Overview Oh My Posh is a custom prompt theme engine that provides a beautiful, informative command-line interface. This configuration uses a custom “Zen” theme designed for minimalism and clarity.
Installation
Configure in shell
Add the initialization to your shell configuration: # ~/.zshrc eval "$( oh-my-posh init zsh --config ~/.config/oh-my-posh/themes/zen.toml)"
Install a Nerd Font
Oh My Posh requires a Nerd Font for icons. Install one from nerdfonts.com : # Example: Install JetBrainsMono Nerd Font oh-my-posh font install jetbrainsmono
Then configure your terminal to use the installed font. Zen theme The Zen theme is a custom minimal theme that displays essential information without clutter.
Theme features
OS indicator Shows the current operating system with WSL detection
Path display Full path to current directory in blue
Git status Branch name, working changes, and sync status
Execution time Shows command duration for long-running commands (>5s)
Theme configuration The complete Zen theme configuration:
~/.config/oh-my-posh/themes/zen.toml
console_title_template = '{{ .Shell }} in {{ .Folder }}' version = 3 final_space = true [ secondary_prompt ] template = '❯❯ ' foreground = 'magenta' background = 'transparent' [ transient_prompt ] template = '❯ ' background = 'transparent' foreground_templates = [ '{{if gt .Code 0}}red{{end}}' , '{{if eq .Code 0}}magenta{{end}}' ]
Prompt segments
[[ blocks . segments ]] template = '{{ if .WSL }} WSL {{ end }}{{ .Icon }} <cyan>|</> ' foreground = 'magenta' background = 'transparent' type = 'os'
Displays the OS icon and indicates if running in WSL.
[[ blocks . segments ]] template = '{{ .Path }}' foreground = 'blue' background = 'transparent' type = 'path' style = 'plain' [ blocks . segments . properties ] cache_duration = 'none' style = 'full'
Shows the full current directory path in blue.
[[ blocks . segments ]] template = ' {{ .HEAD }}{{ if or (.Working.Changed) (.Staging.Changed) }}*{{ end }} <cyan>{{ if gt .Behind 0 }}⇣{{ end }}{{ if gt .Ahead 0 }}⇡{{ end }}</>' foreground = 'p:grey' background = 'transparent' type = 'git' style = 'plain' [ blocks . segments . properties ] branch_icon = '' cache_duration = 'none' commit_icon = '@' fetch_status = true
Shows:
Current branch name
* if there are uncommitted changes⇣ if behind remote⇡ if ahead of remote
[[ blocks . segments ]] template = '{{ .FormattedMs }}' foreground = 'yellow' background = 'transparent' type = 'executiontime' style = 'plain' [ blocks . segments . properties ] cache_duration = 'none' threshold = 5000
Displays command execution time in yellow if it exceeds 5 seconds. Prompt symbol The main prompt symbol changes color based on the last command’s exit status:
[[ blocks . segments ]] template = '❯' background = 'transparent' type = 'text' style = 'plain' foreground_templates = [ '{{if gt .Code 0}}red{{end}}' , '{{if eq .Code 0}}magenta{{end}}' ]
The prompt symbol appears in magenta for successful commands and red for failed commands.
Transient prompt The transient prompt feature minimizes previous prompts to save screen space:
[ transient_prompt ] template = '❯ ' background = 'transparent' foreground_templates = [ '{{if gt .Code 0}}red{{end}}' , '{{if eq .Code 0}}magenta{{end}}' ]
After executing a command, the full prompt collapses to just ❯, keeping your terminal clean and focused.
Console title The terminal window title is automatically set to show the current shell and directory:
console_title_template = '{{ .Shell }} in {{ .Folder }}'
Example: zsh in ~/workspace/dotfiles
Customization To customize the theme, edit ~/.config/oh-my-posh/themes/zen.toml:
Change colors
Change path style
Adjust execution time threshold
# Change prompt color from magenta to blue foreground = 'blue'
Visual example Here’s what the Zen theme looks like in action:
Arch /home/user/workspace/dotfiles main* ⇡ ❯ git status # ... git output ... Arch /home/user/workspace/dotfiles main* ⇡ 2.3s ❯ npm run build # ... build output ... ❯ _
The prompt provides all essential information at a glance while maintaining a clean, minimal aesthetic.