WezTerm Power User Config - Features & Highlights

wezterm-config-showcase.md

WezTerm Power User Config

A modular WezTerm configuration that combines the best of tmux, Zellij, and iTerm2.

Highlights

Zellij-Style Auto-Layouts

No more manual splitting decisions. Set a layout mode and let WezTerm figure out the rest.

Key	Action
Alt+n	Smart split (uses current layout mode)
Alt+[/]	Cycle through layout modes
Alt+Space	Layout mode picker

Layout Modes:

• Tiled - Grid layout, splits larger dimension
• Vertical - All panes stacked top-to-bottom
• Horizontal - All panes side by side
• Main+Vertical - Main pane left (60%), stack right
• Main+Horizontal - Main pane top (60%), stack bottom

Quick Open Picker (Cmd+P)

Fuzzy finder powered by zoxide that knows what's already open:

• ● Green dot = tab already open (switches to it)
• ○ Yellow dot = no tab (opens new)
• Type a non-matching path to create new directory
• Cmd+Shift+P opens selection in Cursor editor instead

Smart Close (Cmd+W)

Context-aware closing:

• Running vim/micro? Confirms before closing
• Last pane in tab? Closes the whole tab
• Multiple panes? Just closes the pane

External Trigger System

Control WezTerm from Karabiner, yabai, or any script:

# Write trigger to file, focus WezTerm
echo "quick_open" > /tmp/wezterm.trigger
open -a WezTerm

Available triggers: quick_open, workspaces, themes, layouts, zen, app_launcher, notepad, copy_path

Static Layout Templates (Cmd+Shift+L)

One-click layouts:

• Dev - Editor + terminal stack (60/40)
• Editor - Full editor + bottom terminal
• Quad - Four equal panes
• Monitor - htop + logs (auto-starts htop)
• Focus - Main pane + small sidebar

Theme System

• Cmd+Shift+T - Theme picker (high contrast options)
• Leader+t - Quick cycle through themes
• Leader+Shift+T - Reset to auto-theme (CWD-based)

Curated high-contrast themes: Hardcore, Solarized High Contrast, Dracula, Catppuccin Mocha, Gruvbox Dark, Tokyo Night

Micro Editor Integration

Mac-style Cmd keys work in micro:

• Cmd+S → save, Cmd+Q → quit, Cmd+Z → undo
• Cmd+C/V/X → copy/paste/cut
• Automatically detects when micro is running

Session Persistence

Using resurrect.wezterm:

• Leader+s - Save workspace state

Other Goodies

• Cmd+/ - Keyboard shortcuts help picker
• Leader+z - Zen mode (hide tab bar)
• Cmd+Shift+R - Recording mode (hide all UI for demos)
• Cmd+E - Pane selector with number overlay
• Cmd+O - Workspace switcher (zoxide-powered)
• Cmd+Y - Copy current command line (semantic zones)
• Cmd+Z - Open current directory in Zed

Config Structure

~/.config/wezterm/
├── wezterm.lua      # Entry point
├── helpers.lua      # Utilities (is_vim, is_micro, cwd)
├── theme.lua        # Colors & theme list
├── layouts.lua      # Zellij-style layouts
├── appearance.lua   # Visual config
├── pickers.lua      # Fuzzy pickers
├── events.lua       # Tab titles, triggers, status bar
└── keys/
    ├── init.lua     # Key aggregator
    ├── micro.lua    # Micro editor mappings
    ├── navigation.lua
    ├── layouts.lua
    └── power.lua

Dependencies

• zoxide - Smart directory jumping
• smart_workspace_switcher - Workspace management
• resurrect - Session persistence

Quick Reference

Key	Action
Cmd+P/N	Quick Open picker
Cmd+T	Smart split (layout-aware)
Cmd+W	Smart close
Cmd+D	Next pane
Cmd+1-9	Jump to pane by number
Alt+h/j/k/l	Navigate panes (vim-style)
Alt+Shift+h/j/k/l	Resize panes
Cmd+Shift+L	Layout template picker
Cmd+Shift+T	Theme picker
Cmd+/	Show all shortcuts
Leader = Ctrl+B