kitty-terminal

name	kitty-terminal
description	Use when you need detailed kitty terminal API reference, remote control commands, window management, or advanced kitty integration patterns.

Kitty Terminal Integration

Complete reference for kitty terminal emulator remote control capabilities.

Overview

Kitty is a GPU-based terminal emulator with extensive remote control features. This skill provides the complete API reference for creating windows, tabs, and managing terminal sessions programmatically.

When to Use

• Need to launch commands in new kitty windows/tabs
• Creating terminal-based automation workflows
• Managing multiple terminal sessions programmatically
• Need precise control over terminal layout and behavior

Basic Execution

Execute in Focused Window

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} launch --type=tab --title="Command Name" bash -c "your_command"

Window Types

New Tab:

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} launch --type=tab --title="Name" --cwd=current bash -c "command"

New Window:

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} launch --type=window --title="Name" --cwd=current bash -c "command"

Overlay Window:

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} launch --type=overlay --title="Name" bash -c "command"

Split Window:

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} launch --type=window --location=vsplit --title="Name" bash -c "command"

Window Management

Close Windows

# Close by ID
kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} close-window --match=id:{window_id}

# Close by title
kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} close-window --match=title:"Window Title"

Focus Windows

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} focus-window --match=id:{window_id}
kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} focus-window --match=title:"Window Title"

Send Text

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} send-text --match=id:{window_id} "text to send"

Resize Windows

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} resize-window --match=id:{id} --increment 10

Environment Detection

Check Availability

if [ -S "/tmp/kitty_$KITTY_PID" ] && command -v kitty >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "Kitty remote control available"
    KITTY_AVAILABLE=1
fi

Get Window Info

# List all windows with IDs
kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_{pid} ls

Common Options

Option	Description
--hold	Keep window open after command exits
--cwd=current	Use current working directory
--copy-env	Copy environment variables
--env VAR=value	Set specific environment variable
--location=vsplit/hsplit	Split direction for new windows

Examples

Run Interactive App

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_$KITTY_PID launch --type=tab --title="htop" --hold htop

Run Command in Background Tab

kitty @ --to unix:/tmp/kitty_$KITTY_PID launch --type=tab --title="Server" --cwd=current bash -c "npm run dev"

Split Screen Workflow

# Editor on left, terminal on right
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=vsplit --title="Editor" vim
cd project
kitty @ launch --type=window --location=hsplit --title="Terminal" bash

Best Practices

1. Always use --title for easy window identification
2. Use --cwd=current to maintain context
3. Use --hold for commands that exit immediately (to see output)
4. Quote commands properly with " around the bash -c argument
5. Check socket availability before attempting remote control