kitty

A GPU-rendered emulator whose author has published several protocols now implemented by other terminals: the Kitty keyboard protocol, the Kitty graphics protocol, desktop notifications (OSC 99), and the text sizing protocol (OSC 66).

Identity

• TERM: xterm-kitty (ships its own terminfo).
• TERM_PROGRAM: not set; KITTY_WINDOW_ID, KITTY_PID, and KITTY_PUBLIC_KEY are set.
• DA1: CSI ? 62 ; c ?
• XTVERSION: DCS > | kitty(0.xx.y) ST.

Documentation

• Protocol extensions
• Keyboard protocol
• Graphics protocol
• Configuration
• Changelog

Notable behavior

• Refuses to implement Sixel; the graphics protocol is the alternative.
• Refuses DEC private mode 2027 (grapheme clustering); kitty segments graphemes unconditionally and offers the text sizing protocol for width control.
• Ships terminfo with custom capabilities (Smulx, Setulc, Sync, kitty-query-*) and answers XTGETTCAP.
• OSC 52 reads and writes are governed by clipboard_control.
• Provides a remote-control protocol over a socket in addition to escape-sequence extensions; that channel is out of TDN scope.
• Shell integration is injected automatically for supported shells and emits OSC 133 marks.

Version notes

Kitty uses 0.x.y numbering with frequent minor releases; each protocol page states the version in which it was introduced or revised.

Probe

kitty --version
tools/query '\033[>0q'   # XTVERSION
tools/query '\033[?u'    # keyboard protocol flags

Feature support

Records are maintained independently in tdn/terminals/kitty.yaml. Unlisted features are unknown. See the comparison for all features.

Feature	Support	As of	Notes and evidence
Kitty apc-kitty-graphics	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes | Also recorded: Yes ([kitty graphics protocol](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/).); Reference implementation import import
BEL urgency/visual c0-bel-attention	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
14/16 pixel sizes csi-14-16-t-pixel-sizes	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
18 size in cells csi-18-t-text-size	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
ED 3 (scrollback) csi-3-j-erase-scrollback	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
DECRQM csi-decrqm	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
DECSTBM csi-decstbm	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
DECSTR csi-decstr	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
ED/EL/ECH/ICH/DCH/IL/DL csi-editing-operations	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
modifyOtherKeys csi-modify-other-keys	PartialImported · unverified	Unversioned	Partial; Accepts `CSI > 4 ; 2 m` as a request for its own protocol's disambiguate flag ([kitty keyboard protocol, legacy compatibility](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/keyboard-protocol/#legacy-key-event-encoding).) import
CSI # P / # Q csi-palette-stack	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Unscroll (CSI + T) csi-plus-t-unscroll	Supported	git:9710eb4460ca0ab1532b0107d7066c20d7e9a66f	Documented as added in 0.20.2. The parser dispatches CSI + T to screen_reverse_scroll_and_fill_from_scrollback and bare CSI T stays SD. Documentation and source review; not executed. Checked 2026-09-12. specification source
REP csi-rep	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
SU/SD csi-su-sd-scroll	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Kitty keyboard protocol csi-u-kitty-keyboard	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes; Origin, all flags ([Comprehensive keyboard handling in terminals](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/keyboard-protocol/).) import
DECRQSS dcs-decrqss	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes; `SP q`, `m`, `r` documented in source `?` import
Sixel dcs-sixel	UnsupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	No ([kitty graphics protocol, "Why not Sixel"](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/).) | Also recorded: No ([kitty graphics protocol](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/graphics-protocol/).); Refused by design import import
XTGETTCAP dcs-xtgettcap	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes; [protocol extensions](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/protocol-extensions/) import
1000 mouse dec-mode-1000-mouse	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1002 button motion dec-mode-1002-button-motion	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1003 all motion dec-mode-1003-all-motion	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1004 focus dec-mode-1004-focus	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes ([kitty protocol extensions](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/protocol-extensions/).) import
1006 sgr mouse dec-mode-1006-sgr-mouse	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1015 urxvt mouse dec-mode-1015-urxvt-mouse	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1016 pixel mouse dec-mode-1016-pixel-mouse	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
1049 alternate screen dec-mode-1049-alternate-screen	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
2004 bracketed paste dec-mode-2004-bracketed-paste	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes | Also recorded: Yes; Sanitizes controls ([kitty, `paste_actions`](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/conf/#opt-kitty.paste_actions).) import import
2026 synchronized output dec-mode-2026-synchronized-output	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Grapheme cluster mode (2027) dec-mode-2027-grapheme-clusters	UnsupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	No ([kitty text sizing protocol](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/text-sizing-protocol/), introduction.); Clusters unconditionally; the author rejects the mode and relies on the [text sizing protocol](sizing.md) import
2031 color scheme reports dec-mode-2031-color-scheme-reports	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes | Also recorded: Yes (0.35)? import import
2048 in band resize dec-mode-2048-in-band-resize	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
win32-input-mode dec-mode-9001-win32-input	UnknownImported · unverified	Unversioned	?; Not a Unix protocol; not documented by any of them import
DEC Special Graphics esc-dec-special-graphics	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes (kitty documents UTF-8-only operation; see [kitty FAQ](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/faq/).) import
OSC 0/2 set osc-0-2-title	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 1 icon osc-1-icon-name	PartialImported · unverified	Unversioned	Partial (Accepted and parsed; no distinct icon name exists on the platform, so it is ignored or aliased to the title.) import
OSC 10/11 query osc-10-11-default-colors-query	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 10/11 set osc-10-11-default-colors-set	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
104/110/111 reset osc-104-110-111-color-reset	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 12 cursor osc-12-cursor-color	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
aid= / cl= osc-133-aid-cl	PartialImported · unverified	Unversioned	Partial import
OSC 133 A–D osc-133-prompt-marks	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 21 osc-21-kitty-colors	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 22 pointer osc-22-pointer-shape	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 4 query osc-4-palette-query	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 4 set osc-4-palette-set	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 52 read osc-52-read	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes; `clipboard_control` (default `write-clipboard write-primary read-clipboard-ask read-primary-ask`); reads prompt the user import
OSC 52 write osc-52-write	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes; `clipboard_control` (default `write-clipboard write-primary read-clipboard-ask read-primary-ask`); reads prompt the user import
OSC 66 osc-66-text-sizing	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes (0.40) | Also recorded: Yes, 0.40 ([kitty text sizing protocol](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/text-sizing-protocol/).) import import
OSC 7 osc-7-working-directory	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 8 hyperlinks osc-8-hyperlinks	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
id= grouping osc-8-link-id	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 9 notify osc-9-notification	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
OSC 99 osc-99-notification	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
X11 color names osc-x11-color-names	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
256 colors sgr-256-colors	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Italic 3 sgr-3-italic	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Colon form 38:2 sgr-38-2-colon-form	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Truecolor 38;2 sgr-38-2-truecolor	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Underline styles 4:n sgr-4-underline-styles	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Underline color 58 sgr-58-underline-color	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Strikethrough 9 sgr-9-strikethrough	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Ships its own shell scripts shell-integration-scripts	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Prompt redraw on resize shell-prompt-resize	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
bce terminfo-bce	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Bold-is-bright option text-bold-is-bright	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes ([kitty configuration](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/conf/), `bold_is_bright`, `disable_ligatures`.) import
Synthesized box drawing text-box-drawing	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Color emoji rendering text-color-emoji	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Italic face text-italic-face	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
Non-UTF-8 locales text-non-utf8-locales	UnsupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	No (kitty documents UTF-8-only operation; see [kitty FAQ](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/faq/).) import
Ligatures / shaping text-shaping	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes ([kitty configuration](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/conf/), `bold_is_bright`, `disable_ligatures`.) import
Bundled Unicode tables text-unicode-tables	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes import
VS16 widens text-vs16-width	SupportedImported · unverified	Unversioned	Yes ([kitty](https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty), `gen/wcwidth.py`.) import