LaoHandDeveloper Cheatsheet

Zsh Cheatsheet - Shell Configuration

All essential Zsh commands organized by use case, with 37+ entries you can copy and run directly. Find the right command fast when you need it.

SysOps·37 commands·Last updated 2026-07-21
zshshell终端oh-my-zsh
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Basic Setup 5

chsh -s $(which zsh)
Switch the default shell to zsh
source ~/.zshrc
Reload the config
echo $SHELL
Show the current shell
setopt AUTO_CD
Type a dir name to cd (no cd needed)
setopt CORRECT
Suggest corrections on typo

Variables & Arrays 6

NAME="value"
Define a variable (no spaces around =)
arr=(a b c)
Define an array (zsh indexes from 1)
echo $arr[1]
Access the first array element
echo ${arr[@]}
Access all array elements
${#arr[@]}
Get array length
typeset -A dict\ndict[key]=value
Define an associative array (hash)

Globbing & Expansion 6

**/*.js
Recursively match .js in subdirs
*.{js,ts}
Brace expansion, multiple suffixes
*(.)
Match regular files only (glob qualifier)
*(/)
Match directories only
*(om[1])
The most recently modified file
=ls
= expands to the command's full path

Functions & Completion 4

function name() { ... }
Define a function
alias ll="ls -la"
Set an alias
autoload -Uz compinit && compinit
Initialize the completion system
compdef _git g=git
Reuse git completion for alias g

Prompt Customization 5

PROMPT='%n@%m %~ %# '
user@host path prompt
%n / %m / %M
username / short host / full host
%~ / %d
current dir (~) / absolute path
RPROMPT="%T"
Right prompt shows current time
%T / %D / %W
24h time / date / month-day-year

oh-my-zsh & Plugins 5

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting)
Enable a plugin list
ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell"
Set a theme (random to rotate)
zsh-autosuggestions
Autosuggest completions (accept with ->)
zsh-syntax-highlighting
Syntax highlighting (red = error)
extract file.tar.gz
extract plugin auto-detects archive format

Tips

  • Install oh-my-zsh: sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
  • zsh-autosuggestions needs a separate install (git clone into $ZSH_CUSTOM/plugins).
  • setopt AUTO_CD lets you cd by typing a dir name.
  • Bind up/down arrows to prefix history search via bindkey.
  • zsh arrays start at 1 (bash starts at 0) - mind this when porting scripts.
  • ZDOTDIR changes the config dir, handy for isolated configs.

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Official References

Commands are compiled from the official docs below. Click to verify the latest usage.

Maintained by LaoHand

Publicly updated on Jul 21, 2026, continuously proofread against official docs.

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