tmux-ci-ca

Complete vim-style ci / ca enclosed-text selection for tmux copy mode.

Enable vi copy-mode keys, enter copy mode (prefix + [), and move the cursor onto or inside a pair. Press c, then i (inner) or a (around), then the pair character. For example, ci( selects the text inside parentheses and ca( includes the parentheses. The native tmux selection stays highlighted until you copy it with y or Enter, or leave copy mode.

Supported pairs

keys	pair (ASCII + CJK twins)
( ) b	() 與全形 （）
{ } B	{} 與全形 ｛｝
[ ]	[]、全形 ［］ 與中式 【】
< >	<>、〈〉 與 《》
"	"、全形 ＂ 與彎引號 “…”
'	' 與 ‘…’
`	backtick

CJK 全形/彎引號字元與 ASCII 配對在同一族內可互換：游標在 （…） 內按 ci( 會選到全形括號的內容。

Why this is different from keybind-only approaches

Plugins such as tmux-vilto compose tmux's jump-to-forward/jump-backward copy-mode commands. That approach cannot count nesting, cannot fail safely, and only works within the visible screen. tmux-ci-ca instead computes the range with a real matcher (scripts/surround.awk) over the pane buffer and its scrollback, then drives tmux's native selection with cursor navigation:

• nesting depth counting: f(a, (b + c), d) selects the pair under the cursor
• already-matched pairs net out, matching vim's semantics
• a quote under the cursor opens the region extending forward; otherwise the nearest unescaped quote backward opens it
• pairs may span soft-wrapped rows and blank lines, including newlines at the start or end of the selected text
• CJK characters and common emoji sequences are handled using tmux's cell and grapheme conventions
• no enclosing pair or an empty inner region leaves the existing selection untouched and shows a status-line hint

On tmux 3.6 and newer, matching uses the copy-mode snapshot even if the pane continues producing output. Earlier tmux versions can capture only the live pane buffer: if the pane changes while you are in copy mode, leave and re-enter copy mode before selecting.

The copied text is the text tmux stores; some older tmux builds insert padding spaces in emoji sequences containing variation selectors.

Install

詳細步驟、剪貼簿設定、更新與疑難排解，請參閱繁體中文安裝指南。

With TPM

Set vi mode in ~/.tmux.conf, and add the plugin before TPM is started:

setw -g mode-keys vi
set -g @plugin 'killkli/tmux-ci-ca'

Manual (no TPM)

# ~/.tmux.conf
setw -g mode-keys vi
run-shell ~/.tmux/plugins/tmux-ci-ca/tmux-ci-ca.tmux

Reload the configuration (tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf), or start a new tmux server after installing.

Options

# copy to a tmux buffer and leave copy mode immediately after ci/ca
# (default off: the selection stays open for y / Enter)
set -g @ci-ca-copy-on-select "1"

# silence the "no enclosing pair" status message
set -g @ci-ca-notify "0"

Keys in copy mode

• c, then i or a, then the pair character
• Esc or any other unrecognised key aborts the pending sequence
• y / Enter copy the selection; q leaves copy mode. If y is unbound, the plugin gives it the same default copy behavior as Enter; an existing y binding is left unchanged.

Testing

test/awk_tests.sh    # matcher tests; no tmux needed
test/run_tests.sh    # real tmux client on an isolated server; requires Python 3

Requirements

• Runtime: tmux 3.2+, any awk, and bash 3.2+
• Integration tests: Python 3, in addition to the runtime requirements