Note: The original author of zinit deleted the zdharma organization randomly.

This is a reliable fork / place for the continuation of the project.

🚧 For migration instructions please refer to this wiki entry

• News
• Zinit
• Zinit Wiki
• Quick Start
  • Install
    • Automatic Installation (Recommended)
    • Manual Installation
  • Usage
    • Introduction
    • Plugins and snippets
    • Upgrade Zinit and plugins
    • Turbo and lucid
    • Migration
    • More Examples
• How to Use
  • Ice Modifiers
    • Cloning Options
    • Selection of Files (To Source, …)
    • Conditional Loading
    • Plugin Output
    • Completions
    • Command Execution After Cloning, Updating or Loading
    • Sticky-Emulation Of Other Shells
    • Others
    • Order of Execution
  • Zinit Commands
    • Help
    • Loading and Unloading
    • Completions
    • Tracking of the Active Session
    • Reports and Statistics
    • Compiling
    • Other
  • Updating Zinit and Plugins
• Completions
  • Calling compinit Without Turbo Mode
  • Calling compinit With Turbo Mode
  • Ignoring Compdefs
  • Disabling System-Wide compinit Call (Ubuntu)
• Zinit Module
• Hints and Tips
  • Customizing Paths
  • Non-GitHub (Local) Plugins
  • Extending Git
• Supporting
• Getting Help and Community

See the changelog.

Zinit is a flexible and fast Zshell plugin manager that will allow you to install everything from GitHub and other sites. Its characteristics are:

1. Zinit is currently the only plugin manager out there that provides Turbo mode which yields 50-80% faster Zsh startup (i.e.: the shell will start up to 5 times faster!). Check out a speed comparison with other popular plugin managers here.

2. The plugin manager gives reports from plugin loadings describing what aliases, functions, bindkeys, Zle widgets, zstyles, completions, variables, PATH and FPATH elements a plugin has set up. This allows to quickly familiarize oneself with a new plugin and provides rich and easy to digest information which might be helpful on various occasions.

3. Supported is unloading of plugin and ability to list, (un)install and selectively disable, enable plugin's completions.

4. The plugin manager supports loading Oh My Zsh and Prezto plugins and libraries, however the implementation isn't framework specific and doesn't bloat the plugin manager with such code (more on this topic can be found on the Wiki, in the Introduction).

5. The system does not use $FPATH, loading multiple plugins doesn't clutter $FPATH with the same number of entries (e.g. 10, 15 or more). Code is immune to KSH_ARRAYS and other options typically causing compatibility problems.

6. Zinit supports special, dedicated packages that offload the user from providing long and complex commands. See the zinit-packages repository for a growing, complete list of Zinit packages and the Wiki page for an article about the feature.

7. Also, specialized Zinit extensions — called annexes — allow to extend the plugin manager with new commands, URL-preprocessors (used by e.g.: zinit-annex-readurl annex), post-install and post-update hooks and much more. See the zdharma-continuum organization for a growing, complete list of available Zinit extensions and refer to the Wiki article for an introduction on creating your own annex.

The information in this README is complemented by the Zinit Wiki. The README is an introductory overview of Zinit while the Wiki gives a complete information with examples. Make sure to read it to get the most out of Zinit.

The easiest way to install Zinit is to execute:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://git.io/zinit-install)"

This will install Zinit in ~/.local/share/zinit/zinit.git. .zshrc will be updated with three lines of code that will be added to the bottom. The lines will be sourcing zinit.zsh and setting up completion for command zinit.

After installing and reloading the shell compile Zinit with zinit self-update.

To manually install Zinit clone the repo to e.g. ~/.local/share/zinit/zinit.git:

ZINIT_HOME="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share}/zinit/zinit.git"
mkdir -p "$(dirname $ZINIT_HOME)"
git clone https://github.com/zdharma-continuum/zinit.git "$ZINIT_HOME"

and source zinit.zsh from your .zshrc (above compinit):

ZINIT_HOME="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share}/zinit/zinit.git"
source "${ZINIT_HOME}/zinit.zsh"

If you place the source below compinit, then add those two lines after the source:

autoload -Uz _zinit
(( ${+_comps} )) && _comps[zinit]=_zinit

Various paths can be customized, see section Customizing Paths.

After installing and reloading the shell compile Zinit with zinit self-update.

Click here to read the introduction to Zinit. It explains basic usage and some of the more unique features of Zinit such as the Turbo mode. If you're new to Zinit we highly recommend you read it at least once.

Plugins can be loaded using load or light.

zinit load  <repo/plugin> # Load with reporting/investigating.
zinit light <repo/plugin> # Load without reporting/investigating.

If you want to source local or remote files (using direct URL), you can do so with snippet.

zinit snippet <URL>

Such lines should be added to .zshrc. Snippets are cached locally, use -f option to download a fresh version of a snippet, or zinit update {URL}. Can also use zinit update --all to update all snippets (and plugins).

Example

# Plugin history-search-multi-word loaded with investigating.
zinit load zdharma-continuum/history-search-multi-word

# Two regular plugins loaded without investigating.
zinit light zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions
zinit light zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting

# Snippet
zinit snippet https://gist.githubusercontent.com/hightemp/5071909/raw/

Prompt(Theme) Example

This is powerlevel10k, pure, starship sample:

# Load powerlevel10k theme
zinit ice depth"1" # git clone depth
zinit light romkatv/powerlevel10k

# Load pure theme
zinit ice pick"async.zsh" src"pure.zsh" # with zsh-async library that's bundled with it.
zinit light sindresorhus/pure

# Load starship theme
zinit ice as"command" from"gh-r" \ # `starship` binary as command, from github release
          atclone"./starship init zsh > init.zsh; ./starship completions zsh > _starship" \ # starship setup at clone(create init.zsh, completion)
          atpull"%atclone" src"init.zsh" # pull behavior same as clone, source init.zsh
zinit light starship/starship

Zinit can be updated to self-update and plugins to update.

# Self update
zinit self-update

# Plugin update
zinit update

# Plugin parallel update
zinit update --parallel

# Increase the number of jobs in a concurrent-set to 40
zinit update --parallel 40

Turbo and lucid are the most used options.

zinit ice wait    # wait is same wait"0"
zinit load zdharma-continuum/history-search-multi-word

zinit ice wait"2" # load after 2 seconds
zinit load zdharma-continuum/history-search-multi-word

zinit ice wait    # also be used in `light` and `snippet`
zinit snippet https://gist.githubusercontent.com/hightemp/5071909/raw/

zinit ice wait lucid
zinit load zdharma-continuum/history-search-multi-word

F&A: What is ice?

ice is zinit's option command. The option melts like ice and is used only once. (more: Ice Modifiers)

zinit snippet <URL>        # Raw Syntax with URL
zinit snippet OMZ::<PATH>  # Shorthand OMZ/ (https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/raw/master/)
zinit snippet OMZL::<PATH> # Shorthand OMZ/lib/
zinit snippet OMZT::<PATH> # Shorthand OMZ/themes/
zinit snippet OMZP::<PATH> # Shorthand OMZ/plugins/

# Raw Syntax
zinit snippet https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/blob/master/lib/clipboard.zsh
zinit snippet https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/blob/master/lib/termsupport.zsh

# OMZ Shorthand Syntax
zinit snippet OMZ::lib/clipboard.zsh
zinit snippet OMZ::lib/termsupport.zsh

# OMZL Shorthand Syntax
zinit snippet OMZL::clipboard.zsh
zinit snippet OMZL::termsupport.zsh

## Oh My Zsh Setting
ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell"

## Zinit Setting
# Must Load OMZ Git library
zinit snippet OMZL::git.zsh

# Load Git plugin from OMZ
zinit snippet OMZP::git
zinit cdclear -q # <- forget completions provided up to this moment

setopt promptsubst

# Load Prompt
zinit snippet OMZT::robbyrussell

## Oh My Zsh Setting
ZSH_THEME="alpharized"

## Zinit Setting
# Must Load OMZ Git library
zinit snippet OMZL::git.zsh

# Load Git plugin from OMZ
zinit snippet OMZP::git
zinit cdclear -q # <- forget completions provided up to this moment

setopt promptsubst

# Load Prompt
zinit light NicoSantangelo/Alpharized

........:1: command not found: git_prompt_status
........:1: command not found: git_prompt_short_sha

## Oh-My-Zsh Setting
plugins=(
  git
  dotenv
  rake
  rbenv
  ruby
)

## Zinit Setting
zinit snippet OMZP::git
zinit snippet OMZP::dotenv
zinit snippet OMZP::rake
zinit snippet OMZP::rbenv
zinit snippet OMZP::ruby

zinit ice svn
zinit snippet OMZP::gitfast

zinit ice svn
zinit snippet OMZP::osx

zinit ice as"completion"
zinit snippet OMZP::docker/_docker

zinit ice as"completion"
zinit snippet OMZP::fd/_fd

zinit snippet <URL>        # Raw Syntax with URL
zinit snippet PZT::<PATH>  # Shorthand PZT/ (https://github.com/sorin-ionescu/prezto/tree/master/)
zinit snippet PZTM::<PATH> # Shorthand PZT/modules/

## Prezto Setting
zstyle ':prezto:load' pmodule 'environment' 'terminal'

## Zinit Setting
# Raw Syntax
zinit snippet https://github.com/sorin-ionescu/prezto/blob/master/modules/environment/init.zsh
zinit snippet https://github.com/sorin-ionescu/prezto/blob/master/modules/terminal/init.zsh

# PZT Shorthand Syntax
zinit snippet PZT::modules/environment
zinit snippet PZT::modules/terminal

# PZTM Shorthand Syntax
zinit snippet PZTM::environment
zinit snippet PZTM::terminal

zinit ice svn
zinit snippet PZTM::docker

zinit ice svn
zinit snippet PZTM::git

zinit ice svn as"null"
zinit snippet PZTM::archive

zplugin ice svn blockf \ # use blockf to prevent any unnecessary additions to fpath, as zinit manages fpath
            atclone"git clone --recursive https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-completions.git external"
zplugin snippet PZTM::completion

# Load ohmyzsh base
zgen oh-my-zsh
zinit snippet OMZL::<ALL OF THEM>

# Load ohmyzsh plugins
zgen oh-my-zsh <PATH>
zinit snippet OMZ::<PATH>

# Load Prezto
zgen prezto
zinit snippet PZTM::<COMMENT's List> # environment terminal editor history directory spectrum utility completion prompt

# Load prezto plugins
zgen prezto <modulename>
zinit snippet PZTM::<modulename>

# Load a repo as Prezto plugins
zgen pmodule <reponame> <branch>
zinit ice ver"<branch>"
zinit load <repo/plugin>

# Set prezto options
zgen prezto <modulename> <option> <value(s)>
zstyle ':prezto:<modulename>:' <option> <values(s)> # Set original prezto style

zgen load <repo> [location] [branch]

zinit ice ver"[branch]"
zinit load <repo>

zplug <repo/plugin>, tag1:<option1>, tag2:<option2>

zinit ice tag1"<option1>" tag2"<option2>"
zinit load <repo/plugin>

After installing Zinit you can start adding some actions (load some plugins) to ~/.zshrc, at bottom. Some examples:

# Load the pure theme, with zsh-async library that's bundled with it.
zinit ice pick"async.zsh" src"pure.zsh"
zinit light sindresorhus/pure

# A glance at the new for-syntax – load all of the above
# plugins with a single command. For more information see:
# https://zdharma-continuum.github.io/zinit/wiki/For-Syntax/
zinit for \
    light-mode  zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions \
    light-mode  zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting \
                zdharma-continuum/history-search-multi-word \
    light-mode pick"async.zsh" src"pure.zsh" \
                sindresorhus/pure

# Binary release in archive, from GitHub-releases page.
# After automatic unpacking it provides program "fzf".
zinit ice from"gh-r" as"program"
zinit light junegunn/fzf

# One other binary release, it needs renaming from `docker-compose-Linux-x86_64`.
# This is done by ice-mod `mv'{from} -> {to}'. There are multiple packages per
# single version, for OS X, Linux and Windows – so ice-mod `bpick' is used to
# select Linux package – in this case this is actually not needed, Zinit will
# grep operating system name and architecture automatically when there's no `bpick'.
zinit ice from"gh-r" as"program" mv"docker* -> docker-compose" bpick"*linux*"
zinit load docker/compose

# Vim repository on GitHub – a typical source code that needs compilation – Zinit
# can manage it for you if you like, run `./configure` and other `make`, etc. stuff.
# Ice-mod `pick` selects a binary program to add to $PATH. You could also install the
# package under the path $ZPFX, see: https://zdharma-continuum.github.io/zinit/wiki/Compiling-programs
zinit ice as"program" atclone"rm -f src/auto/config.cache; ./configure" \
    atpull"%atclone" make pick"src/vim"
zinit light vim/vim

# Scripts that are built at install (there's single default make target, "install",
# and it constructs scripts by `cat'ing a few files). The make'' ice could also be:
# `make"install PREFIX=$ZPFX"`, if "install" wouldn't be the only, default target.
zinit ice as"program" pick"$ZPFX/bin/git-*" make"PREFIX=$ZPFX"
zinit light tj/git-extras

# Handle completions without loading any plugin, see "clist" command.
# This one is to be ran just once, in interactive session.
zinit creinstall %HOME/my_completions

# For GNU ls (the binaries can be gls, gdircolors, e.g. on OS X when installing the
# coreutils package from Homebrew; you can also use https://github.com/ogham/exa)
zinit ice atclone"dircolors -b LS_COLORS > c.zsh" atpull'%atclone' pick"c.zsh" nocompile'!'
zinit light trapd00r/LS_COLORS

You can see an extended explanation of LS_COLORS in the Wiki.

# make'!...' -> run make before atclone & atpull
zinit ice as"program" make'!' atclone'./direnv hook zsh > zhook.zsh' atpull'%atclone' src"zhook.zsh"
zinit light direnv/direnv

You can see an extended explanation of direnv in the Wiki.

If you're interested in more examples then check out the zinit-configs repository where users have uploaded their ~/.zshrc and Zinit configurations. Feel free to submit your ~/.zshrc there if it contains Zinit commands.

You can also check out the Gallery of Zinit Invocations for some additional examples.

Also, two articles on the Wiki present an example setup here and here.

Following ice modifiers are to be passed to zinit ice ... to obtain described effects. The word ice means something that's added (like ice to a drink) – and in Zinit it means adding modifier to a next zinit command, and also something that's temporary because it melts – and this means that the modification will last only for a single next zinit command.

Some Ice-modifiers are highlighted and clicking on them will take you to the appropriate Wiki page for an extended explanation.

You may safely assume a given ice works with both plugins and snippets unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Order of execution of related Ice-mods: atinit -> atpull! -> make'!!' -> mv -> cp -> make! -> atclone/atpull -> make -> (plugin script loading) -> src -> multisrc -> atload.

Following commands are passed to zinit ... to obtain described effects.

To update Zinit issue zinit self-update in the command line.

To update all plugins and snippets, issue zinit update. If you wish to update only a single plugin/snippet instead issue zinit update NAME_OF_PLUGIN. A list of commits will be shown:

Some plugins require performing an action each time they're updated. One way you can do this is by using the atpull ice modifier. For example, writing zinit ice atpull'./configure' before loading a plugin will execute ./configure after a successful update. Refer to Ice Modifiers for more information.

The ice modifiers for any plugin or snippet are stored in their directory in a ._zinit subdirectory, hence the plugin doesn't have to be loaded to be correctly updated. There's one other file created there, .zinit_lstupd – it holds the log of the new commits pulled-in in the last update.

With no Turbo mode in use, compinit can be called normally, i.e.: as autoload compinit; compinit. This should be done after loading of all plugins and before possibly calling zinit cdreplay.

The cdreplay subcommand is provided to re-play all catched compdef calls. The compdef calls are used to define a completion for a command. For example, compdef _git git defines that the git command should be completed by a _git function.

The compdef function is provided by compinit call. As it should be called later, after loading all of the plugins, Zinit provides its own compdef function that catches (i.e.: records in an array) the arguments of the call, so that the loaded plugins can freely call compdef. Then, the cdreplay (compdef-replay) can be used, after compinit will be called (and the original compdef function will become available), to execute all detected compdef calls. To summarize:

ZINIT_HOME="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share}/zinit/zinit.git"
source "${ZINIT_HOME}/zinit.zsh"

zinit load "some/plugin"
...
compdef _gnu_generic fd  # this will be intercepted by Zinit, because as the compinit
                         # isn't yet loaded, thus there's no such function `compdef'; yet
                         # Zinit provides its own `compdef' function which saves the
                         # completion-definition for later possible re-run with `zinit
                         # cdreplay' or `zicdreplay' (the second one can be used in hooks
                         # like atload'', atinit'', etc.)
...
zinit load "other/plugin"

autoload -Uz compinit
compinit

zinit cdreplay -q   # -q is for quiet; actually run all the `compdef's saved before
                    #`compinit` call (`compinit' declares the `compdef' function, so
                    # it cannot be used until `compinit' is ran; Zinit solves this
                    # via intercepting the `compdef'-calls and storing them for later
                    # use with `zinit cdreplay')

This allows to call compinit once. Performance gains are huge, example shell startup time with double compinit: 0.980 sec, with cdreplay and single compinit: 0.156 sec.

If you load completions using wait'' Turbo mode then you can add atinit'zicompinit' to syntax-highlighting plugin (which should be the last one loaded, as their (2 projects, z-sy-h & f-sy-h) documentation state), or atload'zicompinit' to last completion-related plugin. zicompinit is a function that just runs autoload compinit; compinit, created for convenience. There's also zicdreplay which will replay any caught compdefs so you can also do: atinit'zicompinit; zicdreplay', etc. Basically, the whole topic is the same as normal compinit call, but it is done in atinit or atload hook of the last related plugin with use of the helper functions (zicompinit,zicdreplay & zicdclear – see below for explanation of the last one). To summarize:

ZINIT_HOME="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share/zinit}"
source "${ZINIT_HOME}/zinit.zsh"

# Load using the for-syntax
zinit wait lucid for \
    "some/plugin"
zinit wait lucid for \
    "other/plugin"

zinit wait lucid atload"zicompinit; zicdreplay" blockf for \
    zsh-users/zsh-completions

If you want to ignore compdefs provided by some plugins or snippets, place their load commands before commands loading other plugins or snippets, and issue zinit cdclear (or zicdclear, designed to be used in hooks like atload''):

ZINIT_HOME="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-${HOME}/.local/share}/zinit/zinit.git"
source "${ZINIT_HOME}/zinit.zsh"

zinit snippet OMZP::git
zinit cdclear -q # <- forget completions provided by Git plugin

zinit load "some/plugin"
...
zinit load "other/plugin"

autoload -Uz compinit
compinit
zinit cdreplay -q # <- execute compdefs provided by rest of plugins
zinit cdlist # look at gathered compdefs

The cdreplay is important if you use plugins like OMZP::kubectl or asdf-vm/asdf, because these plugins call compdef.

On Ubuntu users might get surprised that e.g. their completions work while they didn't call compinit in their .zshrc. That's because the function is being called in /etc/zshrc. To disable this call – what is needed to avoid the slowdown and if user loads any completion-equipped plugins, i.e. almost on 100% – add the following lines to ~/.zshenv:

# Skip the not really helping Ubuntu global compinit
skip_global_compinit=1

The module is now hosted in its own repository

Following variables can be set to custom values, before sourcing Zinit. The previous global variables like $ZPLG_HOME have been removed to not pollute the namespace – there's single $ZINIT hash instead of 8 string variables. Please update your dotfiles.

declare -A ZINIT  # initial Zinit's hash definition, if configuring before loading Zinit, and then:

There is also $ZPFX, set by default to ~/.local/share/zinit/polaris – a directory where software with Makefile, etc. can be pointed to, by e.g. atclone'./configure --prefix=$ZPFX'.

Use create subcommand with user name _local (the default) to create plugin's skeleton in $ZINIT[PLUGINS_DIR]. It will be not connected with GitHub repository (because of user name being _local). To enter the plugin's directory use cd command with just plugin's name (without _local, it's optional).

If user name will not be _local, then Zinit will create repository also on GitHub and setup correct repository origin.

There are several projects that provide git extensions. Installing them with Zinit has many benefits:

• all files are under $HOME – no administrator rights needed,
• declarative setup (like Chef or Puppet) – copying .zshrc to different account brings also git-related setup,
• easy update by e.g. zinit update --all.

Below is a configuration that adds multiple git extensions, loaded in Turbo mode, 1 second after prompt, with use of the Bin-Gem-Node annex:

zinit as"null" wait"1" lucid for \
    sbin    Fakerr/git-recall \
    sbin    cloneopts paulirish/git-open \
    sbin    paulirish/git-recent \
    sbin    davidosomething/git-my \
    sbin atload"export _MENU_THEME=legacy" \
            arzzen/git-quick-stats \
    sbin    iwata/git-now \
    make"PREFIX=$ZPFX install" \
            tj/git-extras \
    sbin"git-url;git-guclone" make"GITURL_NO_CGITURL=1" \
            zdharma-continuum/git-url

Target directory for installed files is $ZPFX (~/.local/share/zinit/polaris by default).

Zinit is a personal, free-time project with no funding and a huge feature request backlog. If you love it, consider supporting its development via GitHub Sponsors [pending]. Any help counts!

Do you need help or wish to get in touch with other Zinit users?

• Open a discussion.

• Or via reach out via Gitter