prmt 🚀

Ultra-fast, customizable shell prompt generator written in Rust. Features zero-copy parsing with SIMD optimizations for sub-microsecond template processing.

Features

• ⚡ Blazing Fast: Instant prompt rendering that won't slow down your terminal
• 🎨 Highly Customizable: Full control over colors, formats, and what information to show
• 📦 Zero-Copy Parsing: Efficient memory usage for minimal overhead
• 🦀 Memory Efficient: Written in Rust for maximum performance
• 🚀 Context Aware: Automatically detects and shows relevant project information
• ✨ Smart Rendering: Only shows information when it's relevant to your current directory

Performance

Actual Response Times

Installation

# Install from crates.io
cargo install prmt

# Build from source (Rust 2024 edition required)
cargo build --release
cp target/release/prmt ~/.local/bin/

# Or install directly
cargo install --path .

# Verify installation
prmt --version

Format Specification

Format Syntax

{module}                      - Default everything
{module:style}                - Custom style
{module:style:type}           - Custom style and type
{module:style:type:prefix}    - Add prefix to value
{module:style:type:prefix:postfix} - Add prefix and postfix

# Omitting parts (empty means default)
{module::::suffix}            - Default style/type, suffix only
{module:::prefix:}            - Default style/type, prefix only
{module:::prefix:suffix}      - Default style/type, both prefix/suffix
{module::type}                - No style, specific type
{module::type::suffix}        - No style, specific type, suffix only

Available Modules

Type Values

Version modules (rust, node, python, etc.):

• full or f - Full version (1.89.0)
• short or s - Major.minor (1.89)
• major or m - Major only (1)

Path module:

• relative or r - Path with ~ for home directory (default)
• absolute or a - Full absolute path without ~ substitution
• short or s - Last directory only

Git module:

• full or f - Branch with status (default)
• short or s - Branch name only

Ok/Fail modules:

• full - Default symbol (❯)
• code - Shows the actual exit code number
• Any other string - Uses that string as the symbol (e.g., {ok::✓} shows ✓)

Time module:

• 24h - 24-hour format HH:MM (default)
• 24hs or 24HS - 24-hour format with seconds HH:MM:SS
• 12h or 12H - 12-hour format hh:MMAM/PM
• 12hs or 12HS - 12-hour format with seconds hh:MM:SSAM/PM

Type Validation

The format parser validates types at parse time to catch errors early:

# Valid types for each module
prmt '{path::short}'     # ✓ Valid
prmt '{rust::major}'     # ✓ Valid  
prmt '{ok::✓}'          # ✓ Valid (custom symbol)
prmt '{fail::code}'     # ✓ Valid (shows exit code)

# Invalid types produce clear errors
prmt '{path::major}'
# Error: Invalid type 'major' for module 'path'. Valid types: relative, r, absolute, a, short, s

prmt '{git::major}'
# Error: Invalid type 'major' for module 'git'. Valid types: full, short

Default Module Styles

Styles

Colors: black, red, green, yellow, blue, purple, cyan, white, #hexcode

Modifiers: bold, dim, italic, underline, reverse, strikethrough

Combine with dots: cyan.bold, red.dim.italic

Escaping

• \{ → { (literal brace)
• \} → } (literal brace)
• \n → newline
• \t → tab
• \: → : (literal colon in fields)
• \\ → \ (literal backslash)

Usage Examples

# Simple format with defaults
prmt '{path} {rust} {git}'
# Output: ~/projects 1.89.0 master

# Format with types and styles
prmt '{path::a}'                  # /home/user/projects (absolute path)
prmt '{path::r}'                  # ~/projects (relative with ~)
prmt '{path::s}'                  # projects (short - last dir only)
prmt '{rust:red:s}'               # 1.89 in red (short version)
prmt '{rust:red:m:v:}'            # v1 in red (major version with prefix)
prmt '{path:cyan:s:[:]}'          # [projects] in cyan
prmt '{git:purple::on :}'         # on master in purple

# Simplified formats with omitted parts
prmt '{rust::::!}'                # 1.89.0! (default style/type, suffix only)
prmt '{rust:::v:}'                # v1.89.0 (default style/type, prefix only)
prmt '{path::::]}'                # ~/projects] (suffix only)
prmt '{git:::on :}'               # on master (prefix only)

# Add your own icons with prefix
prmt '{rust:::🦀 :}'              # 🦀 1.89.0 (default color)
prmt '{node:green::⬢ :}'          # ⬢ 20.5.0 in green
prmt '{python:yellow::🐍 :}'      # 🐍 3.11.0 in yellow

# Using short format aliases
prmt '{path:cyan:s} {rust:red:m:v:}' # projects v1 (both in color)
prmt '{git::s:on :}'              # on master (short format with prefix)

# No style with type  
prmt '{path::s}'                  # projects (no color, short)
prmt '{path::a}'                  # /home/user/projects (no color, absolute)
prmt '{rust::m:v}'                # v1 (no color, major with prefix)

# With exit code indicators (requires --code flag)
prmt --code $? '{path:cyan} {ok:green}{fail:red}'
# Output (success): ~/projects ❯ (green)
# Output (failure): ~/projects ❯ (red)

# Fast mode (no version detection)
prmt --no-version '{path:cyan} {rust:red} {node:green}'
# Output: ~/projects (only shows active modules, no versions)

# Custom symbols for ok/fail using type as symbol
prmt --code $? '{path} {ok::✓} {fail::✗}'
# Output (success): ~/projects ✓
# Output (failure): ~/projects ✗

# Show exit code on failure
prmt --code $? '{path} {ok::❯} {fail::code}'
# Output (success): ~/projects ❯
# Output (failure with code 127): ~/projects 127

# Time formats
prmt '{time}'                     # 14:30 (default 24h)
prmt '{time::24hs}'               # 14:30:45
prmt '{time::12h}'                # 02:30PM
prmt '{time::12hs}'               # 02:30:45PM
prmt '{path:cyan} {time:dim:12h}' # ~/projects 02:30PM (with styling)

Shell Integration

Bash

# Add to ~/.bashrc
PS1='$(prmt --code $? "{path:cyan:s} {git:purple:s:on :} {ok:green}{fail:red}")\$ '

# Or set via environment variable
export PRMT_FORMAT="{path:cyan:r} {rust:red:m:🦀 v:} {git:purple}"
PS1='$(prmt --code $?)\$ '

Bash with Transient Prompt

For a cleaner command history, you can set up a transient prompt that shows a simplified prompt after command execution:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.init_bash

# Helper functions for transient prompt
function lastcommand {
    history | tail -1 | cut -c 8-
}

function deleteprompt {
    n=${PS1@P}
    n=${n//[^$'\n']}
    n=${#n}
    tput cuu $((n + 1))
    tput ed
}

function prompt_indicator {
    prmt --code ${1:-0} "{ok:#a6e3a1:❯}{fail:#f38ba8:❯}"
}

# Main prompt with full information
PS1='$(prmt --code $? "{path:#89dceb}{node:#a6e3a1:f: [:]}{rust:#f38ba8:f: 🦀}{git:#f9e2af:f: }\n{ok:#a6e3a1}{fail:#f38ba8} ")'

# Transient prompt configuration
PS0='\[$(deleteprompt)\]$(prompt_indicator ${LAST_EXIT_CODE}) $(lastcommand)\n\[${PS1:0:$((EXPS0=1,0))}\]'
PROMPT_COMMAND='LAST_EXIT_CODE=$?; echo -ne "\033]0;${PWD##*/}\007"; [ "$EXPS0" = 0 ] && deleteprompt && echo -e "$(prompt_indicator ${LAST_EXIT_CODE})" || EXPS0=0'

This configuration:

• Shows a full prompt with path, version info, and git status before commands
• After execution, replaces it with a minimal prompt showing just the colored success/fail indicator and the command
• Maintains colored indicators (green ❯ for success, red ❯ for failure) in the transient prompt
• Handles edge cases like Ctrl+C and empty Enter presses correctly

Zsh

# Add to ~/.zshrc
PROMPT='$(prmt --code $? "{path:cyan:s} {git:purple:s:on :} {ok:green}{fail:red}") '

# Or with environment variable
export PRMT_FORMAT="{path:cyan:r} {node:green:s:⬢ :} {git:purple}"
PROMPT='$(prmt --code $?) '

Fish

# Add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
function fish_prompt
    prmt --code $status '{path:cyan:s} {git:purple:s:on :} {ok:green}{fail:red} '
end

# Or with environment variable
set -x PRMT_FORMAT "{path:cyan:r} {python:yellow:m:🐍 :} {git:purple}"
function fish_prompt
    prmt --code $status
end

PowerShell

# Add to $PROFILE
function prompt {
    prmt --code $LASTEXITCODE '{path:cyan:s} {git:purple:s:on :} {ok:green}{fail:red} '
}

# Or with environment variable
$env:PRMT_FORMAT = "{path:cyan:r} {git:purple}"
function prompt {
    prmt --code $LASTEXITCODE
}

Command-Line Options

prmt [OPTIONS] [FORMAT]

OPTIONS:
    -n, --no-version    Skip version detection for speed
    -d, --debug         Show debug information and timing
    -b, --bench         Run benchmark (100 iterations)
        --code <CODE>   Exit code of the last command (for ok/fail modules)
        --no-color      Disable colored output
    -h, --help         Print help
    -V, --version      Print version

ARGS:
    <FORMAT>           Format string (default from PRMT_FORMAT env var)

Building from Source

# Requirements: Rust 2024 edition
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/prmt.git
cd prmt
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test

# Benchmark
./target/release/prmt --bench '{path} {rust} {git}'

License

MIT