DEC Private Modes

DEC private mode sequences use the DECSET (CSI ? Pm h) and DECRST (CSI ? Pm l) format for toggling terminal behaviors. These control critical features like alternate screen buffer, origin mode, auto-wrap, cursor visibility, and mouse tracking. The "private" designation (the ? prefix) distinguishes them from ECMA-48 standard modes and allows vendor-specific extensions without conflicting with the standard.

10 features in this category

Support Matrix

Feature	Ghostty	WezTerm	Alacritty	vt100	xterm.js	Kitty
Hide cursor (DECTCEM)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
Save/restore cursor (DECSC)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Enter alt screen (DECSET 1049)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Exit alt screen (DECRST 1049)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Bracketed paste (DECSET 2004)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Mouse tracking (DECSET 1000)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Focus tracking (DECSET 1004)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Reverse video (DECSCNM)	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗
App cursor keys (DECCKM)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Auto-wrap (DECAWM)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

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