{
  "slug": "tmux-message-format-controls-status-bar-messages-d0568918eb16",
  "title": "tmux message-format controls status bar messages",
  "tools": [
    "tmux"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "agent"
  ],
  "introduced_at": "2026-06-26T18:01:19.000Z",
  "announced_at": "2026-06-26T18:01:19.000Z",
  "effective_at": null,
  "date_basis": "source-publication",
  "status": "unknown",
  "how": {
    "incantation": "When customizing prompt and message display, set `message-format` to define the complete message; add `fill=yellow` to `message-style` when it should span the status line.",
    "examples": [
      "tmux set-option -g message-format '<format>'",
      "tmux set-option -g message-style 'fg=<colour>,bg=<colour>,fill=yellow'"
    ],
    "gotchas": [
      "Version: 3.7",
      "-g: Set a global session option.",
      "message-format: Format for the entire message, like `status-format`.",
      "message-style: Style for messages; include `fill` to cover the whole width. The release note gives `fill=yellow` as the default.",
      "fill: Style attribute used to fill the whole width; `fill=yellow` is the stated default. No documented mutually exclusive sub-keys found.",
      "Prerequisite: No additional prerequisites found in the cited documentation.",
      "Prompts and messages can occupy only part of the status bar and overlay normal status content.",
      "`message-style` must include `fill` to cover the whole width."
    ]
  },
  "why_it_matters": "Customize how prompts and messages appear alongside normal status bar content.",
  "before": "Messages replaced the entire status line; the change allows them to occupy part of it and overlay normal status content.",
  "sources": [
    "https://github.com/tmux/tmux/blob/3.7/CHANGES",
    "https://github.com/tmux/tmux/blob/3.7/tmux.1"
  ],
  "rank": 0.92019,
  "judge": {
    "publish": true,
    "judge_model": "codex-cli/gpt-6-luna+typesafe/jev-1.13.0",
    "prompt_version": "extract-v7+enrich-v2+judge-v2x3+jev-publish-v1"
  },
  "review_state": "approved",
  "provenance": {
    "run_id": "wave2b-20261017",
    "verdict_id": "wave2b-20261017:wave2b-20261017-5d012b1eebc16351-3:gate",
    "evidence_hash": "4dc65e52c0a209b4ab269efa5f5da058e6d28058d40c6a9c006b28872b256686"
  },
  "review": {
    "draft_hash": "661f7bc3f6d92cb1fddacf95c68e64cea4bea4aac4f5c9be1d724a775b8074a5",
    "reviewer": "publication-gate",
    "reviewed_at": "2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z",
    "decision": "wave2b-20261017:gate",
    "reason": "2 of 3 judge runs approved with p_yes >= 0.9 (mean 0.92 >= 0.9; 2 needed) and Jev gave 0.61 (>= 0.6 needed)."
  }
}