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Zellij

DEVOPS
Velocity3.8

Terminal workspace and multiplexer with a batteries-included layout system

zellij.dev ↗

Zellij is now a desktop terminal too, not just a multiplexer inside one.

terminalmultiplexerdesktop-appcross-platformopen-source
◆Current state
Zellij 0.46.0 adds a desktop terminal app: `zellij terminal` opens Zellij as its own window on Linux, macOS and Windows, and those sessions are the same as the multiplexer's and can be shared. The multiplexer still runs inside other terminals unchanged. The release follows 0.45's nested sessions, Kitty graphics and prompt-aware scrollback, and 0.44's native Windows support. The single maintainer says venture-funded firms are moving into the space and asks for recurring donations.
◆Where it's heading
Each release has widened where Zellij runs: a browser client in 0.43, Windows in 0.44, and now its own window. Owning the terminal window means it no longer depends on the host terminal for graphics, notifications and escape-sequence support.
◆Prediction
Expect patch releases fixing desktop-terminal issues on specific platforms, as 0.45.1 did for 0.45.0; the entry flags breaking changes for plugin developers, so plugin updates are likely to follow.

◆Recent moves

  1. 3d ago

    Zellij 0.46 becomes a desktop terminal on Linux, Mac and Windows

    ⚡ SPARK

    The next step in Zellij's reach arc after the web client and Windows support: it now ships its own terminal window. Sessions are shared between the desktop app and the multiplexer, so nothing changes for existing users.

    View source ↗
  2. 2mo ago

    0.45.1: SSH nested-session fix, OSC9 fixes, default opt-outs

    Mostly repair work on the 0.45.0 surface: nested-session detection now works over SSH without forwarding environment variables, and OSC9 no longer collides with the OSC99 notification spec that was spamming nvim users on save. Two new config escape hatches — scroll_mode_sync and explicit_theme_hue — walk back defaults 0.45.0 introduced. One genuinely new option: attach can now start a session running a specific command, foreground or background.

    View source ↗
  3. 2mo ago

    Nested sessions, Kitty graphics and OSC 133 prompt-aware scrollback

    ⚡ SPARK

    The origin of the current arc — nested sessions, Kitty graphics and OSC 133 prompt parsing in one release. Everything in 0.45.1 is downstream of this.

    View source ↗
  4. 6mo ago

    0.44.3: host query forwarding regressions fixed

    A regression fix for host query forwarding on the 0.44 line, closing out that series before the 0.45 rewrite.

    View source ↗
  5. 6mo ago

    0.44.2: automatic dark and light theme switching

    Automatic dark/light theme switching followed the system. 0.45.1's explicit_theme_hue is the direct follow-up, covering systems that never report which mode they are in.

    View source ↗
  6. 7mo ago

    0.44.1: OSC52 discovery and a Codex scrollback mitigation

    OSC52 clipboard discovery plus a scrollback mitigation for Codex — an early sign of the escape-sequence and agent-adjacent work that 0.45.0 built out properly.

    View source ↗