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mux can open workspaces in your preferred code editor. Click the pencil icon in the workspace header or use the keyboard shortcut to open the current workspace in your editor.

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Selecting Your Editor

Go to Settings → General → Editor to choose your default editor. mux ships with support for:
  • VS Code - Opens with Remote-SSH for SSH workspaces
  • Cursor - Opens with Remote-SSH for SSH workspaces
  • Zed - Local workspaces only (no SSH support)
  • Vim/Neovim - Opens in mux’s web terminal

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Editor Types

Editors fall into two categories:

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Native Editors

Native editors (VS Code, Cursor, Zed) spawn as separate GUI applications. They work best in desktop mode (the Electron app). In browser mode, native editors aren’t available since the browser can’t launch applications on your computer. For SSH workspaces, VS Code and Cursor use their Remote-SSH extension to connect directly to the remote host.

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Terminal Editors

Terminal editors (Vim/Neovim) run inside mux’s web terminal. They work in all modes:
  • Desktop (Electron) - Opens in a terminal window
  • Browser mode - Opens in a browser popup
  • SSH workspaces - Runs on the remote host via the terminal
This makes terminal editors the most portable option.

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Custom Editors

You can customize the editor configuration by editing ~/.mux/editors.js. This file is created automatically on first run with the default editors.

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File Structure

export default {
  // Which editor to use by default
  default: "vscode",

  // Editor definitions
  editors: {
    vscode: {
      name: "VS Code",
      open: async (ctx) => {
        // Return instructions for opening
      },
    },
    // ... more editors
  },
};

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Adding a Custom Editor

Each editor has a name and an open function. The open function receives a context object and returns instructions: 
// Example: Add Sublime Text
sublime: {
  name: "Sublime Text",
  open: async (ctx) => {
    if (ctx.isBrowser) {
      return { error: "Sublime Text requires the desktop app" };
    }
    if (ctx.isSSH) {
      return { error: "Sublime Text does not support SSH workspaces" };
    }
    return { type: "native", command: "subl", args: [ctx.path] };
  },
},

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Context Object

The open function receives these properties:
PropertyTypeDescription
pathstringAbsolute path to open
hoststring?SSH host (if SSH workspace)
isSSHbooleanWhether this is an SSH workspace
isBrowserbooleanWhether running in browser mode
isDesktopbooleanWhether running in desktop (Electron) mode
platformstringOS platform: “darwin”, “linux”, or “win32”
findCommandfunctionFind first available command from a list

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Return Values

Return one of these objects: Native editor (GUI application): 
{ type: "native", command: "code", args: ["--new-window", ctx.path] }
Terminal editor (runs in web terminal): 
{ type: "web_term", command: `nvim ${ctx.path}` }
Error (show message to user): 
{
  error: "This editor doesn't support SSH workspaces";
}

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Example: Emacs

emacs: {
  name: "Emacs",
  open: async (ctx) => {
    // Use emacsclient for GUI, or run in terminal for SSH
    if (ctx.isSSH) {
      return { type: "web_term", command: `emacs -nw ${ctx.path}` };
    }
    if (ctx.isBrowser) {
      return { type: "web_term", command: `emacs -nw ${ctx.path}` };
    }
    // Desktop mode - use GUI emacs
    return { type: "native", command: "emacsclient", args: ["-c", ctx.path] };
  },
},

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Example: Helix

helix: {
  name: "Helix",
  open: async (ctx) => {
    const cmd = await ctx.findCommand(["hx", "helix"]);
    if (!cmd) {
      return { error: "Helix not found (tried hx, helix)" };
    }
    return { type: "web_term", command: `${cmd} ${ctx.path}` };
  },
},

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SSH Workspace Support

EditorSSH SupportMethod
VS Code✅Remote-SSH extension
Cursor✅Remote-SSH extension
Zed❌Not supported
Vim/Neovim✅Runs in web terminal on remote

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Keyboard Shortcut

Open the current workspace in your editor:
  • macOS: Cmd+Shift+E
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+E