# Install mtm with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix

Micro terminal multiplexer. Version 1.2.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#mtm.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:mtm
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install mtm
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install mtm
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/mtm/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add mtm
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mtm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#mtm
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mt/mtm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:mtm
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.2.1
- **Source summary:** Micro terminal multiplexer
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- mtm (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.2.1
## Project history and usage

mtm, the Micro Terminal Multiplexer, is a deliberately tiny terminal multiplexer from the deadpixi/mtm project. Its README frames the project around four principles: few commands, broad compatibility through classic ANSI terminal emulation, a codebase of about one thousand lines, and a maintenance policy centered on bug fixes, translation/accessibility improvements, and keeping the program building on supported operating systems.

### Project history

The tool occupies the minimalist end of the same niche as GNU Screen and tmux. It starts virtual terminals inside one terminal, lets the user split the screen horizontally or vertically, move focus with a prefix key and arrows, close panes, redraw, and scroll. The project avoids requiring a custom terminfo entry by advertising a long-established screen-compatible terminal type by default, while also shipping optional mtm terminfo entries for users who want them.

### How it is used

Package-manager adoption reflects that niche: mtm is useful in constrained or preference-driven environments where a user wants pane splitting without sessions, scripting layers, or a large command language. Homebrew, Alpine, MacPorts, and Nix package it as a single mtm executable, so it functions mainly as a lightweight alternative for users who find larger multiplexers excessive.

### Sources

- <https://fedoramagazine.org/4-cool-terminal-multiplexers/>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mtm>
- <https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - mtm: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/mt/mtm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- apk - mtm - 1.2.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mtm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Perhaps the smallest useful terminal multiplexer in the world | https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm
- apk - mtm-doc - 1.2.1-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mtm-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Perhaps the smallest useful terminal multiplexer in the world (documentation) | https://github.com/deadpixi/mtm
- MacPorts - mtm: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/mtm/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mtm.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/mtm.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph