---
title: Shell and terminal
description: zsh without a framework, the Starship prompt and Ghostty; your ~/.zshrc stays yours.
---

zsh (macOS's default shell) without a framework, the
[Starship](https://starship.rs) prompt, and [Ghostty](https://ghostty.org)
as the terminal.

```sh
dot apply packages   # installs Starship
dot apply shell      # connects ~/.zshrc to your repo
```

## ~/.zshrc stays yours

Tools such as Homebrew and 1Password ask you to append lines to `~/.zshrc`,
and they're free to. dot never owns or rewrites the file: it keeps one marked
block in it.

```sh
# >>> dotfiles: managed by dot apply shell
eval "$('/Users/you/code/<you>/dotfiles/bin/dot' init zsh)"
# <<< dotfiles
```

`dot check shell` lists every other line as a note, so you notice what tools
added, and can move it into `config/shell/` or leave it. The note shows line
numbers only, never their content, because a line may hold a secret:

```text
✓ shell init zsh
    · not from this repo: ~/.zshrc line(s) 1
```

## What the block sets up

1. **Homebrew:** `PATH`, `MANPATH` and completions.
2. **dot**, as a shell function: `dot clone`, `dot fork` and `dot cd` take
   you to the folder.
3. **Completion** for dot: commands, config files, settings and their values.
   `dot apply dock visibility <Tab>` offers `always autohide hidden`.
4. **Your files** in `config/shell/`, in alphabetical order:

| File                       | Does                                                  |
|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| `config/shell/editor.zsh`  | `EDITOR` and `VISUAL`, from git's `core.editor` ([Editor](/docs/your-mac/editor)) |
| `config/shell/mise.zsh`    | the right tool versions per folder, and a uv project's `.venv` ([Languages and versions](/docs/your-mac/languages)) |
| `config/shell/op.zsh`      | 1Password shell plugins: `gh` and `vercel` get their tokens from 1Password |
| `config/shell/prompt.zsh`  | Starship                                              |
| `config/shell/varlock.zsh` | Varlock completion ([Secrets](/docs/your-projects/secrets)) |

To add something to your shell, create `config/shell/<topic>.zsh`.

## Terminal and font

Ghostty, from `config/apps.conf`, includes JetBrains Mono with the Nerd Font
symbols Starship uses, so it needs no font setup. Other apps can use
JetBrains Mono Nerd Font from `config/fonts.conf`.