tmux-nvim-navigator

Navigate between tmux panes and Neovim splits with Ctrl-h/j/k/l. Pure tmux — no Neovim plugin or config needed.

Works with any Neovim config, including --clean and multiple NVIM_APPNAME setups. When entering a Neovim pane, the cursor is repositioned to the nearest split on the side you came from.

Requirements

• tmux >= 3.0
• Neovim >= 0.8

Installation

TPM (recommended)

Add the plugin to your tmux.conf:

set -g @plugin 'sindrip/tmux-nvim-navigator'

To customize the keybindings, set these options before the plugin line:

set -g @tmux-nvim-navigator-left  'C-h'
set -g @tmux-nvim-navigator-down  'C-j'
set -g @tmux-nvim-navigator-up    'C-k'
set -g @tmux-nvim-navigator-right 'C-l'

Manual

Add these to your tmux.conf:

bind -n C-h run-shell "/path/to/bin/tmux-navigate left"
bind -n C-j run-shell "/path/to/bin/tmux-navigate down"
bind -n C-k run-shell "/path/to/bin/tmux-navigate up"
bind -n C-l run-shell "/path/to/bin/tmux-navigate right"

How it works

When you navigate in a direction:

1. If the current pane is running Neovim, the plugin tries to move within Neovim's splits
2. If the cursor is already at the edge of Neovim's splits (or the pane isn't running Neovim), it moves to the next tmux pane
3. When entering a Neovim pane, the cursor is repositioned to the nearest split on the side you came from

All of this is handled entirely on the tmux side via Neovim's --remote-expr RPC interface over the Unix socket. Your Neovim config stays completely untouched.

Alternatives

Other plugins require configuration for both programs:

Plugin	Neovim plugin required?	tmux config required?
tmux-nvim-navigator	No	Yes
vim-tmux-navigator	Yes	Yes
smart-splits.nvim	Yes	Yes
nvim-tmux-navigation	Yes	Yes