Ghostty

Ghostty is a fast, feature-rich, and cross-platform terminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU acceleration. It differentiates itself by being fast, feature-rich, and native — without forcing you to choose between the three.

Quick Start

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install --cask ghostty

# Configuration file location
# macOS: ~/.config/ghostty/config  OR  ~/Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config
# Linux: ~/.config/ghostty/config

# Example minimal config
cat > ~/.config/ghostty/config << 'EOF'
theme = Catppuccin Frappe
font-family = JetBrains Mono
font-size = 14
keybind = ctrl+shift+t=new_tab
keybind = ctrl+shift+n=new_window
EOF

Installation

# macOS - Official DMG from https://ghostty.org/download or:
brew install --cask ghostty

# Arch Linux
pacman -S ghostty

# NixOS
environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.ghostty ];

# Alpine Linux
apk add ghostty

# openSUSE
zypper install ghostty

# Snap
snap install ghostty --classic

# Void Linux
xbps-install ghostty

# Build from source (any platform)
# See docs/006-docs-install-build.md

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation in docs/. Consult docs/000-index.md for detailed navigation.

By Topic

Topic	Files	Description
Introduction	001-003	Project overview and documentation index
Installation	004-007	Install methods: prebuilt, binaries, source, packaging
Features	008-010	Core features, themes, shell integration
Configuration	011-015	Config syntax, keybindings, full option reference
VT Sequences Overview	016	Terminal API introduction
VT Concepts	017-020	Screen, cursor, colors, sequences fundamentals
VT Control Characters	021-025	BEL, BS, CR, LF, TAB
VT ESC Sequences	026-034	Index, keypad modes, cursor save/restore, reset
VT CSI Sequences	035-062	Cursor movement, scrolling, editing, margins
VT OSC Sequences	063-076	Colors, titles, clipboard, notifications
VT Reference	077-078	Full sequence reference, external protocols

By Keyword

Keyword	File
configuration	011-docs-config.md
config-syntax	011-docs-config.md
config-reference	015-docs-config-reference.md
font-family	015-docs-config-reference.md
font-size	015-docs-config-reference.md
font-features	015-docs-config-reference.md
theme	009-docs-features-theme.md
color-schemes	009-docs-features-theme.md, 017-docs-vt-concepts-colors.md
light-dark-mode	009-docs-features-theme.md
keybindings	012-docs-config-keybind.md
keybind-actions	014-docs-config-keybind-reference.md
key-sequences	013-docs-config-keybind-sequence.md
shell-integration	010-docs-features-shell-integration.md
bash	010-docs-features-shell-integration.md
zsh	010-docs-features-shell-integration.md
fish	010-docs-features-shell-integration.md
installation	005-docs-install-binary.md
homebrew	005-docs-install-binary.md
build-from-source	006-docs-install-build.md
prerelease	004-docs-install-pre.md
gpu-acceleration	002-docs-about.md, 008-docs-features.md
cross-platform	002-docs-about.md, 008-docs-features.md
native-ui	002-docs-about.md
libghostty	002-docs-about.md
zig	002-docs-about.md
terminal-features	008-docs-features.md
cursor-movement	035-062 (CSI sequences)
cursor-style	057-docs-vt-csi-decscusr.md
cursor-positioning	041-docs-vt-csi-cup.md
scrolling	055-docs-vt-csi-sd.md, 056-docs-vt-csi-su.md
scroll-region	059-docs-vt-csi-decstbm.md
scroll-margins	058-docs-vt-csi-decslrm.md
clipboard	069-docs-vt-osc-52.md
window-title	065-docs-vt-osc-0.md, 066-docs-vt-osc-2.md
dynamic-colors	070-docs-vt-osc-1x.md, 073-docs-vt-osc-11x.md
color-palette	071-docs-vt-osc-4.md, 074-docs-vt-osc-104.md
desktop-notification	076-docs-vt-osc-9.md
escape-sequences	018-docs-vt-concepts-sequences.md
control-sequences	016-docs-vt.md, 018-docs-vt-concepts-sequences.md
terminal-colors	017-docs-vt-concepts-colors.md
terminal-cursor	019-docs-vt-concepts-cursor.md
screen-buffer	020-docs-vt-concepts-screen.md
erase-display	048-docs-vt-csi-ed.md
erase-line	049-docs-vt-csi-el.md
mouse-reporting	034-docs-vt-csi-xtshiftescape.md
vt-reference	078-docs-vt-reference.md
external-protocols	077-docs-vt-external.md
background-opacity	015-docs-config-reference.md
splits	015-docs-config-reference.md
tabs	008-docs-features.md
quick-terminal	008-docs-features.md
kitty-graphics	008-docs-features.md
packaging	007-docs-install-package.md
sponsor	079-docs-sponsor.md
conemu	068-docs-vt-osc-conemu.md
working-directory	067-docs-vt-osc-7.md
pointer-shape	063-docs-vt-osc-22.md

Learning Path

1. Foundation - Read 001-003 for project intro, then 004-007 for installation
2. Core Configuration - Learn features (008-010: theming, shell integration), then master config (011-015)
3. Terminal API Fundamentals - VT intro (016), concepts (017-020: screen, cursor, colors, sequences)
4. Control Sequences - Control chars (021-025), ESC (026-034), CSI (035-062), OSC (063-076)
5. Reference - Complete VT reference (077-078)

Common Tasks

Install Ghostty

-> docs/005-docs-install-binary.md (macOS, Linux packages, Homebrew, Nix)

Configure Ghostty

-> docs/011-docs-config.md (config file location, syntax, reloading)

Set a Theme

-> docs/009-docs-features-theme.md (built-in themes, light/dark mode, custom themes)

Customize Keybindings

-> docs/012-docs-config-keybind.md (trigger syntax, modifiers, actions)

Set Up Shell Integration

-> docs/010-docs-features-shell-integration.md (bash/zsh/fish/elvish, prompt navigation, working directory)

Customize Fonts

-> docs/015-docs-config-reference.md (font-family, font-size, font-features, ligatures)

Configure Background Opacity / Blur

-> docs/015-docs-config-reference.md (background-opacity, background-blur)

Use VT Escape Sequences

-> docs/018-docs-vt-concepts-sequences.md (sequence types, syntax, CSI/OSC/ESC formats)

Look Up All Config Options

-> docs/015-docs-config-reference.md (comprehensive option reference)

Look Up All Keybind Actions

-> docs/014-docs-config-keybind-reference.md (complete action reference)