shell-use
Provides tools to interact with tmux sessions, allowing AI agents to send keystrokes, capture terminal output, and scroll through history, enabling interaction with any CLI application.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@shell-useIn the dev session, open vim and insert 'foo' at line 3"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
shell-use
Let agents use the shell like a human.
Features
Interact with any CLI application (vim, htop, gdb, etc.)
Send special keys (Ctrl+C, Enter, arrow keys, etc.)
Dockerized for easy deployment
Available Tools
Tool | Description |
| Returns allowed session names |
| Captures terminal screen text |
| Sends key input (e.g., |
| Sends literal text ( |
| Scrolls through history |
| Exits copy-mode |
Setup
1. Build the Docker image
docker build -t shell-use:latest .2. Create a tmux session
tmux new-session -s dev2.1. Get the tmux socket path
SOCK="$(tmux display-message -p -F '#{socket_path}')"
[ -S "$SOCK" ] || { echo "tmux socket not found: $SOCK"; exit 1; }3. Configure your MCP client
Claude Code:
claude mcp add shell-use \
-- docker run -i --rm \
-v "$SOCK":/tmux/tmux.sock \
-e SHELL_USE_SOCKET=/tmux/tmux.sock \
-e SHELL_USE_SESSIONS=dev \
shell-use:latestClaude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"shell-use": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run", "-i", "--rm",
"-v", "/tmp/tmux-1000/default:/tmux/tmux.sock",
"-e", "SHELL_USE_SOCKET=/tmux/tmux.sock",
"-e", "SHELL_USE_SESSIONS=dev",
"shell-use:latest"
]
}
}
}Replace
/tmp/tmux-1000/defaultwith the path fromtmux display-message -p -F '#{socket_path}'.
Environment Variables
Variable | Description | Required |
| Comma-separated list of allowed session names | Yes |
| Path to tmux socket (default: | No |
Acknowledgments
Inspired by browser-use.
This server cannot be installed
Maintenance
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