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If your ~/.zshrc loads slow plugins — such as pyenv, nvm, or a plugin manager that initializes many tools — you may notice a noticeable pause before your shell becomes usable. Instant prompt eliminates this delay by printing your prompt immediately, before any plugin has finished loading, so you can start typing the moment the terminal window opens.

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How It Works

When instant prompt is active, Powerlevel10k intercepts the very beginning of Zsh initialization:
  1. It reads a previously cached prompt from ${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh and prints it to the terminal immediately.
  2. Standard input is redirected to /dev/null for the duration of Zsh initialization, preventing initialization code from accidentally reading from the terminal.
  3. Standard output and standard error are redirected to a temporary file, buffering any output that plugins emit during startup.
  4. Once Zsh is fully initialized, the standard file descriptors are restored and the content of the temporary file is flushed to the terminal.
The result is that your prompt appears instantly, plugins load in the background, and any buffered output appears afterward without visual disruption.
Instant prompt requires Zsh ≥ 5.4. On older versions the feature is silently disabled and ~/.zshrc continues to load in the normal, sequential way.

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Enabling Instant Prompt

1

Run the configuration wizard

The simplest way to enable instant prompt is through p10k configure. On the Instant Prompt screen, select Verbose (recommended for first-time use) or Quiet.
2

Or add the snippet manually

Add the following block as close to the top of ~/.zshrc as possible, before any other initialization code that does not require console input:
# Enable Powerlevel10k instant prompt. Should stay close to the top of ~/.zshrc.
# Initialization code that may require console input (password prompts, [y/n]
# confirmations, etc.) must go above this block; everything else may go below.
if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi
Copy the lines verbatim. Do not replace source with another method, do not add zcompile, and do not redirect output.
3

Ensure ~/.p10k.zsh is sourced at the bottom of ~/.zshrc

The wizard adds this line automatically. If you added the snippet manually, verify it is present:
[[ ! -f ~/.p10k.zsh ]] || source ~/.p10k.zsh
4

Restart Zsh

Use exec zsh to start a fresh session. Do not use source ~/.zshrc — it can cause unexpected behavior when Powerlevel10k is active.

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Controlling the Warning Level

The POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT parameter in ~/.p10k.zsh controls how Powerlevel10k responds when it detects console output during initialization:
ValueBehavior
verbosePrint a warning when console output is detected during initialization. Recommended for new users.
quietEnable instant prompt but suppress the warning. Use this when you know a plugin prints output on startup and it is harmless.
offDisable instant prompt entirely. Use this if instant prompt breaks your Zsh setup and you cannot identify the cause.
# In ~/.p10k.zsh — choose one:
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT=verbose  # warn on startup output
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT=quiet    # no warning
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT=off      # disabled
You can also change this value by re-running p10k configure and adjusting the Instant Prompt selection.

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Caveats

Console input during initialization will not work. Because stdin is redirected to /dev/null while instant prompt is active, any initialization code that prompts for a password, SSH key passphrase, or a [y/n] confirmation must be moved above the instant prompt block in ~/.zshrc.
Output may appear uncolored. Code that prints to stdout or stderr during initialization will have its output buffered and replayed after the prompt. Colors from escape sequences may not survive the buffering, so the output can appear plain. You can suppress such output with >/dev/null, move it above the instant prompt block, or set POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT=quiet to silence the warning.

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Broken vs. Fixed ~/.zshrc Example

The following ~/.zshrc breaks when instant prompt is enabled because keychain prompts for a passphrase after stdin has been redirected to /dev/null, and chatty-script floods the buffered output: 
# ❌ Broken — these run after stdin is /dev/null
if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi

keychain id_rsa --agents ssh  # asks for password — BROKEN with instant prompt
chatty-script                 # spams stdout even when everything is fine
Fixed version: 
# ✅ Fixed — console I/O moved above the instant prompt block
keychain id_rsa --agents ssh  # moved before instant prompt — OK

# OK to perform console I/O before this point.
if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi
# From this point on, until zsh is fully initialized, console input won't work and
# console output may appear uncolored.

chatty-script >/dev/null      # output suppressed — OK

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direnv Integration

direnv needs to both export environment variables before the prompt renders (so the prompt reflects the correct environment) and register its hook after Zsh is initialized. With instant prompt active, add one line above and one line below the instant prompt block: 
(( ${+commands[direnv]} )) && emulate zsh -c "$(direnv export zsh)"

if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi

(( ${+commands[direnv]} )) && emulate zsh -c "$(direnv hook zsh)"

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Exporting GPG_TTY

If you use GPG with a passphrase agent, export GPG_TTY anywhere in ~/.zshrc using $TTY: 
export GPG_TTY=$TTY
This works whether instant prompt is enabled or not. It is also significantly faster than the commonly used export GPG_TTY=$(tty), which spawns a subshell.

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