NTM - Named Tmux Manager

NTM turns tmux into a local control plane for multi-agent software development. It combines session orchestration, graph-aware work triage, safety policy and approvals, Agent Mail coordination, durable state capture, machine-readable robot surfaces, and a local REST/WebSocket API in one Go binary.

curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --easy-mode

TL;DR

The Problem

Running several coding agents in parallel is easy to start and annoying to sustain. Plain tmux gives you panes, but it does not give you durable coordination, work selection, safety policy, approvals, history, replayable automation surfaces, or a shared control model that both humans and agents can use.

The Solution

NTM gives you a single local system for:

• spawning labeled multi-agent sessions in tmux
• sending work, interrupts, and follow-ups across panes
• triaging what to do next with br and bv
• coordinating agents with Agent Mail, file reservations, and assignments
• protecting dangerous operations with policy, approvals, and guards
• exposing the whole system through --robot-*, REST, SSE, WebSocket, and OpenAPI
• capturing state with checkpoints, timelines, audit trails, and pipeline state

Why NTM

Quick Start

Requirements

NTM is a pure Go project, but the runtime experience is intentionally integration-heavy.

• Required: tmux
• Required for agent spawning: whichever CLIs you want to run, typically Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI
• Optional but powerful: br, bv, Agent Mail, cass, dcg, pt
• Sanity check everything with ntm deps -v

First Session

# Install
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --easy-mode
 
# Enable shell integration
eval "$(ntm shell zsh)"
 
# Verify tools and integrations
ntm deps -v
 
# Scaffold a project directory
ntm quick api --template=go
 
# Launch a mixed swarm
ntm spawn api --cc=2 --cod=1 --gmi=1
 
# Open the live operator surfaces
ntm dashboard api
ntm palette api
 
# Dispatch work
ntm send api --cc "Map the auth layer and propose a refactor plan."
 
# If the repo uses br/bv, inspect the work graph
ntm work triage --format=markdown
 
# Save a recoverable checkpoint
ntm checkpoint save api -m "before auth refactor"
 
# Expose local APIs for dashboards, scripts, and agents
ntm serve --port 7337
ntm --robot-snapshot

Core Workflows

1. Multi-Agent Session Orchestration

NTM is built around named tmux sessions with explicit agent panes and a user pane. It handles session naming, pane layout, agent startup, labels, and inspection so you can treat a swarm like a manageable unit instead of a pile of terminals.

ntm quick payments --template=go
ntm spawn payments --cc=3 --cod=2 --gmi=1
ntm add payments --cc=1
ntm list
ntm status payments
ntm view payments
ntm zoom payments 3
ntm attach payments

Use labels when you want multiple coordinated swarms on the same project while keeping a shared project directory:

ntm quick payments --template=go
ntm spawn payments --label backend --cc=2 --cod=1
ntm spawn payments --label frontend --cc=2
ntm add payments --label frontend --cc=1

2. Dispatch, Monitoring, and Recovery

Humans can broadcast prompts, interrupt panes, stream output, inspect health, compare responses, search pane history, and keep an eye on activity without dropping to raw tmux commands.

ntm send payments --all "Checkpoint and summarize current progress."
ntm interrupt payments
ntm activity payments --watch
ntm health payments
ntm watch payments --cc
ntm extract payments --lang=go
ntm diff payments cc_1 cod_1
ntm grep "timeout" payments -C 3
ntm analytics --days 7

3. Work Graph Triage and Assignment

NTM integrates with br and bv so the operator loop is not just "send prompts and hope." It can surface the best next task, highlight blockers, analyze impact, forecast work, and push assignments to specific panes or agent types.

ntm work triage
ntm work triage --by-track
ntm work alerts
ntm work search "JWT auth"
ntm work impact internal/api/auth.go
ntm work next
ntm work graph
ntm assign payments --auto --strategy=dependency
ntm assign payments --beads=br-123,br-124 --agent=codex

4. Coordination, Reservations, and Human Oversight

NTM exposes Agent Mail and reservation workflows directly from the CLI. You can act as Human Overseer, inspect inbox state, review reservations, renew or force-release stale locks, and coordinate work without inventing an ad hoc protocol.

ntm mail send payments --all "Sync to main and report blockers."
ntm mail inbox payments
ntm locks list payments --all-agents
ntm locks renew payments
ntm locks force-release payments 42 --note "agent inactive"
ntm coordinator status payments
ntm coordinator digest payments
ntm coordinator conflicts payments

5. Safety Policy and Approvals

NTM includes a first-class safety system for destructive or sensitive actions. Policy rules define what is allowed, blocked, or approval-gated. Approvals are durable, auditable, and support SLB-style two-person workflows for high-risk operations.

ntm safety status
ntm safety check -- git reset --hard
ntm safety blocked --hours 24
ntm safety install
 
ntm policy show --all
ntm policy validate
ntm policy edit
ntm policy automation
 
ntm approve list
ntm approve show abc123
ntm approve abc123
ntm approve deny abc123 --reason "wrong target branch"

6. Pipelines, Templates, Recipes, and Workflow Assets

NTM supports several layers of reusable automation:

• recipes: reusable session presets
• workflows: orchestration patterns such as pipeline, ping-pong, and review-gate
• template: prompt templates and substitutions
• pipeline: executable multi-step agent workflows with variables, dependencies, resume, and cleanup
• session-templates: higher-level session layouts

ntm recipes list
ntm recipes show full-stack
ntm workflows list
ntm workflows show red-green
ntm template list
ntm template show fix-bug
 
ntm pipeline run .ntm/pipelines/review.yaml --session payments
ntm pipeline status run-20241230-123456-abcd
ntm pipeline list
ntm pipeline resume run-20241230-123456-abcd
ntm pipeline cleanup --older=7d

7. Durable State, Audit, and Recovery

NTM treats recoverability as a core feature. Sessions can be checkpointed, timelines can be replayed, audit records can be exported, and prompt/session history remains available for analysis or resumption.

ntm checkpoint save payments -m "pre-migration"
ntm checkpoint list payments
ntm checkpoint restore payments
 
ntm timeline list
ntm timeline show <session-id>
ntm history search "authentication error"
ntm audit show payments
ntm changes conflicts payments
ntm resume payments

Robot Mode and Local API

NTM has two automation layers:

• --robot-* for local, machine-readable CLI interactions
• ntm serve for REST, SSE, WebSocket, and OpenAPI-backed integrations

Canonical Robot Surfaces

Start with these:

ntm --robot-help
ntm --robot-capabilities
ntm --robot-status
ntm --robot-snapshot
ntm --robot-plan
ntm --robot-dashboard
ntm --robot-markdown --md-compact
ntm --robot-terse

Common task-specific surfaces:

ntm --robot-send=payments --msg="Summarize current blockers." --type=claude
ntm --robot-ack=payments --ack-timeout=30s
ntm --robot-tail=payments --lines=50
ntm --robot-mail-check --mail-project=payments --urgent-only
ntm --robot-cass-search="authentication error"

REST, SSE, WebSocket, and OpenAPI

Run the local server:

ntm serve

Important surfaces:

• REST API under /api/v1
• server-sent events at /events
• WebSocket subscriptions at /ws
• health check at /health
• generated OpenAPI spec at docs/openapi.json

Generate or refresh the OpenAPI document:

ntm openapi generate
ntm openapi generate --stdout

Command Map

ntm --help remains the canonical full command reference.

Configuration and Project Assets

NTM supports user-level and project-level assets.

User-Level

• main config: ~/.config/ntm/config.toml
• recipes: ~/.config/ntm/recipes.toml
• workflows: ~/.config/ntm/workflows/
• personas/profiles: ~/.config/ntm/personas.toml
• policy: ~/.ntm/policy.yaml

Project-Level

Project-local assets live under .ntm/ and override built-ins and user defaults where appropriate.

• .ntm/workflows/
• .ntm/pipelines/
• .ntm/personas.toml
• .ntm/recipes.toml
• .ntm/checkpoints/

Useful config commands:

ntm config init
ntm config show
ntm config diff
ntm config get projects_base
ntm config edit
ntm config reset

Design Principles

No Silent Data Loss

Stateful operations are designed to leave artifacts behind: checkpoints, timelines, audit records, pipeline state, and serialized robot/API responses.

Graceful Degradation

Optional integrations such as Agent Mail, bv, cass, or worktree helpers make NTM stronger, but the system is designed to remain locally useful without pretending missing tools are present.

Idempotent Orchestration

Robot mode, durable stores, and resumable workflows are designed so operators and agents can re-issue state queries and recover from interruptions without inventing undocumented side channels.

Recoverable State

Sessions, pipelines, attention feeds, approvals, and history all have explicit recovery paths.

Auditable Actions

NTM favors explicit logs, status surfaces, and durable state over invisible orchestration magic.

Safe by Default

Destructive operations, guard rails, and approval workflows are treated as core product behavior, not bolt-on scripts.

Architecture

                     +---------------------------+
                     |  Human Operator / Agent   |
                     |  CLI, TUI, Robot, REST    |
                     +-------------+-------------+
                                   |
                                   v
                     +---------------------------+
                     |            NTM            |
                     |---------------------------|
                     | session orchestration     |
                     | dashboard + palette       |
                     | work triage + assignment  |
                     | safety + policy + approve |
                     | pipelines + checkpoints   |
                     | serve + robot surfaces    |
                     +------+------+-------------+
                            |      |
                            |      +--------------------------+
                            |                                 |
                            v                                 v
              +---------------------------+      +---------------------------+
              | Durable state + event bus |      | Optional integrations     |
              | checkpoints, history,     |      | br, bv, Agent Mail, cass, |
              | timelines, audit, alerts  |      | dcg, pt, worktrees        |
              +-------------+-------------+      +---------------------------+
                            |
                            v
              +---------------------------+
              | tmux sessions and panes   |
              | Claude / Codex / Gemini   |
              | labeled multi-agent work  |
              +---------------------------+

Installation

Install Script

curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --easy-mode

Homebrew

brew install dicklesworthstone/tap/ntm

Go Install

go install github.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/cmd/ntm@latest

Docker

docker build -t ntm .
docker run --rm -it ntm

From Source

git clone https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm.git
cd ntm
go build ./cmd/ntm

Troubleshooting

tmux not found

Install tmux first, then re-run:

ntm deps -v

Agent panes start empty or an agent CLI fails immediately

NTM can only launch tools that are installed and discoverable in PATH. Use ntm deps -v to check what it sees.

A work command has nothing useful to say

ntm work ... depends on running inside a repo with Beads/BV data available. If you are outside the project root, change directories or bootstrap the repo first.

Mail, locks, or overseer commands say the server is unavailable

Those surfaces depend on Agent Mail being configured and reachable. NTM will still work for session orchestration without it.

Pipeline resume or cleanup does not see the state you expect

Make sure the relevant session/project is using the intended project directory. Project-scoped state lives under that directory's .ntm/ tree.

FAQ

Does NTM replace tmux?

No. NTM is a structured orchestration layer on top of tmux.

Can I use it with one agent instead of a swarm?

Yes. It is perfectly fine to start with one Claude or Codex pane and only scale up when needed.

Do I need every optional integration?

No. Core session management works with tmux and your agent CLIs. Work triage, Agent Mail, CASS, and safety extras become available as those tools are configured.

Is robot mode the preferred automation surface?

For local scripting and agent workflows, yes. For long-lived integrations, dashboards, and service-style consumers, use ntm serve and the OpenAPI-backed REST/WebSocket surfaces.

Can multiple swarms work on the same project?

Yes. Labels, Agent Mail, file reservations, worktrees, and assignment flows are designed for that.

Does NTM preserve history and state?

Yes. Checkpoints, pipeline state, audit records, timelines, history, and event streams are all part of the normal product model.

Limitations

• NTM is intentionally tmux-centric.
• Linux and macOS are the primary environments.
• Some advanced workflows depend on external tools such as Agent Mail, br, bv, cass, or worktree helpers.
• The system is local-first. It is not a hosted SaaS control plane.

Development

Build and verification:

go build ./cmd/ntm
go test -short ./...
golangci-lint run

Regenerate the OpenAPI document:

ntm openapi generate

About Contributions

About Contributions: Please don't take this the wrong way, but I do not accept outside contributions for any of my projects. I simply don't have the mental bandwidth to review anything, and it's my name on the thing, so I'm responsible for any problems it causes; thus, the risk-reward is highly asymmetric from my perspective. I'd also have to worry about other "stakeholders," which seems unwise for tools I mostly make for myself for free. Feel free to submit issues, and even PRs if you want to illustrate a proposed fix, but know I won't merge them directly. Instead, I'll have Claude or Codex review submissions via gh and independently decide whether and how to address them. Bug reports in particular are welcome. Sorry if this offends, but I want to avoid wasted time and hurt feelings. I understand this isn't in sync with the prevailing open-source ethos that seeks community contributions, but it's the only way I can move at this velocity and keep my sanity.

License

NTM is released under the MIT license, with the additional rider described in LICENSE.