`here` mode: `send_keys` for env vars and shell replacement diverges from teamocil and is unsafe
Nobody has claimed this yet.
Assessment
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100
Research direction
Start in src/tmuxp/workspace/builder.py around lines 695-727, then compare the referenced teamocil and tmuxinator implementations. Review sub-issues #1031 and #1032 to establish whether the scope is Level 1 or Level 2; done means the selected --here approach avoids unsafe infrastructure send_keys while preserving the stated directory, environment, and shell behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Description
Problem
--here mode in tmuxp uses send_keys to inject infrastructure commands (cd, export, shell replacement) into the active pane. This has three failure modes:
exportis not POSIX-universal — it's a syntax error infish,nu, and other non-bash/zsh shells- Types into foreground programs — if the active pane is running
vim,python,htop, etc., thecd/exportcommands are typed as input, corrupting the user's session - Shell history pollution —
cdandexportcommands appear in the user's shell history
What tmuxp does (3 categories of send_keys)
# 1. Directory change via send_keys
active_pane.send_keys(f"cd {shlex.quote(start_directory)}", enter=True)
# 2. Environment vars via send_keys (N calls, one per var)
_here_pane.send_keys(f"export {_ekey}={shlex.quote(str(_eval))}", enter=True)
# 3. Shell replacement via send_keys
_here_pane.send_keys(window_shell, enter=True)
What teamocil does (1 category of send_keys)
teamocil's --here only uses send_keys for cd — the one unavoidable case. Everything else uses tmux primitives:
- Window rename:
rename-window— tmux command, notsend_keys - Directory (
cd):send_keys cd "/path"— onlysend_keysusage - Pane splitting:
split-window -c '/path'— tmux primitive with-cfor directory - Environment vars: Not handled at all — no
send_keys export - Shell replacement: Not handled — teamocil doesn't change the running shell
tmuxinator similarly never uses send_keys for infrastructure — only for user-specified pane commands. Directories use -c on new-window and splitw.
Impact
Categories 2 and 3 (export and window_shell) are tmuxp-specific — neither Ruby tool does this. They are the primary source of the POSIX shell assumption and the "types into vim" failure mode.
Proposed solutions
Two approaches, tracked as sub-issues:
- Level 1 (#1031): Match teamocil — use
session.set_environment()for env vars,respawn-panefor shell replacement, keepsend_keys cdonly - Level 2 (#1032): Eliminate
send_keysentirely — usesplit-window/swap-pane/kill-paneto create a fresh pane with correct dir+env
References
- teamocil
--hereimplementation:window.rb:67-95 - teamocil pane splitting with
-c:split_window.rb - teamocil
--heretests:window_spec.rb:110-145 - tmuxinator window creation (no
send_keysfor infra):window.rb:120-123 - tmuxinator pane creation with
-c:pane.rb:53-58
- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 4.6k
- Forks
- 248
- Avg merge
- 2h 13m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 1
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
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- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
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