Terminal Pane Tab Management

Use direct commands when:

• Simple background processes (use &)
• Not in a Zellij session
• Single terminal is sufficient

Installation Check

# Check if Zellij is installed
which zellij || echo "zellij not installed"

# Install if needed
cargo install zellij
# Or via package managers
brew install zellij  # macOS

Basic Usage

# Create panes in specific directions
zellij action new-pane --direction left
zellij action new-pane --direction right
zellij action new-pane --direction up
zellij action new-pane --direction down

# Create new tab
zellij action new-tab

# Close current pane
zellij action close-pane

# Close current tab
zellij action close-tab

# Run command in new pane (opens pane with command)
zellij run -- npm test
zellij run -- python server.py
zellij run --direction right -- tail -f logs/app.log

# Run command in new tab
zellij run --direction right --name "Tests" -- npm test

Common Patterns

# Spawn Claude Code instance in new pane
zellij action new-pane --direction right

# Run tests in split pane
zellij run --direction down -- npm test

# Start dev server in new pane
zellij run --direction right -- npm run dev

# Monitor logs in new pane
zellij run --direction down -- tail -f /var/log/app.log

# Create new tab for different project
zellij action new-tab

Common Workflows

Spawn Multiple Claude Code Instances

# Create pane on the left for another Claude Code session
zellij action new-pane --direction left

# Create pane below for third instance
zellij action new-pane --direction down

Run Command in New Pane

# Run tests while keeping current pane active
zellij run --direction right -- npm test

# Start dev server in separate pane
zellij run --direction down -- npm run dev

# Watch build output
zellij run --direction right -- npm run build -- --watch

Organize Work in Tabs

# Create new tab for backend work
zellij action new-tab

# Create new tab for frontend
zellij action new-tab

# Close tab when done
zellij action close-tab

Best Practices

• Use zellij run -- to execute commands in new panes (auto-creates pane)
• Use zellij action new-pane when you need empty pane for manual work
• Choose appropriate direction based on screen layout
• Use tabs to separate different projects or concerns
• Close panes/tabs when done to keep workspace clean

Integration Examples

# Spawn Claude Code in left pane, run tests in right
zellij action new-pane --direction left
zellij run --direction right -- npm test

# Development layout: code (current) | server (right) | logs (down)
zellij run --direction right -- npm run dev
zellij run --direction down -- tail -f logs/app.log

Troubleshooting

• Command fails: Ensure you're inside a Zellij session (echo $ZELLIJ should not be empty)
• Pane not created: Check if there's enough space for new pane in that direction
• Command not found: Verify Zellij is installed and in PATH

Example Workflows

# Workflow 1: Spawn multiple Claude Code instances for parallel work
zellij action new-pane --direction left   # Claude Code instance 1
zellij action new-pane --direction right  # Claude Code instance 2

# Workflow 2: Run tests while coding
zellij run --direction down -- npm test

# Workflow 3: Monitor application (server + logs)
zellij run --direction right -- npm run dev
zellij run --direction down -- tail -f logs/error.log

Resources

• Docs: https://zellij.dev/documentation/
• GitHub: https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij