kitty

kitty configuration, host variants, custom kittens and the Python tab bar.

GPU terminal emulator and the primary terminal on every role.

Source	`dot_config/kitty/`
Target	`~/.config/kitty/`
Install	`kitty` in `.chezmoidata/packages.yaml` (pacman on Arch, cask on macOS, plus `font-victor-mono-nerd-font` cask)

dot_config/kitty/
- kitty.conf
- tmux.conf
- herdr.conf
- goliath.conf
- ssh.conf
- symlink_current-theme.conf
- tab_bar.py
- pass_keys.py
- navigate_kitty.py
- select_tab.py
- switchtab.py
- window_titler.py
- themes/
  - cyberdream.conf
  - koda-dark.conf
  - koda-light.conf
  - noctalia.conf

__pycache__/ next to tab_bar.py is excluded in .chezmoiignore.tmpl.

Theme and colors

Every config ends with:

include ~/.local/state/omarchy/current/theme/kitty.conf

Colors come from the active Omarchy theme; it is included last so it wins. symlink_current-theme.conf creates ~/.config/kitty/current-theme.conf as a symlink to themes/noctalia.conf. Only the legacy dot_config/herdr/kitty.conf includes current-theme.conf; the main config does not. themes/ holds cyberdream, koda-dark, koda-light and noctalia color files.

kitty.conf

Option	Value
`font_family`	`VictorMono Nerd Font`, then overridden in the `BEGIN_KITTY_FONTS` block to `family="VictorMono Nerd Font Mono"`; bold/italic `auto`
`window_padding_width`	`8`
`hide_window_decorations`	`yes`
`background_opacity`	`0.9`
`cursor_trail`	`10`, `cursor_trail_start_threshold 0`, `cursor_trail_decay 0.01 0.05`
`cursor_blink_interval`	`0` (set to 1, then overridden)
`copy_on_select`	`auto`
`strip_trailing_spaces`	`smart`
`confirm_os_window_close`	`0`
`allow_remote_control`	`socket-only`
`listen_on`	`unix:@kitty-{kitty_pid}`
`enabled_layouts`	`splits:split_axis=vertical,stack`
Tab bar	`powerline`, `angled`, aligned left, top edge, `tab_title_template "{custom}"`

The socket also exports KITTY_LISTEN_ON into each pane. nvim reads it to know kitty owns the panes and hands ctrl+h/j/k/l back to kitty at an edge.

Launch aliases

Alias	Expands to
`launch_mn`	`launch --cwd=current --type=overlay-main`
`launch_os`	`launch --cwd=current --type=os-window`
`launch_ov`	`launch --cwd=current --type=overlay`
`launch_tb`	`launch --cwd=current --type=tab`
`launch_hs`	`launch --cwd=current --location=hsplit --bias=30`
`launch_vs`	`launch --cwd=current --location=vsplit --bias=40`
`launch_vs50`	`launch --cwd=current --location=vsplit --bias=50`

Keybindings

Key	Action
`super+n`	Vertical split 50/50 (`launch_vs50`)
`super+z`	Toggle `stack` layout (zoom)
`ctrl+shift+t`, `super+enter`	New tab in current cwd
`ctrl+space`, `ctrl+shift+j`	Horizontal split, 30% (`launch_hs`)
`ctrl+enter`, `ctrl+shift+l`	Vertical split, 40% (`launch_vs`)
`ctrl+shift+space`	New OS window
`ctrl+shift+h` / `ctrl+shift+k`	Previous / next tab
`ctrl+shift+g`	`lazygit` in an overlay
`ctrl+shift+f`	`yazi` in a new tab
`ctrl+shift+e`	`nvim` in a 50/50 vertical split
`ctrl+shift+p`	`atuin-pick` in a horizontal split
`super+t`	Spawn a separate kitty (`--class=kitty-tmux`, `--config ~/.config/kitty/tmux.conf`)
`super+a`	Spawn a separate kitty (`--class=kitty-herdr`, `--config ~/.config/kitty/herdr.conf`)
`ctrl+shift+c` / `ctrl+shift+v`	Copy / paste clipboard
`alt+q w e r t y u i o`	Go to tab 1–9
`ctrl+h/j/k/l`	`pass_keys.py`: move to neighbor window left/bottom/top/right, or pass the key through
`super+left` / `super+right`	Resize window narrower / wider
`super+up` / `super+down`	Resize window taller / shorter (by 3)

The tmux and herdr hosts are separate kitty processes because launch cannot take --config.

Host configs

tmux.conf — kitty as a tmux host

Launched by super+t. kitty stays a dumb terminal; tmux owns panes, windows and sessions. listen_on unix:@kitty-tmux, tab_bar_style hidden, shell kitty-tmux (a launcher script), and clear_all_shortcuts yes, so only the bindings below exist. Prefix byte \x02 is ctrl+b; see tmux for what each prefix key does.

Key	Sends / does
`ctrl+shift+c` / `ctrl+shift+v`	Copy / paste
`ctrl+plus` / `ctrl+minus` / `ctrl+0`	Font size +1 / -1 / reset
`ctrl+shift+alt+,`	Reload kitty config
`ctrl+shift+a`	Spawn a kitty herdr host
`super+t`, `super+enter`, `ctrl+shift+t`	`prefix t` (new window)
`ctrl+shift+h` / `ctrl+shift+k`	`prefix H` / `prefix L` (previous / next window)
`alt+q w e r t y u i o`	`prefix 1`–`9`
`ctrl+shift+j`	`prefix "` (split below)
`ctrl+shift+l`, `ctrl+enter`	`prefix %` (split right)
`ctrl+shift+f`	`prefix z` (zoom)
`ctrl+shift+w`, `super+w`	`prefix x` (kill pane)
`super+left/right/up/down`	`prefix` + `ctrl+arrow` (resize)
`ctrl+shift+g`	`tmux display-popup` 90%×90% running `lazygit` in pane cwd
`ctrl+shift+e`	`tmux new-window` running `nvim` in pane cwd
`ctrl+shift+p`	`tmux split-window -v -l 25%` running `atuin-pick`
`super+n`, `ctrl+shift+space`	New OS window
`super+d`	`prefix d` (detach)

herdr.conf — kitty as a herdr host

Launched by super+a. Class kitty-herdr, tab_bar_style hidden (herdr draws its own sidebar and tab strip), shell herdr (launches or attaches the persistent session; closing the window detaches). Base appearance matches kitty.conf, without a listen_on. Keys mirror the Ghostty config so both drive herdr identically; an uppercase letter after \x02 is the shift variant. See herdr.

Key	Sends / does
`super+c` / `super+v`	Copy / paste
`ctrl+plus` / `ctrl+minus` / `ctrl+0`	Font size +1 / -1 / reset
`ctrl+shift+alt+,`	Reload kitty config
`ctrl+shift+n`	`prefix N`
`super+n`	`prefix G`
`super+t`, `ctrl+shift+t`	`prefix c`
`ctrl+space`	`prefix t` (Switchboard menu)
`super+z`	`prefix z`
`ctrl+tab` / `ctrl+shift+tab`	`prefix .` / `prefix ,` (next / previous agent)
`ctrl+shift+f`	`prefix K` (Switchboard projects)
`ctrl+shift+g`	`prefix L` (Switchboard git)
`ctrl+shift+e`	`prefix e` (herdr-nvim sidebar toggle)
`ctrl+shift+o`	`prefix o` (herdr-nvim pick file)
`ctrl+shift+h` / `ctrl+shift+l`	`prefix p` / `prefix n`
`ctrl+shift+j` / `ctrl+shift+k`	`prefix j` / `prefix k` (next / previous workspace)
`ctrl+shift+w`	`prefix W`
`ctrl+shift+r`	`prefix T`
`ctrl+shift+,`	`prefix S` (herdr settings)
`ctrl+shift+q`	`prefix x`
`ctrl+shift+p`	`prefix P` (Switchboard commands)

goliath.conf — remote tmux over mosh

Opens straight into the tmux session main on host goliath via mosh goliath -- tmux new-session -A -s main. font_size 9.0, listen_on unix:@kitty-goliath, env MOSH_TITLE_NOPREFIX=1 (drops mosh’s [mosh] title prefix), tab_bar_style hidden.

Key	Sends
`super+w`	`prefix x`
`super+t`	`prefix %`
`super+n`	`prefix "`
`super+enter`, `alt+n`	`prefix t`
`alt+h` / `alt+l`	`prefix H` / `prefix L`
`alt+q w e r t y u i o`	`prefix 1`–`9` (`alt+t` is bound twice; the later `prefix 5` wins)
`super+left/right/up/down`	`prefix` + `ctrl+arrow`
`super+d`	`prefix d`

ssh.conf

Kitten ssh config: for hostname goliath, share_connections yes.

Kittens and Python

File	Purpose
`tab_bar.py`	Provides `draw_title` for `{custom}` in the tab template. Title is `<index> <icon> <label>`: the label is the git repo root name of the tab’s cwd (walks up for `.git`), or the file nvim is editing (parsed from nvim’s title). Icon comes from the foreground process cmdline (editors, AI agents like claude/omp/opencode/codex, git tools, docker, herdr, tmux, yazi, btop, atuin, ssh, chezmoi, …) with a folder fallback. Labels are elided at 28 chars. No subprocesses or timers.
`pass_keys.py`	Bound to `ctrl+h/j/k/l`. If the window’s foreground process matches `vim`, `nvim`, `fzf`, `tmux` or `herdr`, the key is forwarded; otherwise kitty moves to the neighboring window.
`navigate_kitty.py`	No-UI kitten that calls `neighboring_window` with a direction argument; the counterpart nvim can invoke. Not mapped in `kitty.conf`.
`select_tab.py`	Full-screen fuzzy tab picker using `kitty @ ls` data; shows cwds zsh-style. Keys: Up/Down/PgUp/PgDn scroll, Enter selects, typing filters, `ctrl+c`/Esc quits. Not mapped in `kitty.conf`.
`switchtab.py`	Focuses the tab whose `vt` user var matches the argument, or launches one with that var and reorders tabs by `vt`. Not mapped.
`window_titler.py`	Watcher that appends `[<vt> <pty>]` to window titles. Not referenced in `kitty.conf`.

Related: the tmux is_vim check and herdr’s vim-herdr-navigation plugin complete the ctrl+h/j/k/l chain. Niri window rules match the kitty, kitty-tmux and kitty-herdr app-ids (Niri).