lpm vs Overmind

Overmind-grade per-process control, in a desktop app.

Overmind is a great Procfile runner that asks you to know tmux. lpm uses tmux under the hood but hides it — same single-service attach, restart, and signal behavior, plus a native macOS app, multi-project switching, and a YAML config that auto-detects Rails, Next.js, Go, and more.

Download for macOS
Signed & notarized by Apple
View on GitHub
How it compares

Where the two tools differ

Both tools drive tmux under the hood. Overmind exposes tmux windows and asks you to drive them; lpm wraps tmux in a desktop app and multi-project sidebar so you never see it.

lpm

  • Native desktop GUI
  • app panesPer-service live output
  • click a paneAttach to a single process
  • Restart one service without the rest
  • Proper SIGINT / signal propagation
  • hidden from youUses tmux under the hood
  • Session survives terminal restart
  • Remote dev over SSH
  • Multi-project sidebar and switcher
  • Parallel AI coding agents per project
  • Framework auto-detect (Rails, Next.js, Go, Docker)
  • CLI is a single static Go binary

Overmind

  • Native desktop GUI
  • tmux windowsPer-service live output
  • overmind connectAttach to a single process
  • Restart one service without the rest
  • Proper SIGINT / signal propagation
  • you manage windowsUses tmux under the hood
  • Session survives terminal restart
  • Remote dev over SSH
  • Multi-project sidebar and switcher
  • Parallel AI coding agents per project
  • Framework auto-detect (Rails, Next.js, Go, Docker)
  • CLI is a single static Go binary
Honest take

Pick the tool that matches how you actually work

Pick lpm

You want a GUI, multiple projects open at once, and room for AI agents.

  • You switch between two or more local projects during the day and want a visual sidebar, not separate terminal windows.
  • You run Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or aider against the same codebase and want each agent's services visible without context-switching.
  • You don't want to install or learn tmux just to run a Rails or Next.js stack.
  • You like the idea of clicking a service to attach to its pane with full scrollback and an interactive prompt.
  • Your whole team isn't on tmux and you want something a new hire can open on day one.
Pick Overmind

You live in tmux, stay on the CLI, and want a tiny single binary.

  • You already have tmux muscle memory and prefer keyboard-driven window management.
  • You develop over SSH on a remote box and need the tmux server to survive terminal reconnects.
  • You want a single static Go binary with no GUI dependencies and nothing else running in the background.
  • Your workflow is one project at a time and you're happy driving everything from the shell.
  • You're already using Tmuxinator or a custom tmux setup and Overmind slots in cleanly.
FAQ

Switching from Overmind

  • I already have a Procfile for Overmind — do I have to throw it away?
    You'll convert the lines, but the shape is the same. lpm uses a small YAML config at ~/.lpm/projects/<name>.yml where each service is a name and a command — exactly like your Procfile. Keep the Procfile in the repo if Foreman or Heroku still needs it; lpm just reads its own config alongside.
  • Does lpm require tmux?
    Yes — lpm uses tmux under the hood to keep sessions alive and give each service its own window. The difference from Overmind is that lpm hides tmux from you: you don't write a .tmux.conf, you don't memorize keybindings, and you don't run tmux attach by hand. Output renders in the desktop app's panes or streams through the lpm CLI. If tmux isn't installed, the lpm installer nudges you to brew install tmux.
  • How do I attach to a single process the way overmind connect does?
    Click the service in the sidebar and its pane takes focus with full scrollback and an interactive prompt, so you can hit a debugger, run a pry session, or send input to just that one process. From the CLI you can stream a single service's output the same way.
  • Can I use lpm on a remote dev box over SSH?
    Not as a first-class workflow. The desktop app is macOS-native and local. If you're doing remote development over SSH and need session persistence across terminal reconnects, Overmind on top of tmux is still a better fit — the tmux server keeps running on the remote host. lpm is aimed at local dev on your own machine.
  • What does lpm add if I'm running Claude Code or Codex alongside my Rails stack?
    lpm treats each project as a group of services with its own sidebar entry, so you can run Claude Code against one project's running web + worker while Codex hits another — every agent's output visible at once in separate panes, with no tab juggling and no port collisions between projects.

Keep Overmind's per-process control. Skip the hands-on tmux.

Install lpm, convert your Procfile lines into a small YAML, and every service shows up as its own live pane — in the app or the CLI. tmux runs under the hood so sessions persist; you never have to touch it. Free and open source on GitHub.

Download for macOS
Signed & notarized by Apple
View on GitHub