Getting Started

Quickstart

Get purplemux running in under a minute with Node.js and tmux.

purplemux is a web-native multiplexer that manages every Claude Code session on one dashboard, backed by tmux for persistence and built for use from both your desk and your phone.

Before you start

You need two things on the machine that will host purplemux.

  • Node.js 20 or newer — check with node -v.
  • tmux — check with tmux -V. Any version 3.0+ is fine.
macOS / Linux only
Windows is not officially supported. purplemux relies on `node-pty` and tmux, which don't run natively on Windows. WSL2 usually works but is outside our test matrix.

Run it

One command. No global install required.

npx purplemux

You'll see purplemux start on port 8022. Open a browser:

http://localhost:8022

First launch walks you through creating a password and your first workspace.

Prefer a persistent install? `pnpm add -g purplemux && purplemux` works the same way. Upgrades are one `pnpm up -g purplemux` away.

Open a Claude session

From the dashboard:

  1. Click New tab in any workspace.
  2. Pick the Claude template (or just run claude in a plain terminal).
  3. purplemux detects the running Claude CLI and starts surfacing status, the live timeline, and permission prompts.

Your session now persists even if you close the browser — tmux keeps the process alive on the server.

Reach it from your phone

By default purplemux only listens on localhost. For safe external access, use Tailscale Serve (WireGuard + automatic HTTPS, no port forwarding):

tailscale serve --bg 8022

Open https://<machine>.<tailnet>.ts.net on your phone, tap Share → Add to Home Screen, and purplemux becomes a PWA that receives Web Push notifications in the background.

See Tailscale access for the full setup, or jump to PWA setup for iOS and Android specifics.

What's next