Zsh vi-mode, completion, history, and useful shell tricks.

Vi mode (zsh-vi-mode)

• Default mode on prompt: insert mode
• Enter normal mode: Escape
• Return to insert mode: i or a
• In normal mode, navigate: h/j/k/l, w/b/e, 0/$
• Delete word: dw, change word: cw
• Paste: p, yank: y

History

• Search history with fzf: Ctrl+R (works in both insert and normal mode)
• History is shared across all sessions (inc_append_history + share_history)
• History size: 1,000,000 entries
• Commands starting with a space are NOT saved to history
• Consecutive duplicates are NOT saved (HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth)
• History file: ~/.cache/zsh_history

Completion

• Tab to complete; completion is case-insensitive
• No menu selection — completion inserts common prefix and lists matches below
• Dotfiles are included in completions (globdots)
• /*/ expands correctly (squeeze-slashes disabled)

Useful shell options

• interactive_comments — allows # comments directly in the prompt
• extended_glob — enables ~, #, ^ glob operators
• globdots — include hidden files in glob patterns
• auto_param_slash — appends / after directory completions
• Ctrl+S is unbound (stty stop undef) — won’t accidentally freeze terminal

Prompt

Format: [user@host] HH:MM ~/path (git-branch)

• Time is shown in green
• Path in blue
• Git branch in red (via vcs_info)
• user@host only shown in SSH sessions

Plugins

• zsh-syntax-highlighting — colors commands as you type
• zsh-vi-mode — better vi keybindings than built-in zle vi mode
• fzf --zsh — enables Ctrl+R history widget and other fzf shell integrations
• zoxide init zsh — hooks into cd