slick - async ZSH prompt

How to use

Install:

cargo install slick

To install cargo:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

If in Linux you may need install this:

apt install -y build-essential libssl-dev pkg-config

check your PATH $HOME/.cargo/bin/slick

Quick Test (Development)

For quick testing or development:

# Build and test
cargo build --release
source load.zsh

load.zsh is the repo-local development wrapper. It prefers ./target/release/slick and then sources slick.zsh.

Production Setup

Source the reusable loader from your dotfiles:

source /path/to/slick/slick.zsh

slick.zsh is the canonical shell integration entrypoint. It:

• returns quietly in non-interactive shells
• honors SLICK_PATH if it is already set and executable
• otherwise resolves slick from PATH or $HOME/.cargo/bin/slick
• silently does nothing if the binary is not available

Zinit

zinit light nbari/slick

Plugin managers can use slick.plugin.zsh, which simply delegates to slick.zsh.

Dotfiles Example

If you already carry local slick customizations in your own ~/.zshrc or my-zsh.zsh, keep the exports and replace the vendored loader block with one of these:

export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_BEHIND=
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_AHEAD=
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_SYMBOL=
source /path/to/slick/slick.zsh

export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_BEHIND=
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_AHEAD=
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_SYMBOL=
zinit light nbari/slick

If you already have your own accept-line, zle-line-init, or zle-keymap-select widgets, load them before slick.zsh. The loader preserves and chains existing widgets instead of replacing them.

Cursor Shape Notes

slick emits a cursor-shape escape from the shell integration when Zsh regains control of the prompt. The default is SLICK_PROMPT_CURSOR_SHAPE=4, which selects a steady underline. Set SLICK_PROMPT_CURSOR_SHAPE to another supported value, or set it to an empty string to disable cursor-shape output entirely.

If you want to manage it yourself with the DECSCUSR escape sequence (\e[Ps q), these values are commonly supported:

# 0  blinking block
# 1  blinking block (default)
# 2  steady block
# 3  blinking underline
# 4  steady underline
# 5  blinking bar (xterm)
# 6  steady bar (xterm)

🔤 Font Setup

Seeing boxes (□) instead of symbols? You need a Nerd Font.

Quick fix:

1. Download a Nerd Font: https://www.nerdfonts.com/font-downloads
   • Recommended: Monoid Nerd Font (clean, minimalist), JetBrainsMono Nerd Font, FiraCode Nerd Font
2. Install the font on your system
3. Configure your terminal to use it
4. Restart terminal

Using Monoid Nerd Font? Works great with slick's minimalist design!

Don't want to install fonts? Use Unicode or ASCII alternatives:

export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL="→"    # Unicode arrow
# or
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL=">"    # ASCII

Customizations

Slick can be customized using environment variables.

Quick Start

# Disable git fetch for faster prompts (removes ~500ms auth check on first run)
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_FETCH=0

# Custom symbols
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL="❯"
export SLICK_PROMPT_VICMD_SYMBOL="❮"

# Custom colors
export SLICK_PROMPT_PATH_COLOR=blue
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL_COLOR=magenta
export SLICK_PROMPT_PYTHON_ENV_COLOR=7
export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_COLOR=7
export SLICK_PROMPT_AWS_COLOR=7
export SLICK_PROMPT_K8S_COLOR=7

# Toolbx marker
export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_SYMBOL="▣"
export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_COLOR=yellow

# Optional git branch prefix
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL=$'\ue0a0'
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL_COLOR=2

All Environment Variables

General Settings

export SLICK_PROMPT_CMD_MAX_EXEC_TIME=5        # Max command time to display (seconds)
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_FETCH=1                # Enable git fetch (1=yes, 0=no)
export SLICK_PROMPT_NO_GIT_UNAME=0             # Hide git username (1=hide, 0=show)
export SLICK_PROMPT_NON_BREAKING_SPACE=" "     # Non-breaking space character
export SLICK_PROMPT_CURSOR_SHAPE=4             # Cursor shape sent by slick.zsh; empty disables
export SLICK_PROMPT_TRANSIENT=1                # Compact previous prompt in scrollback (0=disable)

Prompt Symbols

export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL="$"                 # Main prompt symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_VICMD_SYMBOL=">"           # Vi command mode symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_ROOT_SYMBOL="#"            # Root user symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_AHEAD="⇡"       # Git ahead symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_BEHIND="⇣"      # Git behind symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_SYMBOL="🔒"       # Git auth failed symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL=$'\ue0a0'  # Default; set to "" to disable
export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_SYMBOL="▣"         # Toolbx marker symbol
export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_SYMBOL=$'\uf487'          # DevPod marker symbol

Colors

# Colors can be named (red, blue, etc.) or numbers (0-255)
export SLICK_PROMPT_AWS_COLOR=7               # AWS marker color
export SLICK_PROMPT_ERROR_COLOR=196            # Error message color
export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_COLOR=7             # DevPod marker color
export SLICK_PROMPT_K8S_COLOR=7                # Kubernetes marker color
export SLICK_PROMPT_PATH_COLOR=74              # Directory path color
export SLICK_PROMPT_PYTHON_ENV_COLOR=7         # Virtualenv/pyenv color
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL_COLOR=5             # Prompt symbol color
export SLICK_PROMPT_VICMD_COLOR=3              # Vi command mode color
export SLICK_PROMPT_ROOT_COLOR=1               # Root user color
export SLICK_PROMPT_SSH_COLOR=8                # SSH session color
export SLICK_PROMPT_TIME_ELAPSED_COLOR=3       # Command time color
export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_COLOR=3            # Toolbx marker color

Git Colors

export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_COLOR=3         # Branch name color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL_COLOR=2  # Git branch symbol color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_MAIN_BRANCH_COLOR=160  # main/master branch color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_ACTION_COLOR=3         # Git action (merge, rebase) color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_STATUS_COLOR=5         # Modified files color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_STAGED_COLOR=7         # Staged files color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_COLOR=6         # Remote status color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_UNAME_COLOR=8          # Git username color
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_COLOR=red         # Git auth failed color

SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL is printed immediately before the branch name, for example  main. The default is . In zsh, you can set it safely with export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL=$'\ue0a0', or disable it with export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL="".

The branch symbol color comes from SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_SYMBOL_COLOR, which defaults to 2 (green). The branch text uses SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_MAIN_BRANCH_COLOR for main/master, and SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_COLOR for other branches. SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_MASTER_BRANCH_COLOR is still supported as a deprecated fallback alias for compatibility.

PIPENV_ACTIVE_COLOR is still honored as a legacy fallback, but SLICK_PROMPT_PYTHON_ENV_COLOR is the preferred setting for Python environments.

Example Configurations

Minimal/Fast (no network calls)

export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_FETCH=0           # No git fetch
export SLICK_PROMPT_NO_GIT_UNAME=1        # Hide username
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL=">"            # Simple symbol

Colorful

export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL="➜"
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL_COLOR=cyan
export SLICK_PROMPT_PATH_COLOR=blue
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_BRANCH_COLOR=yellow
export SLICK_PROMPT_ERROR_COLOR=red

Nerd Fonts (Monoid, JetBrainsMono, etc.)

⚠️ Requires a Nerd Font - Works great with Monoid Nerd Font, JetBrainsMono Nerd Font, FiraCode Nerd Font

# Example with Monoid Nerd Font or similar Nerd Fonts
export SLICK_PROMPT_SYMBOL=""           # nf-oct-chevron_right
export SLICK_PROMPT_VICMD_SYMBOL=""       # nf-oct-chevron_left
export SLICK_PROMPT_ROOT_SYMBOL=""        # nf-fa-flash
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_SYMBOL=""    # nf-fa-lock
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_AHEAD=""   # nf-md-arrow_up
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_REMOTE_BEHIND=""  # nf-md-arrow_down

Download Nerd Fonts: https://www.nerdfonts.com/

These symbols work with any Nerd Font (Monoid, JetBrainsMono, FiraCode, Hack, etc.)

See more examples in envrc.

Prompt Preview

Use the preview helper to render the prompt with simulated Toolbx, DevPod, AWS, Kubernetes, and Python contexts while keeping your current SLICK_PROMPT_* settings:

just preview
just preview-watch

Optional overrides let you tune the sample names and branch data, including dedicated AWS profile/region and multi-kubeconfig previews:

SLICK_PREVIEW_BRANCH=main \
SLICK_PREVIEW_STATUS="M 2" \
SLICK_PREVIEW_TOOLBOX_NAME=toolbox \
SLICK_PREVIEW_DEVPOD_NAME=workspace \
SLICK_PREVIEW_AWS_PROFILE=prod \
SLICK_PREVIEW_AWS_REGION=eu-west-1 \
SLICK_PREVIEW_KUBECONFIG_PRIMARY=/tmp/dev-cluster \
SLICK_PREVIEW_KUBECONFIG_SECONDARY=/tmp/prod-cluster \
SLICK_PREVIEW_PYTHON_ENV=.venv \
just preview

The helper lives at scripts/preview_prompt.zsh and uses print -P so the prompt colors render as they would in zsh. It now shows dedicated AWS profile/region examples and both single-file and multi-file Kubernetes previews.

Transient Prompt

By default, slick rewrites the prompt you just used into a compact single-line form when you press Enter. The live prompt stays rich while you type; only the scrollback version is compacted. The transient form includes an RFC 3339 timestamp plus the key context markers, path, branch, and prompt symbol while omitting noisier git status details.

Disable it if you prefer the old behavior:

export SLICK_PROMPT_TRANSIENT=0

Toolbx Detection

Slick detects when it is running inside Fedora Toolbx and shows the toolbox name before the path.

Example:

(▣ codex) ~/projects/slick main
❯

Configure the Toolbx marker:

export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_SYMBOL="▣"   # Default
export SLICK_PROMPT_TOOLBOX_COLOR=3       # Default

DevPod Detection

Slick detects when DEVPOD is set and shows DEVPOD_WORKSPACE_ID before the path.

Example:

(<devpod-symbol> hfile) ~/projects/slick main
❯

If the default DevPod symbol does not render correctly in your README viewer, that is expected:  is a Nerd Font private-use glyph. In zsh, set it safely with export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_SYMBOL=$'\uf487', or disable it with export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_SYMBOL="".

Configure the DevPod marker:

export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_SYMBOL=$'\uf487'      # Default
export SLICK_PROMPT_DEVPOD_COLOR=7        # Default

AWS Detection

Slick detects AWS context from environment variables. It prefers AWS_PROFILE, then AWS_REGION, then AWS_DEFAULT_REGION, and falls back to (aws) when only credential variables are present. The marker is text-only and rendered before the path.

Examples:

(aws prod) ~/projects/slick main
❯

(aws eu-central-1) ~/projects/slick main
❯

Configure the AWS marker color:

export SLICK_PROMPT_AWS_COLOR=7           # Default

Kubernetes Detection

Slick detects Kubernetes context when KUBECONFIG is set. It uses the basename of the first kubeconfig path, so /tmp/dev-cluster:/tmp/prod-cluster renders as (k8s dev-cluster). If the basename cannot be resolved, it falls back to (k8s).

Configure the Kubernetes marker color:

export SLICK_PROMPT_K8S_COLOR=7           # Default

🔒 SSH Authentication Detection

Slick automatically detects when SSH remotes require authentication and displays a lock symbol (🔒).

How it works (Streaming Async Prompts):

• Instant display: Prompt shows immediately with cached auth status (from previous runs)
• Async update: If git fetch is enabled, auth check runs in background with 500ms grace period
• Smart cache: First run takes ~500ms to write cache, subsequent runs are instant with cached status
• Cache-based: Auth status is cached for 5 minutes in ~/.cache/slick/
• Non-blocking: Uses tokio for true async I/O - no delays, no hanging
• Smart timeout: Git fetch has 5-second timeout to prevent indefinite waits

Example:

# cd into repo with SSH remote requiring auth
cd my-private-repo
# First time: ~500ms to check and write cache (shows auth_failed status)
# Subsequent prompts: instant 🔒 from cache (valid for 5 minutes)
# After cache expires (5 min): another ~500ms check to refresh cache

Two-phase rendering:

1. Phase 1 (0ms): Display prompt immediately with all git info + cached auth status
2. Phase 2 (async): Git status updates (~10-50ms), then git fetch checks auth (~500ms)
3. Cache write: Auth status written to cache for next prompt

Configure the lock symbol:

export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_SYMBOL="🔒"  # Default
export SLICK_PROMPT_GIT_AUTH_COLOR=red     # Default

See TEST_README.md for testing instructions.

Inspired by:

• pure
• purs
• zsh-efgit-prompt