Plux

Free plan LinuxMac

What Plux is

Plux is a free, Unix-first terminal multiplexer written in Rust. A background daemon keeps shell processes and terminal state, allowing named sessions to detach and reattach; a new client can take over from an attached one. Panes split vertically or horizontally, with focus controls, zoom, split-ratio resizing, and closing. Scrollback, history search, and coordinate selection help find and copy terminal text. Remote attachment uses SSH as an encrypted bridge, and the server needs a compatible Plux binary on PATH or in ~/.cargo/bin/plux. Optional clipboard integration supports wl-copy, xclip, xsel, or macOS pbcopy. Settings include the shell, key prefix, scrollback limit, mouse input, refresh rate, and clipboard command. Remote copies and session metadata use mode 0600 permissions. Plux targets Unix systems with a native PTY and UTF-8 outer terminal; Windows is unsupported. It does not restore shells after daemon crashes or reboots and does not support terminal graphics protocols. The repository includes an MIT license. The default remote clipboard image and file upload limit is 64 MiB.

Who it suits

Plux suits Unix terminal users who need detachable local sessions and configurable panes. It is intended for systems with a native PTY and UTF-8 terminal; Windows users are excluded.

What it does well

Named sessions detach and reattach
Vertical and horizontal pane splits
SSH remote attachment
Searchable scrollback and history
MIT-licensed free software

What to know first

Windows is unsupported
Shells are not restored after crashes or reboot
Terminal graphics protocols are unsupported
Remote clipboard uploads default to 64 MiB

Limits

Plux does not restore shells after a daemon crash or reboot and does not support terminal graphics protocols. Remote clipboard image and file uploads default to 64 MiB, adjustable with clipboard_upload_max_bytes.

Getting started

Install the Rust toolchain
Build Plux from its repository
Run it on a Unix-like system with a native PTY and UTF-8 terminal
Configure the shell, key prefix, scrollback or clipboard command if needed
Create a named session and detach or reattach as required
Install a compatible Plux binary on a remote server to attach through SSH

Verdict

Plux provides core multiplexer features with SSH attachment and optional clipboard support. Its Unix-only scope and lack of crash recovery or terminal graphics support are important constraints.

Questions

What platforms does Plux support?

It targets Unix systems with a native PTY and a UTF-8 outer terminal. Windows is unsupported.

Is Plux free?

Yes. The project is free and includes an MIT license permitting use, modification and distribution subject to its conditions.

How does remote attachment work?

Remote attachment uses SSH as an encrypted bridge. The server must have a compatible Plux binary on PATH or at ~/.cargo/bin/plux.

Does Plux support clipboard integration?

Optional integration can use wl-copy, xclip, xsel or macOS pbcopy.

What happens after a daemon crash or reboot?

The current implementation does not restore shells after a daemon crash or reboot.

Does Plux provide collaboration or synchronization?

Plux provides local persistence but no session synchronization or collaboration features.

Facts from Plux's own pages

Build and runtime: The only build dependency is the Rust toolchain, and runtime requires a Unix-like system with a native PTY and a UTF-8 terminal. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Clipboard: Optional clipboard integration uses wl-copy, xclip, xsel, or macOS pbcopy; remote clipboard image or file uploads have a default 64 MiB limit. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Clipboard integration: System clipboard integration can use wl-copy, xclip, xsel, or macOS pbcopy, and these tools are optional. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Compatibility: The documented target is Unix systems with a native PTY and UTF-8 outer terminal; the project says it does not automatically detect GBK or Big5. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Compatibility limits: The compatibility notes say GBK/Big5 detection, direct TCP listeners, and plugins are outside the current scope. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Configuration: Configuration supports settings including the default shell, key prefix, scrollback limits, mouse input, refresh rate, and clipboard command. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
License: The repository provides the software under the MIT License, which grants permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute it free of charge. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Pane controls: Plux supports vertical and horizontal splits, pane focus, zoom, resizing split ratios, and closing panes. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Pane management: Plux supports vertical and horizontal splits, pane focus, zoom, ratio adjustment, and pane closing. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Platform limits: The project lists Windows, terminal graphics protocols, and shell restoration after daemon crashes or reboot among its current limits. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Platform support: The project targets Unix systems with a native PTY and UTF-8 outer terminal; its README says Windows is unsupported. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Product: Plux is a lightweight Unix-first terminal multiplexer implemented in Rust. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Purpose: Plux is a small Unix-first terminal multiplexer written in Rust that keeps shell processes and terminal state in a background daemon. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Remote access: Remote attach uses SSH as an encrypted bridge and requires a compatible Plux binary on the server. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Scrollback and search: It provides scrollback, history search, and coordinate selection for copying terminal text. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Security: Remote attach uses SSH; remote copies use mode 0600, and session metadata is stored with mode 0600. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Sessions: Named sessions can be detached and reattached, and a new client can take over from the older attached client. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
SSH: Remote attach uses SSH as an encrypted bridge, and the server needs a compatible Plux binary available on PATH or at ~/.cargo/bin/plux. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Support: The README asks issue reporters to include a reproduction command, TERM, terminal size, shell, OS, and PLUX_DEBUG output. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Terminal limits: The current implementation does not restore shells after a daemon crash or reboot and does not support terminal graphics protocols. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
Upload limit: The default remote clipboard image and file upload limit is 64 MiB and can be changed with clipboard_upload_max_bytes. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026

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