# Open In Pane

> Use when running inside tmux ($TMUX is set) and the user wants to look at a file's contents — "show me", "open", "let me see", "見せて", "表示して", "開いて", "中身を見たい" — or when showing a file (log, config, generated output, diff target) to the user beats pasting it into the conversation.

- Skill: `snaka/open-in-pane` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add snaka/open-in-pane`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/snaka/open-in-pane/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: snaka (https://skillmd.com/u/snaka)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/snaka/open-in-pane

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# Open in Pane

## Overview

Display a file in a tmux pane to the right of Claude Code so the user can read and scroll it themselves. The viewer pane is reused across invocations; pressing `q` in the viewer closes the pane and returns focus to Claude Code.

## Usage

Run the bundled script:

```bash
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/open-in-pane/scripts/open-in-pane.sh <file> [line]
```

- `<file>`: path to the file (relative or absolute)
- `[line]`: optional line number — jumps there and highlights it

Viewer is auto-selected: `bat` > `less` > `cat`.

## When invoked as a slash command

Run the script with the given argument. If the argument is a bare filename that matches multiple files in the project, open the most likely match and say which one you opened.

## Proactive use

When the user asks to see a file and you are in tmux, open it in the pane instead of dumping its contents into the conversation. When you reference a specific location (`file:line`), pass the line number so the pane opens right there. If the user wants the content *analyzed or explained*, Read it yourself as usual — the pane is for the user's eyes, not yours.

## Failure modes

- Not inside tmux → script exits 1 with "not inside a tmux session"; fall back to Read and show the relevant part inline.
- File missing or not a regular file → script exits 1 with an error; check the path before retrying.