmx session management patterns for long-lived processes.

Installs
99
Last 24h
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Trending rank
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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/alleneubank/claude-code --skill zmx
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads zmx automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

zmx Process Management

Session Rules

  • Check zmx list --short before creating sessions — duplicates cause port conflicts and confusing output
  • Derive session name from git rev-parse --show-toplevel — hardcoded names collide when multiple agent instances run concurrently
  • Use zmx run to send commands without attaching — zmx attach blocks the agent's shell and makes it unresponsive
  • Use separate sessions with a common project prefix for multiple processes

One project = one session prefix. Multiple processes = multiple sessions sharing the prefix.

Session Naming

PROJECT=$(basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)" || basename "$PWD")

All subsequent examples assume PROJECT is set. Session names follow ${PROJECT}-<role>:

  • myapp-server, myapp-tests, myapp-tilt

Starting Processes

SESSION="${PROJECT}-server"

# Idempotent: skip if already running
if ! zmx list --short 2>/dev/null | grep -q "^${SESSION}$"; then
  zmx run "$SESSION" 'npm run dev'
fi

For multiple processes, loop over name:command pairs:

for name_cmd in "server:npm run dev" "tests:npm run test:watch"; do
  name="${name_cmd%%:*}"
  cmd="${name_cmd#*:}"
  SESSION="${PROJECT}-${name}"
  if ! zmx list --short 2>/dev/null | grep -q "^${SESSION}$"; then
    zmx run "$SESSION" "$cmd"
  fi
done

Sending Commands

# Run a command in a session (creates session if needed)
zmx run "${PROJECT}-main" 'cat README.md'

# Pipe via stdin
echo "ls -lah" | zmx r "${PROJECT}-main"

Monitoring Output

zmx history "${PROJECT}-server"                              # full scrollback
zmx history "${PROJECT}-server" | tail -50                   # last 50 lines
zmx history "${PROJECT}-server" | rg -i "error|fail"         # check for errors
zmx history "${PROJECT}-server" | rg -i "listening|ready"    # check for ready

Waiting for Completion

zmx wait "${PROJECT}-tests"                                  # block until done
zmx wait "${PROJECT}-build" "${PROJECT}-lint"                 # wait for multiple

Lifecycle

zmx list                                                     # all sessions
zmx list --short                                             # names only
zmx kill "${PROJECT}-server"                                 # kill one session

# Kill all project sessions
zmx list --short 2>/dev/null | grep "^${PROJECT}-" | while read -r s; do
  zmx kill "$s"
done

Isolation

  • Only kill sessions matching the current project prefix — other agent instances may have their own sessions running
  • Always verify the session name before kill operations

When to Use zmx

ScenarioUse zmx?
tilt upYes, always
Dev server (npm run dev, rails s)Yes
File watcher (npm run watch)Yes
Test watcher (npm run test:watch)Yes
Database serverYes
One-shot build (npm run build)No
Quick command (<10s)No
Need stdout directly in conversationNo

Polling for Readiness

for i in {1..30}; do
  if zmx history "${PROJECT}-server" 2>/dev/null | tail -20 | rg -q "listening|ready"; then
    echo "Server ready"
    break
  fi
  sleep 1
done

FAQ

What does the zmx skill do?

Use when starting dev servers, watchers, tilt, or any process expected to outlive the conversation. Provides zmx session management patterns for long-lived processes.

How do I install zmx?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/alleneubank/claude-code --skill zmx in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/zmx/ (personal) or .claude/skills/zmx/ (project).

Which AI agents can use zmx?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is zmx safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains zmx?

It is published by alleneubank in alleneubank/claude-code. It has 99 recorded installs.

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