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

bash

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

Window Types

New Tab:

bash

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

New Window:

bash

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

Overlay Window:

bash

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

Split Window:

bash

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

Window Management

Close Windows

bash

# 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

bash

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

bash

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

Resize Windows

bash

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

Environment Detection

Check Availability

bash

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

bash

# 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

bash

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

Run Command in Background Tab

bash

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

Split Screen Workflow

bash

# 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

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