Manifest File

The AXEL.md file defines your workspace configuration: which panes to run, where to find skills, and how to lay out terminal grids. It combines YAML frontmatter with markdown content for project context.

File Location

axel walks up the directory tree looking for AXEL.md. You can also specify a path with the -m flag.

Complete Example

AXEL.md

---
workspace: my-project

skills:
  - path: ./skills
  - path: ~/.config/axel/skills

layouts:
  panes:
    - type: claude
      color: gray
      skills:
        - "*"
    - type: shell
      notes:
        - "$ axel -k my-project"

  grids:
    default:
      type: tmux
      claude:
        col: 0
        row: 0
      shell:
        col: 1
        row: 0
        color: yellow
---

# Project Documentation

Your project context goes here. This content is symlinked as CLAUDE.md for Claude Code
or AGENTS.md for Codex/OpenCode, providing project-specific instructions to the AI.

## Architecture

Describe your project structure, key patterns, and conventions...

Top-Level Fields

workspacestringrequired

Workspace name. Used for the tmux session name and display.

skillsarray

List of directories to search for skill files. First match wins for duplicate names.

skills:
  - path: ./skills
  - path: ~/.config/axel/skills

layoutsobjectrequired

Contains panes (pane definitions) and grids (layout profiles).

Pane Configuration

Each pane in the layouts.panes array defines a pane type. Built-in types: claude, codex, opencode, antigravity, shell. Any other type is treated as a custom command.

AI Pane (claude, codex, opencode, antigravity)

layouts:
  panes:
    - type: claude
      color: purple
      skills:
        - "*"                    # all skills, or list specific names
      model: sonnet              # sonnet, opus, haiku
      prompt: "Your task..."     # initial prompt
      allowed_tools:             # restrict to specific tools
        - Read
        - Write
      disallowed_tools: []       # block specific tools
      args: []                   # additional CLI arguments

typePane type: claude, codex, opencode, antigravity, shell, or custom name

colorPane color: purple, yellow, red, green, blue, gray, orange

skillsSkill names to load. Use "*" for all skills.

modelModel to use (e.g., sonnet, opus, haiku for Claude)

promptInitial prompt to send when launching

Shell Pane

layouts:
  panes:
    - type: shell
      notes:
        - "$ axel -k my-project"

notesNotes displayed in the pane on startup

Custom Command Pane

layouts:
  panes:
    - type: server
      command: cargo watch -x run
      color: blue

commandCommand to execute in this pane

Grid Layouts

Grids define how panes are arranged in tmux. Each grid has a type and pane positions.

layouts:
  grids:
    default:
      type: tmux
      claude:
        col: 0
        row: 0
      shell:
        col: 1
        row: 0
        color: yellow
        height: 50

    solo:
      type: shell
      claude:
        col: 0
        row: 0

Grid Types

tmux - Standard tmux session with panes (default)
tmux_cc - iTerm2 tmux integration mode
shell - No tmux, run first pane directly

Cell Positioning

Each pane name in the grid maps to a pane type. Position with column/row grid:

colColumn position (0, 1, 2...) - left to right

rowRow position (0, 1, 2...) - top to bottom within column

widthColumn width percentage

heightRow height percentage

colorOverride pane color for this grid

Colors

Available pane colors:

purpleyellowredgreenbluegrayorange