Zsh Cheatsheet - Config, Aliases, Glob & Completion

After switching the default shell, the speedup does not come from syntax — it comes from smarter completion, prefix-aware history search, and a prompt that doubles as a status display. The sheet is organised around the seven parts of .zshrc people keep editing: base options, variables and arrays, globbing and expansion, history, functions and completion, prompt customisation, and oh-my-zsh with plugins. A few gotchas are called out: zsh arrays index from 1 while bash arrays index from 0, which is the most common source of breakage when porting scripts. setopt AUTO_CD lets you hit enter on a directory name, and pairs with AUTO_PUSHD to turn cd - into a jump list. EXTENDED_GLOB is what makes ** genuinely recursive rather than one level deep. Binding the arrow keys to history-search-backward turns them from a time scrollbar into a prefix search over past commands. On oh-my-zsh, remember it adds measurable startup cost, so cherry-pick plugins on production boxes.

SysOps·37 commands·Last updated 2026-07-21

Typical Use Case

For developers who have just moved their default shell to zsh: make completion, history search, aliases and the prompt actually do the work. What zsh adds over bash concentrates in three places — recursive globbing (**), copyable history search (Ctrl+R), and glob qualifiers such as *(om[1]) to pick the newest file. This sheet covers the high-traffic .zshrc options and oh-my-zsh plugin usage; best read once in the first week after switching, then revisit as needed.

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

History & Search 6

HISTSIZE=10000 / SAVEHIST=10000

In-memory and on-disk history size

setopt SHARE_HISTORY

Share history across terminals in real time

Ctrl+R

Reverse incremental history search

!!

Run the last command (sudo !! most used)

!$

Last argument of the previous command

history -i | tail

Show history with timestamps

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

Parameter matrix

Parameter	Effect	Example
`setopt AUTO_CD`	输入目录名即进入，无需写 cd	`setopt AUTO_CD`
`setopt CORRECT`	命令拼错时提示纠正	`setopt CORRECT`
`HISTSIZE / SAVEHIST`	内存与文件的历史条数，两者都设才生效	`HISTSIZE=10000; SAVEHIST=10000`
`setopt SHARE_HISTORY`	多终端实时共享历史记录	`setopt SHARE_HISTORY`
`Ctrl+R`	反向增量搜索历史命令	`Ctrl+R 后输入 git 关键词`
`!!`	执行上一条命令，sudo !! 是经典组合	`sudo !!`
`!$`	上一条命令的最后一个参数	`mkdir -p /var/log/app; cd !$`
`*/.js`	递归匹配所有层级的 .js 文件	`ls */.js`
`*.{js,ts}`	花括号扩展，一次匹配多种后缀	`ls *.{js,ts}`
`*(om[1])`	glob 限定符：取最近修改的一个文件	`ls -t *(om[1])`
`compdef _git g`	为别名 g 复用 git 的补全	`compdef _git g=git`
`%~ / %n / %T`	提示符占位符：当前目录 / 用户名 / 时间	`PROMPT='%n@%m %~ %# '`

Common pitfalls

Symptom脚本从 bash 换到 zsh 后数组取值全为空，${arr[0]} 拿不到第一个元素。

Causezsh 数组默认从下标 1 开始，而 bash 从 0 开始。

Fix改用 ${arr[1]}，或执行 emulate sh / setopt KSH_ARRAYS 让行为贴近 bash。

Symptom在 .zshrc 里定义了 alias 后，同一行继续用该别名没有生效。

Causealias 在同一次读取中只对其后的命令生效。

Fix把 alias 单独放一行，或改用函数 function name() { ... }。

Symptom装上 zsh-syntax-highlighting 后命令高亮不工作或报错。

Cause插件加载顺序不对，highlighter 必须在 plugins 数组最后加载。

Fix写 plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting)，把 highlighter 放到末尾。

Symptom切到 zsh 后进不去交互 shell，只能走 sh 兜底。

Cause~/.zshrc 存在语法错误，启动时解析中断。

Fix用 zsh -n ~/.zshrc 做语法检查（只解析不执行），定位到错误行先注释掉。

Symptomzsh-autosuggestions 的灰色建议按方向键不接受。

Cause默认接受键是 →（右方向键），按 End 或空格无效。

Fix按 → 接受整条建议；只接受单词需额外配置。

SymptomCtrl+R 搜到的命令执行后发现参数不对，但历史里只有这一条。

Cause历史中未保存该命令的变体。

Fix提高历史条数：HISTSIZE=10000 SAVEHIST=10000，并用 history -i | tail 看带时间戳的历史。

Troubleshooting

1确认当前 shell 与配置是否生效
echo $SHELL && zsh -n ~/.zshrc
前者看登录 shell，后者只做语法检查（-n），能定位 .zshrc 的解析错误。
2改完配置立即重载
source ~/.zshrc
每次改 .zshrc 后执行一次；可写成 alias reload-cfg="source ~/.zshrc" 省事。
3递归查找任意层级的 .js 文件
ls **/*.js
** 是 zsh 的递归通配；bash 需先开启 globstar（shopt -s globstar）。
4取出最近修改的那个日志文件
ls -t *(om[1])
(om[1]) 是 glob 限定符，o 按修改时间排序取第 1 个；bash 需 find + printf。
5在历史里搜含关键字的命令并直接执行
git rebase
输入前缀后按 Ctrl+R 向上检索，回车执行；配 SHARE_HISTORY 多终端实时共享。

Command Examples

Recall a matching command from history

git rebase

直接在终端输入 git rebase 再按 Ctrl+R，会向上检索含该前缀的历史，方向键或 Enter 直接执行。配 setopt SHARE_HISTORY 多终端历史实时共享。

Reuse the last argument of the previous command

mkdir -p /var/log/myapp
cd !$

!$ 展开为上一条命令的最后一个参数，!^ 是第一个，!! 是整条。sudo !! 是最经典的组合——先执行一条危险命令，再用同样的参数加 sudo 重跑。

Recursively match files at any depth

ls **/*.ts
ls *(om[1]).log

** 递归匹配所有层级（bash 需开启 globstar）；*(om[1]) 是 glob 限定符，取最近修改的一个 .log 文件。bash 要用 find 配合 -printf 才能做到。

Output

src/index.ts
src/api/client.ts
src/api/auth/login.ts

Reload the config immediately

source ~/.zshrc

每次改动后执行一次；写成 alias reload-cfg="source ~/.zshrc" 更方便。注意 alias 在同一个文件里定义后不会作用于该行本身。

Common Pitfalls

zsh arrays are 1-indexed, so ${arr[0]} is empty — the most common porting trap from bash.
An alias only takes effect on subsequent lines; defining and using it on the same line does nothing.
Plugin order matters: zsh-syntax-highlighting must be loaded last in the plugins array.
${arr[@]} expands differently in zsh than bash, so quote it explicitly in portable scripts.
Verify ~/.zshrc parses before switching your login shell — one syntax error can leave you without a working interactive prompt.

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.

FAQ

Do zsh arrays start at index 0 or 1?

zsh indexes arrays from 1, while bash starts at 0. This is one of the most common porting traps: in zsh ${arr[0]} is an empty element, not the first one, and the correct form is ${arr[1]}. To make zsh behave more bash-like, use emulate sh or setopt KSH_ARRAYS.

Beyond Ctrl+R, what history tricks does zsh offer?

Ctrl+R does reverse incremental search, and pressing it again walks further back. Beyond that: !! repeats the previous command, making sudo !! the classic pairing; !$ expands to the last argument of the previous command, so after mkdir -p /var/log/app, cd !$ lands you there; !^ grabs the first argument. And setopt SHARE_HISTORY shares history live across terminal windows.

Where is zsh globbing stronger than bash?

Three main things. ** recurses into subdirectories, which bash needs globstar for. Brace expansion *.{js,ts} matches several extensions in one pattern instead of listing them. And glob qualifiers let you filter: *(.) regular files only, *(/) directories only, *(om[1]) the single most recently modified one. In bash you would need find for equivalent filtering.

How do I set up syntax highlighting and autosuggestions in zsh?

Two plugins do it: zsh-syntax-highlighting highlights command syntax live (invalid commands turn red) and zsh-autosuggestions shows a grey inline suggestion from your history that you accept with the right arrow. Add plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting) to .zshrc and enable the completion system with compinit. Make sure the highlighter is loaded last in the plugins array.

What do %~, %n and %T mean in the zsh prompt?

%n is the username, %m the short hostname, %M the full hostname. %~ is the current path with the home directory abbreviated to ~, while %d prints the absolute path. %T is the time in 24-hour form, %D the year-month-day, %W the month-day-year. The classic PROMPT='%n@%m %~ %# ' shows user@host path plus a prompt char, where %# renders as $ for a normal user and # for root.

Official References

Each command links to its official documentation below, so you can verify the latest usage and read deeper.

Linux man-pages

Maintained by LaoHand

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

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