Background color query (OSC 11)

Category: extensions · Tags: Operating System Commands (OSC), Xterm Extensions · Specification ↗

OSC 11 queries the terminal's default background color. The query is ESC ] 11 ; ? ST. The response format matches OSC 10. This is the most reliable way to detect whether the user has a dark or light terminal theme — compare the background color's luminance to determine the appropriate color palette.

Supported by 6 of 6 backends (100%)

Support Matrix

Backend	Version	Support	Notes
Alacritty	0.26.0	✓ yes
Ghostty	1.3.1	✓ yes
Kitty	0.40.0	✓ yes
vt100	0.1.0	✓ yes
WezTerm	0.1.0-fork.5	✓ yes
xterm.js	5.5.0	✓ yes

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