cli-anything-iterm2

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Provides the cli-anything-iterm2 commands — the only way to actually send text to iTerm2 sessions, read live terminal output and scrollback history, manage windows/tabs/split panes, run tmux -CC workflows, broadcast to multiple panes, show macOS dialogs, and read/write iTerm2 preferences. Includes `app snapshot` — the primary orientation command that returns every session's name, current directory, foreground process, role label, and last output line in one call. Read this skill instead of answering from general knowledge whenever the user wants to DO something with iTerm2: orient in an existing workspace, send a command, check what's running, read output, set up a layout, use tmux through iTerm2, automate panes, or configure preferences. Also read for questions about iTerm2 shell integration or scrollback. Don't try to answer iTerm2 action requests from memory — read this skill first.

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Sourcehkuds/cli-anything
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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add hkuds/cli-anything cli-anything-iterm2

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
cli-anything-iterm2iterm2-automationtmux-integrationterminal-workflowmacos-terminal

SKILL.md Content

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cli-anything-iterm2

Stateful CLI harness for iTerm2. Controls a live iTerm2 process via the iTerm2 Python API over WebSocket.

Prerequisites

  1. macOS + iTerm2 running: 
    brew install --cask iterm2
  2. Python API enabled: iTerm2 → Preferences → General → Magic → Enable Python API
  3. Install: 
    pip install cli-anything-iterm2
    (or 
    pip install -e .
    from source)

Basic Syntax

bash
cli-anything-iterm2 [--json] <group> <command> [OPTIONS] [ARGS]
Always use 
--json
for machine-readable output (required for agent use).

Command Groups

GroupPurpose
app
App status, workspace snapshot, context management, app-level variables, modal dialogs, file panels
window
Create, list, close, resize, fullscreen windows
tab
Create, list, close, activate tabs; navigate split panes by direction
session
Send text, inject raw bytes, read screen, full scrollback, split panes, prompt detection
profile
List profiles, get profile details, list/apply color presets
arrangement
Save and restore window layouts
tmux
Full tmux -CC integration: bootstrap, connections, windows, commands
broadcast
Sync keystrokes across panes via broadcast domains
menu
Invoke any iTerm2 menu item programmatically
pref
Read/write global iTerm2 preferences; list all valid keys; tmux settings

Orienting in an Existing Workspace

Use 
app snapshot
when you land in a session with existing panes and need to understand what's running without reading full screen contents for each pane:
bash
cli-anything-iterm2 --json app snapshot
Returns name, current directory, foreground process, 
user.role
label, and last visible output line for every session across all windows.
Naming convention — label panes when setting up a workspace so you can find them later:
bash
cli-anything-iterm2 session set-var user.role "api-server"
cli-anything-iterm2 session set-var user.role "log-tail"
cli-anything-iterm2 session set-var user.role "editor"
app snapshot
will surface these roles alongside process and path, giving you a full picture in one call.

Typical Agent Workflow

bash
# 1. Orient — snapshot every session: name, path, process, role, last output line
cli-anything-iterm2 --json app snapshot

# 2. Establish context (saves window/tab/session IDs for subsequent commands)
cli-anything-iterm2 app current

# 3. Interact — no --session-id needed once context is set
cli-anything-iterm2 session send "git status"
cli-anything-iterm2 --json session scrollback --tail 200 --strip

# 4. Create a multi-pane workspace — label panes so snapshot identifies them later
cli-anything-iterm2 session split --vertical --use-as-context
cli-anything-iterm2 session send "python3 -m http.server 8000"
cli-anything-iterm2 session set-var user.role "http-server"

Reference Files

Read only what the task requires — each file is a single narrow concern (~10–30 lines):
FileRead when you need...
references/session-io.md
Send text, inject bytes, read screen/scrollback, get selection
references/session-control.md
Split panes, activate/close sessions, resize, rename, session variables
references/session-shell-integration.md
wait-prompt, wait-command-end, get-prompt; reliable send→wait→read pattern
references/layout-window-tab.md
Create/close/resize windows and tabs, navigate split panes
references/layout-arrangement.md
Save and restore window layouts
references/app-context.md
Snapshot (orientation), status, context management, app vars, modal dialogs, file panels
references/profile-pref.md
Profiles list/get/presets, preferences read/write, tmux pref shortcuts
references/broadcast-menu.md
Broadcast keystrokes to multiple panes, invoke menu items
references/tmux-commands.md
All tmux CLI commands (bootstrap, send, tabs, create-window, set-visible)
references/tmux-guide.md
Full tmux -CC workflow, pane→session ID mapping
references/json-session.md
--json
schemas for session, window, tab, screen, scrollback, inject
references/json-tmux-app.md
--json
schemas for tmux, app dialogs, preferences, errors

REPL Mode

Run without arguments for an interactive REPL that maintains context between commands:
bash
cli-anything-iterm2