Managing Plugins

tpack binds three key combinations in tmux for the core plugin lifecycle. Each opens the TUI with the corresponding operation pre-selected.

Discovering plugins

Open the TUI with ++prefix+shift+t++ and press B to browse a curated plugin registry. You can filter by category with Tab and search by name with /. Select a plugin and press I to install it — the plugin line is added to your tmux.conf automatically.

See Interactive TUI — Browse Screen for the full keybinding reference.

Installing plugins

1. Add a plugin line to your tmux config:

   set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'
   

2. Press ++prefix+shift+i++ (capital I, as in Install).

3. The plugin is cloned to ~/.tmux/plugins/ and sourced automatically.

Tip

You can also install plugins directly from the browse screen without manually editing your config.

Updating plugins

Press ++prefix+shift+u++ to update plugins. The TUI opens and you can select which plugins to update.

Removing plugins

To completely remove a plugin (delete both the directory and the config entry), select it in the TUI and press R. This is the quickest way to get rid of a plugin you no longer want — no manual config editing required.

Uninstalling plugins

To uninstall a plugin while keeping its entry in your config, select it in the TUI and press X. The plugin directory is deleted but the @plugin line stays in your tmux.conf, so the plugin appears as "Not Installed" and can be reinstalled later with I.

Cleaning orphaned directories

If you manually remove a plugin line from your config, the plugin directory may still exist on disk. Press ++prefix+alt+u++ or use tpack clean to remove these orphaned directories. In the TUI, press C to run the same cleanup.

Remove vs Uninstall vs Clean

Operation	Deletes directory	Removes from config	Plugin stays in list
Remove (R)	Yes	Yes	No
Uninstall (X)	Yes	No	Yes (as "Not Installed")
Clean (C)	Yes	N/A (already not in config)	N/A

Tip

All key bindings can be customized. See Key Bindings for details.