Transform your Linux terminal into a modern, beautiful shell — Zsh, Oh My Zsh, Starship prompt, Autosuggestions, Syntax Highlighting, and an automated setup script.

• Zsh — powerful shell that replaces Bash
• Oh My Zsh — plugin framework with 300+ plugins
• Starship — blazing-fast, cross-shell prompt written in Rust
• Autosuggestions — command suggestions as you type
• Syntax Highlighting — colors commands green/red as you type

• A supported distro: Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora, or Arch (and their derivatives)
• git and curl installed
• sudo access (to install packages and change your default shell)

git clone https://github.com/giorgitchanturidze/style-linux-terminal.git
cd style-linux-terminal
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

The script will:

• Detect your distro (Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora, Arch)
• Install Zsh, Oh My Zsh, Starship, and plugins
• Back up your existing configs
• Apply Gruvbox Rainbow preset and configure your shell

After the script finishes, restart your terminal or run:

exec zsh

💡 The script asks before each step — you can skip anything you don't want.

If you prefer to set things up yourself, follow along below.

Zsh is a powerful shell that replaces Bash with better autocompletion, scripting, and plugin support.

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install zsh -y

Fedora:

sudo dnf install zsh -y

Arch:

sudo pacman -S zsh

Set Zsh as your default shell:

chsh -s $(which zsh)

Log out and back in (or restart your terminal) for the change to take effect.

💡 If chsh complains that zsh is not a valid shell, register it first:

echo "$(which zsh)" | sudo tee -a /etc/shells

Oh My Zsh is a framework that manages your Zsh configuration and gives you access to hundreds of plugins and themes.

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Starship is a minimal, fast, and customizable prompt written in Rust. It works with any shell and shows useful info like Git branch, language versions, and command duration.

Install Starship:

curl -sS https://starship.rs/install.sh | sh

Install a Nerd Font (required for icons):

Download and install MesloLGS NF or any Nerd Font you like. Then set it as your terminal's font in your terminal emulator's settings.

Enable Starship in Zsh:

In your ~/.zshrc:

1. Set the Oh My Zsh theme to empty so it doesn't override Starship:

   ZSH_THEME=""

2. Add the Starship init line at the very bottom of the file — it must come after source $ZSH/oh-my-zsh.sh, otherwise Oh My Zsh will overwrite the prompt:

   eval "$(starship init zsh)"

Apply a preset:

mkdir -p ~/.config
starship preset gruvbox-rainbow -o ~/.config/starship.toml

See Customization below for other presets.

Suggests commands as you type based on your history. Press → (right arrow) to accept.

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions \
  ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

Colors your commands as you type — valid commands turn green, errors turn red.

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting \
  ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

Enable both plugins in ~/.zshrc:

Find the plugins=(git) line and replace it with:

plugins=(
  git
  zsh-autosuggestions
  zsh-syntax-highlighting
)

⚠️ Order matters: zsh-syntax-highlighting must be the last plugin in the list, otherwise it can interfere with widgets defined by other plugins.

source ~/.zshrc

Or simply restart your terminal. You're done! 🎉

Browse all presets at starship.rs/presets:

starship preset gruvbox-rainbow -o ~/.config/starship.toml
starship preset nerd-font-symbols -o ~/.config/starship.toml
starship preset plain-text-symbols -o ~/.config/starship.toml

Or edit ~/.config/starship.toml directly — the Starship docs cover every option.

Your color scheme is set in your terminal emulator, not in the shell. Popular choices:

• Catppuccin — pastel colors, easy on the eyes
• Dracula — dark purple classic
• Tokyo Night — soft dark blue
• Gruvbox — warm retro tones

Search for your terminal + theme name (e.g., "Catppuccin Ghostty", "Dracula GNOME Terminal") to find install instructions.

You need a Nerd Font. Download one from nerdfonts.com (MesloLGS NF is a safe choice), install it, and set it as your terminal's font in your terminal emulator's preferences.

Make sure eval "$(starship init zsh)" is at the very end of your ~/.zshrc, after all other source/eval lines.

If you previously had Powerlevel10k installed, remove it:

rm -rf ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k
rm -f ~/.p10k.zsh

Then make sure ZSH_THEME="" is set in your ~/.zshrc.

chsh -s $(which bash)

Then log out and back in.

To remove everything and go back to a clean state:

# Switch back to bash
chsh -s $(which bash)

# Remove Oh My Zsh (this also removes plugins)
rm -rf ~/.oh-my-zsh

# Remove Starship
sudo rm -f "$(which starship)"
rm -f ~/.config/starship.toml

# Restore your most recent .zshrc backup (if setup.sh created one)
latest=$(ls -t ~/.zshrc.backup.* 2>/dev/null | head -1)
[ -n "$latest" ] && mv "$latest" ~/.zshrc && echo "Restored $latest → ~/.zshrc"

If this helped you, consider giving the repo a star — it helps others find it!

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Found an issue or have a suggestion? Open an issue or submit a PR.

MIT