Targets & Execution Domains

The target and domain fields control where and how your task executes.

Target Values

Target	Description
`current_pane`	Runs the task in the currently active pane
`new_tab`	Opens a new tab for the task
`new_window`	Opens a new window for the task
`split_horizontal`	Splits the current pane horizontally and runs the task in the new pane
`split_vertical`	Splits the current pane vertically and runs the task in the new pane

Default Behavior

The interaction between target and domain follows these rules:

Condition	Effective Target
Both omitted	`current_pane`
`target` omitted, `domain` present	`new_tab`
`target` present, `domain` omitted	`CurrentPaneDomain`
Both present	Uses both as specified

Current Pane Details

When target = "current_pane":

Nash sends the task command text directly into the active pane
No new pane, tab, or window is spawned
The top-level shell override is not applied — the task runs in the active pane's current shell
If cwd is specified, nash runs the task in a scoped shell block and returns to the original directory afterward

Spawned Targets

For targets that create new UI elements (new_tab, new_window, split_horizontal, split_vertical):

The domain field determines which nash instance handles the spawned execution
focus and keep flags control post-spawn behavior (see below)

Focus & Keep Flags

These flags only apply to spawned targets (new_tab, new_window, split_horizontal, split_vertical). They are ignored for current_pane.

Flag	Default	Behavior
`focus`	`true`	The new tab/window/pane takes focus immediately
`keep`	`false`	The tab/window/pane closes automatically when the command finishes

Setting focus = false restores focus to the previously active pane after starting the task. Setting keep = true holds the spawned tab/window/pane open so you can inspect the output.

[[task]]
id = "watch-logs"
title = "Watch Logs"
target = "split_horizontal"
focus = false
keep = true
command = "tail -f /var/log/app.log"

This task opens a horizontal split that stays visible after the command starts, without stealing focus from your current work.

Continue to Scope & Overrides to learn how global and project-level tasks merge.