claude-code/docs/plans/2025-12-29-pa-tmux-theme-design.md

PA Tmux Session Visual Theme Design

Date: 2025-12-29 Status: Approved

Problem

The PA agent tmux session runs with --dangerously-skip-permissions, giving it elevated privileges. There's no visual indicator distinguishing it from normal tmux sessions, making it easy to forget you're in a privileged context.

Solution

Create a separate tmux config file (~/.tmux-pa.conf) that applies a distinct "power mode" purple theme to the PA session only, while keeping Rose Pine Moon as the default for all other sessions.

Design Decisions

Decision	Choice	Rationale
Visual approach	Status bar color change	Immediate, unmistakable feedback
Color tone	Purple/magenta "power mode"	Conveys capability, not danger
Theme style	Dracula-ish purple	Distinct from Rose Pine Moon
Mode indicator	⚡ PA badge	Explicit, clean, punchy
Implementation	Separate config file	Clean separation, easy to maintain

Color Palette

Element	Color	Hex
Background	Deep purple	#282a36
Foreground	Light gray	#f8f8f2
Accent (active)	Bright purple	#bd93f9
Accent (secondary)	Cyan	#8be9fd
Accent (highlight)	Pink	#ff79c6
Muted text	Comment gray	#6272a4

Files to Create/Modify

New: ~/.tmux-pa.conf

# Source base config (inherits keybindings, plugins, settings)
source-file ~/.tmux.conf

# === Dracula Purple "Power Mode" Theme ===

# Status bar base
set -g status-style "bg=#282a36,fg=#f8f8f2"

# Left: PA badge
set -g status-left "#[bg=#ff79c6,fg=#282a36,bold] ⚡ PA #[bg=#282a36,fg=#ff79c6] "
set -g status-left-length 20

# Window status
set -g window-status-format "#[fg=#6272a4] #I:#W "
set -g window-status-current-format "#[fg=#bd93f9,bold] #I:#W "

# Right: host, directory, time
set -g status-right "#[fg=#8be9fd]#h #[fg=#6272a4]| #[fg=#bd93f9]#{pane_current_path} #[fg=#6272a4]| #[fg=#ff79c6]%Y-%m-%d %H:%M "
set -g status-right-length 80

# Pane borders
set -g pane-border-style "fg=#6272a4"
set -g pane-active-border-style "fg=#bd93f9"

# Message styling
set -g message-style "bg=#282a36,fg=#ff79c6"

Modify: ~/.claude/automation/pa-mode

Change the tmux invocation to use the PA-specific config:

# Before
exec tmux new-session -A -s "$SESSION_NAME" ...

# After
exec tmux -f ~/.tmux-pa.conf new-session -A -s "$SESSION_NAME" ...

What Stays Unchanged

• ~/.tmux.conf - Rose Pine Moon default, untouched
• All other tmux sessions - Continue using default config
• All keybindings, plugins, history settings - Inherited via source-file

Testing

1. Start a normal tmux session - should show Rose Pine Moon theme
2. Run pa-mode - should show Dracula purple theme with ⚡ PA badge
3. Verify keybindings work in PA session (inherited from base config)
4. Verify plugins load correctly in PA session