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ghostty-config

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Configure and optimize Ghostty terminal with themes, fonts, keybindings, and performance settings. Use when setting up Ghostty, creating terminal configs, customizing keybinds, or troubleshooting terminal behavior. Keywords: ghostty, terminal, config, keybind, theme, font, terminal config, ghostty.conf

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Ghostty Terminal Configuration

Configure Ghostty terminal emulator following best practices and XDG Base Directory specification.

Config File Location

Ghostty follows XDG spec:

  • Primary: ~/.config/ghostty/config
  • Theme files: ~/.config/ghostty/themes/

Instructions

1. Identify Configuration Need

Determine what the user wants to configure:

  • Initial setup: Create base config with sensible defaults
  • Theming: Colors, fonts, appearance
  • Keybindings: Custom shortcuts and actions
  • Performance: GPU, scrollback, shell integration
  • Behavior: Window management, tabs, quick terminal

2. Configuration Categories

Font Configuration

# Font family with fallbacks
font-family = "JetBrains Mono"
font-size = 13

# Font variants
font-family-bold = "JetBrains Mono"
font-family-italic = "JetBrains Mono"

# OpenType features (disable ligatures example)
font-feature = -calt

# Variable font axes (optional)
# font-variation = wght=450

Guidelines:

  • Use monospace fonts with good Unicode coverage
  • Size 12-14 for optimal readability
  • Consider ligature preferences (coding vs terminal work)
  • Test font rendering before committing

Theme & Appearance

# Use built-in theme
theme = "catppuccin-mocha"

# Or custom colors
background = #1e1e2e
foreground = #cdd6f4
cursor-color = #f5e0dc

# Transparency and effects
background-opacity = 0.95
background-blur-radius = 20  # macOS/KDE only

# Window styling
window-padding-x = 4
window-padding-y = 4
window-decoration = true

Best practices:

  • Start with built-in themes: catppuccin-*, solarized-*, gruvbox-*
  • Keep opacity ≥ 0.85 for readability
  • Use background blur for aesthetics without sacrificing legibility
  • Match padding to your workflow (minimal vs spacious)

Keybinding Patterns

Syntax: keybind = trigger=action

Common patterns:

# Navigation
keybind = ctrl+shift+h=goto_split:left
keybind = ctrl+shift+j=goto_split:bottom
keybind = ctrl+shift+k=goto_split:top
keybind = ctrl+shift+l=goto_split:right

# Splits
keybind = ctrl+shift+enter=new_split:right
keybind = ctrl+shift+\=new_split:down

# Tabs
keybind = super+t=new_tab
keybind = super+w=close_surface
keybind = super+1=goto_tab:1
keybind = super+2=goto_tab:2

# Copy/Paste
keybind = super+c=copy_to_clipboard
keybind = super+v=paste_from_clipboard

# Font sizing
keybind = super+plus=increase_font_size:1
keybind = super+minus=decrease_font_size:1
keybind = super+0=reset_font_size

# Quick terminal (dropdown)
keybind = global:super+grave=toggle_quick_terminal

# Unbind unwanted defaults
keybind = ctrl+shift+n=unbind

Advanced keybind features:

# Global keybinds (system-wide, macOS only)
keybind = global:super+shift+t=new_window

# Multi-key sequences
keybind = ctrl+a>c=new_window

# Prefixes
keybind = all:ctrl+shift+r=reload_config
keybind = unconsumed:ctrl+space=text:\x00
keybind = performable:super+c=copy_to_clipboard

Modifier aliases:

  • ctrl = control
  • alt = opt = option
  • super = cmd = command

Key types:

  • Unicode codepoints: ö, é, ⌘
  • Physical keys (W3C codes): KeyA, Digit1
  • Function keys: F1, F12
  • Special: escape, enter, tab, backspace

Shell Integration

# Auto-detect shell features
shell-integration = detect
shell-integration-features = cursor,sudo,title

# Custom shell
command = /usr/bin/fish

# Environment variables
env = EDITOR=nvim
env = TERM=xterm-256color

Performance & Behavior

# Scrollback
scrollback-limit = 10000

# Mouse
mouse-scroll-multiplier = 3
copy-on-select = clipboard

# Window state
window-save-state = default
window-inherit-working-directory = true

# Tab behavior
window-new-tab-position = current

3. Configuration Workflow

  1. Read existing config (if present):

    Read ~/.config/ghostty/config

  2. Determine changes needed based on user request

  3. Apply changes using Edit or Write:

    • Use Edit for incremental changes to existing config
    • Use Write for new configs or major rewrites

  4. Validate syntax:

    • Check modifier spelling (ctrl, shift, alt, super)
    • Verify action names (use official docs reference)
    • Ensure proper INI formatting

  5. Test recommendations:

    • "Changes apply to new terminals/windows only"
    • Suggest restarting Ghostty or opening new window
    • For global keybinds, mention accessibility permissions (macOS)

4. Common Configuration Tasks

Complete Initial Setup

Create minimal but functional config:

# Font
font-family = "JetBrains Mono"
font-size = 13

# Theme
theme = "catppuccin-mocha"
background-opacity = 0.95

# Shell
shell-integration = detect
command = /usr/bin/fish

# Behavior
copy-on-select = clipboard
window-inherit-working-directory = true

Add Vim-style Navigation

keybind = ctrl+h=goto_split:left
keybind = ctrl+j=goto_split:bottom
keybind = ctrl+k=goto_split:top
keybind = ctrl+l=goto_split:right

Theme Switching

# Built-in themes
theme = catppuccin-mocha  # dark
theme = catppuccin-latte  # light

# Custom theme file
theme = /Users/user/.config/ghostty/themes/custom.conf

Quick Terminal Setup

# Dropdown terminal
keybind = global:super+grave=toggle_quick_terminal
quick-terminal-position = top
quick-terminal-screen = main
quick-terminal-animation-duration = 0.2

5. Reference Documentation

For comprehensive options, reference:

List all available actions and defaults:

ghostty +list-keybinds --default

6. Integration with Dotfiles

Since this is a dotfiles repo following XDG spec:

  1. Store config: config/ghostty/config
  2. Symlink to XDG location: 
    ln -sf ~/Development/dotfiles/config/ghostty ~/.config/ghostty
  3. Update link-config.sh to include Ghostty
  4. Add to README in tools section

Output Format

When configuring Ghostty:

  1. Show changes clearly using code blocks
  2. Explain rationale for non-obvious settings
  3. Provide test commands when relevant
  4. Note runtime behavior: "Restart Ghostty or open new window to see changes"
  5. Include file paths using file:line format for navigation

Project Context

This dotfiles repo:

  • Uses Nix for package management (flake.nix)
  • Symlinks configs from config/** to ~/.config/
  • Follows XDG Base Directory spec
  • Uses Fish shell by default
  • Prioritizes reproducibility and cross-platform support