Knowledge Base

Herdr Cheat Sheet (Claude + Python ML)

Herdr Cheat Sheet (Claude + Python ML)

📌 Herdr is a Rust-based agent multiplexer—tmux-like but mouse-friendly and agent-aware—that shows whether Claude (and other agents) are working, blocked, done, or idle. Use Ctrl+b as the prefix, detach with prefix+q so sessions keep running, and reattach with herdr (or herdr --remote).

⌨️ Prefix system

Default prefix is Ctrl+b (same idea as tmux). Press Ctrl+b, release, then the action key. prefix + ? shows every live binding.

⭐ Must-know shortcuts

New tab: prefix+c · Split right: prefix+v · Split down: prefix+- · Panes: prefix+h/j/k/l · Workspaces: prefix+w · New workspace: prefix+Shift+n · Detach: prefix+q · Copy mode: prefix+[

🧩 Panes, tabs, workspaces

Zoom: prefix+z · Close pane: prefix+x · Resize: prefix+r then h/j/k/l, Esc · Tabs: n/p, 1–9, rename Shift+t, close Shift+x · Sidebar: prefix+b · Picker: prefix+g · Rename/close workspace: Shift+w / Shift+d

🖱️ Mouse advantages

Click panes/tabs/workspaces to focus; right-click for context menus; drag borders to resize; drag-select or double-click words to copy automatically.

🤖 Claude + ML workflow

SSH → herdr → new workspace (prefix+Shift+n) → split Claude vs logs/Python → detach prefix+q. Next day: herdr (or herdr --remote workbox). Use workspaces per project; sidebar shows agent state.

Key facts

Fact Value
What it is Terminal-native agent multiplexer (single Rust binary, not Electron)
Prefix key Ctrl+b (press, release, then action)
Detach / reattach prefix+q to detach; herdr to reattach
Agent states Blocked, working, done, idle (sidebar: prefix+b)
CLI essentials herdr · herdr server stop · herdr --remote \<host>
Install curl -fsSL https://herdr.dev/install.sh | sh (also Homebrew/Nix)

Details

Herdr sits between classic multiplexers (tmux/Zellij) and desktop agent apps: real persistent PTYs inside your existing terminal, with semantic awareness of coding agents. Sessions survive detach and closed terminals; attach locally, over SSH, or with herdr --remote for clipboard bridging and remote install.

Default keybindings mirror tmux-style prefix mode while staying mouse-first—click to focus, drag to resize, right-click menus. Workspaces isolate projects (e.g. claude-ml); tabs and panes hold Claude, log tails, and Python runners side by side. prefix+? is the in-session help for all bindings.

For a VPS ML loop: start or reattach with herdr, create a named workspace, split one pane for claude and another for monitoring or jobs, then always detach with prefix+q rather than killing the session. herdr server stop tears everything down when you truly want a full stop.

Any terminal agent works out of the box; integrations (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, Copilot, and more) add richer state and resume. A CLI/JSON socket API lets agents themselves create workspaces, split panes, wait on status, and orchestrate the herd.

Sources