powerlevel10k

Before anything else, the README warns that support is very limited and most bugs will go unfixed. After that comes a Zsh theme built around speed, with a wizard that writes a heavily commented config file for you.

The notice is hard to miss: the project has very limited support, no new features are in the works, most bugs will go unfixed, and help requests will be ignored. Powerlevel10k describes itself as a theme for Zsh that emphasizes speed, flexibility, and an out-of-the-box experience. Those two facts together set the tone for the whole README.

The flow is short. Install the recommended font, optional but highly recommended, then install Powerlevel10k itself, restart Zsh with exec zsh, and type p10k configure if the configuration wizard does not start automatically. The wizard writes ~/.p10k.zsh based on your preferences, and that file has plenty of comments to guide further editing. All prompt styles except Pure are functionally equivalent, showing the same information and differing only in presentation.

The performance claim is simple: when you hit Enter, the next prompt appears instantly, with no prompt lag. Other themes that show the same information either lag or print a prompt that does not reflect the current state and refresh it later. A small table maps commands to prompt indicators, such as two untracked files in a Git repo or the current Python version in pyenv. An instant prompt feature prints the prompt at Zsh startup while plugins are still loading, so you can start typing right away, and it needs to be enabled explicitly. A transient prompt trims each prompt down after you accept a command line, which makes copy-pasting command sequences easier.

Migration from Powerlevel9k is described as straightforward, with all POWERLEVEL9K configuration parameters still working. Pure style can be selected in the wizard while keeping transient and instant prompt features. The theme ships with dozens of built-in segments covering conda environments, AWS profiles, background jobs, battery state, disk usage, Git status, kubernetes context, node version, and more, and the README says enabling more segments will not slow down the prompt or Zsh startup. A public API exists for defining custom segments, with a tip to prefix your own names with my to avoid clashes. Users in China can use an official mirror on gitee.com.

Given the support warning up front, the README's job is mostly to sell the configuration experience and the speed claims, and it does both in detail.

• Source 1 · Project repository
• Source 2 · README