Moshi Best Practices

Use this skill to make any host feel easy to use from Moshi.

Use it for either:

fresh setup
verification of an existing setup

Rules

Inspect before editing.
Prefer direct config edits over platform-specific setup scripts.
Verify every outcome after changing it.
For moshi DIR, use a shell function named moshi, not a literal alias. Aliases cannot take arguments safely.

1. Host Readiness

Target outcome:

preferred transport is Mosh plus tmux; fallback is SSH plus tmux
the host has a working SSH entry point
tmux is installed
mosh-server is installed when the user wants Mosh, otherwise SSH plus tmux is acceptable
both resolve in the current shell and in the login shell's non-interactive mode
at least one tmux session exists so the Moshi selector can appear.

Inspect with a small set of real checks. Keep OS-specific mechanics minimal, but do not skip verification.

Useful checks:

command -v tmux || true
command -v mosh-server || true
tmux list-sessions 2>/dev/null || true
LOGIN_SHELL="${SHELL:-/bin/sh}"
"$LOGIN_SHELL" -c 'command -v tmux'
"$LOGIN_SHELL" -c 'command -v mosh-server'

Useful macOS-specific checks when relevant:

dscl . -read "/Users/$USER" UserShell
systemsetup -getremotelogin || true

Verify after changes:

command -v tmux
tmux list-sessions
"$LOGIN_SHELL" -c 'command -v tmux'
"$LOGIN_SHELL" -c 'command -v mosh-server' || true

Then ask the user to reconnect from Moshi. Expected result: the tmux selector appears, and the transport can use Mosh instead of plain SSH when configured.

2. tmux Environment

Use these defaults unless the user wants something different:

set -g history-limit 100000
set -g mouse on
set -g set-titles on
set -g set-titles-string "#I: #W"
set -g base-index 1
setw -g pane-base-index 1
set -g renumber-windows on

Workflow:

inspect the existing tmux config
update overlapping settings instead of appending duplicates
reload tmux after editing

3. tmux Project Session

When creating a new session:

read the current working directory
ask one concise question: should the session start from here?
if the answer is no, ask for the directory
default the session name to the directory basename
create the session detached
use the chosen directory for every initial window with tmux ... -c <dir>

Recommended windows:

agent
review
tests
servers
misc

Create the session detached and root every initial window at the chosen directory.

Then ask the user to reconnect in Moshi. Expected result: the session is visible in the tmux selector.

4. Optional `moshi DIR` Helper

Do not install this silently. Ask the user first if they want it.

If yes:

install a shell function named moshi in the correct startup file for the active shell
make it accept a directory argument, defaulting to $PWD
name the tmux session from the directory basename
create the standard detached session layout only if the session does not already exist
attach to the session afterward

Use the exact function from references/moshi-shell-function.md.

5. Agent Hooks

Use moshi-hooks, not hand-written config, unless the user explicitly wants manual edits.

Core commands:

bunx moshi-hooks setup
bunx moshi-hooks token <YOUR_TOKEN>

Optional integrations:

bunx moshi-hooks setup --local
bunx moshi-hooks setup .
bunx moshi-hooks setup --codex
bunx moshi-hooks setup --opencode

Final verification:

run a short real agent task
confirm Moshi receives a push notification or Live Activity update

moshi-best-practices