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Linux Terminal Support

A broad terminal ecosystem with parser coverage and clear app-probe gaps.

Linux support spans native GUI terminals, Wayland-first terminals, editor-integrated terminals, and Unix multiplexers. The Linux page separates availability from measured app coverage because most current full-app probes were captured on macOS.

7app terminals
0app-probed here
3parser backends
2tracking gaps
Scores are shown with their evidence source. Platform-specific app probes are strongest; parser and reference scores are useful compatibility signals but do not prove full renderer, font, input, or compositor behavior on this OS.

App Terminals

TerminalScoreEvidenceNotes
Ghostty · site91%macOS app probe onlyAvailable on Linux, but not yet app-probed on this OS.
Kitty · site86%macOS app probe onlyAvailable on Linux, but not yet app-probed on this OS.
Warp · site86%macOS app probe onlyAvailable on Linux, but not yet app-probed on this OS.
Cursor · site66%Inherited from xterm.jsUses the underlying parser/backend reference score; not a platform-specific app probe.
VS Code · site66%Inherited from xterm.jsUses the underlying parser/backend reference score; not a platform-specific app probe.
Alacritty · site61%Parser probeParser/state-machine coverage only; renderer, font, input, and compositor behavior are not included.
WezTerm · site61%Parser probeParser/state-machine coverage only; renderer, font, input, and compositor behavior are not included.

Feature Coverage

Category coverage aggregates the scored entries on this platform page. It is a platform lens over available evidence, not a substitute for missing full-app probes.

CategoryPass RateSignalsStrongestWeakest
Character Sets90%36 yes / 0 partial / 40 checksAlacritty (100%)GNU Screen (0%)
Cursor84%184 yes / 5 partial / 220 checksvterm.js (100%)GNU Screen (27%)
Device Status45%78 yes / 33 partial / 174 checksvterm.js (100%)WezTerm (0%)
Editing60%102 yes / 0 partial / 170 checksGhostty (94%)vt100.js (6%)
Erase86%95 yes / 0 partial / 110 checksGhostty (100%)GNU Screen (27%)
Extensions70%473 yes / 13 partial / 679 checksvterm.js (100%)vt100.js (32%)
Input Protocols69%48 yes / 6 partial / 70 checksGhostty (100%)vt100.js (0%)
Modes81%228 yes / 18 partial / 281 checksGhostty (100%)Alacritty (54%)
Reset88%44 yes / 2 partial / 50 checksGhostty (100%)vt100.js (60%)
Scrollback94%85 yes / 1 partial / 90 checksAlacritty (100%)GNU Screen (67%)
SGR (Text Styling)88%280 yes / 20 partial / 320 checksGhostty (100%)vt100.js (38%)
Text74%147 yes / 0 partial / 200 checksvterm.js (100%)GNU Screen (5%)
Unicode80%32 yes / 0 partial / 40 checksAlacritty (100%)GNU Screen (0%)

Portable Parser Backends

BackendScoreEvidenceNotes
vterm.js94%Parser probeParser/state-machine coverage only; renderer, font, input, and compositor behavior are not included.
vt100.js46%Parser probeParser/state-machine coverage only; renderer, font, input, and compositor behavior are not included.
xterm.js66%Parser probeParser/state-machine coverage only; renderer, font, input, and compositor behavior are not included.

Multiplexers

MultiplexerScoreEvidenceNotes
tmux86%macOS app probe onlyAvailable on Linux, but not yet app-probed on this OS.
GNU Screen68%macOS app probe onlyAvailable on Linux, but not yet app-probed on this OS.

Tracking Gaps

SurfaceTypeWhy it matters
footapp terminalWayland-native terminal with modern protocol support; not yet represented by terminfo.dev probe files.
GNOME Terminalapp terminalGTK/VTE terminal common on GNOME desktops; not yet represented by terminfo.dev probe files.

Notes

  • Linux availability is broader than current Linux app-probe coverage. Parser-backend scores are useful implementation evidence, but they do not prove compositor, font, or input behavior in a full Linux terminal window.
  • tmux and GNU Screen are included because they are operating-system-level workflow dependencies for many Linux users, even though they are multiplexers rather than terminal emulator windows.

Sources