P. Thipayanate
8 min read

My WezTerm Workflow: The Blazing Fast, Mouseless Developer Setup 🚀

Hey folks! 👋 Today, I’m diving deep into my terminal flow with WezTerm — a modern, blazing-fast terminal emulator that’s become a cornerstone of my development workflow. If you’re into mouseless productivity and optimizing your terminal environment for maximum speed, you’ll love what I’m about to share. 💻⚡

Why WezTerm?

If you’re familiar with terminal emulators like iTerm2 or Alacritty, you know how crucial speed and flexibility are for any developer. WezTerm stands out by combining GPU acceleration with a sleek design and limitless customization options. It’s snappy, cross-platform, and perfect for power users like us who need a highly efficient workflow. No more laggy terminals slowing you down! Here’s why WezTerm became my daily driver:

My WezTerm Setup

Here’s a sneak peek into my WezTerm configuration and how I’ve tailored it for productivity. The goal? Full control over panes, fast splits, smooth scrolling, and a gorgeous look — all without touching the mouse. 🖱️❌

1. Environment & Font Setup

I’ve set up WezTerm to feel clean and responsive right from the start:

lua 
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'

return {
    set_environment_variables = {
        LANG = "en_US.UTF-8"
    },
    default_prog = {"pwsh", "-NoLogo"}, -- PowerShell as the default shell
    font = wezterm.font('JetBrainsMono Nerd Font'), -- Crisp, dev-friendly font
    freetype_load_target = "Normal",
    freetype_render_target = "HorizontalLcd",
    color_scheme = 'Catppuccin Mocha', -- Gorgeous dark theme
    window_background_opacity = 0.95, -- Transparent background
    enable_tab_bar = false, -- Clean look, no tab bar
}

This part ensures that I get a clean, clutter-free terminal experience every time I open WezTerm. I’m a huge fan of JetBrainsMono Nerd Font, which gives me sharp text and easy-to-read glyphs. The Catppuccin Mocha color scheme makes the terminal look gorgeous without being distracting, and a slightly transparent background adds a modern touch.

2. Mouseless Pane Management

What makes WezTerm a productivity beast is how it handles panes. I live by the philosophy that the less I have to use the mouse, the faster I can work. Here’s how I control my panes effortlessly:

lua 
local act = wezterm.action

return {
    keys = {{
        key = 's',
        mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
        action = act.SplitHorizontal { domain = 'CurrentPaneDomain' } -- Split pane horizontally
    }, {
        key = 's',
        mods = 'CTRL|ALT',
        action = act.SplitVertical { domain = 'CurrentPaneDomain' } -- Split pane vertically
    }, {
        key = 'LeftArrow',
        mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
        action = act.AdjustPaneSize { "Left", 5 } -- Adjust pane size (left)
    }, {
        key = 'RightArrow',
        mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
        action = act.AdjustPaneSize { "Right", 5 } -- Adjust pane size (right)
    }, {
        key = 'LeftArrow',
        mods = 'CTRL',
        action = act.ActivatePaneDirection 'Left' -- Activate pane (left)
    }, {
        key = 'RightArrow',
        mods = 'CTRL',
        action = act.ActivatePaneDirection 'Right' -- Activate pane (right)
    }, {
        key = 'w',
        mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
        action = act.CloseCurrentPane { confirm = false } -- Close current pane without confirmation
    }, {
        key = 'z',
        mods = 'CTRL',
        action = act.TogglePaneZoomState -- Zoom into pane
    }}
}

Let’s break it down:

3. Smooth Scrolling & Quick Access

Fast navigation is crucial for any developer, especially when dealing with large log outputs or scrolling through command history. I’ve bound the scroll functionality to make it super snappy:

lua 
{
    key = 'b',
    mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
    action = act.ScrollByPage(-1) -- Scroll up
}, {
    key = 'f',
    mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
    action = act.ScrollByPage(1) -- Scroll down
}, {
    key = 'u',
    mods = 'CTRL|SHIFT',
    action = act.QuickSelect -- Quick select text
}

With this, I can scroll by full pages with CTRL + SHIFT + B/F, perfect for speeding through logs or terminal output. Quick Select (CTRL + SHIFT + U) is another great feature that lets me quickly jump to text selections without fiddling around.

4. Polished Look & Feel

Lastly, I’ve fine-tuned the terminal’s appearance to keep things slick without sacrificing functionality:

lua 
window_frame = {
    active_titlebar_bg = "#1e1e2e",
    font = wezterm.font {
        family = "JetBrains Mono",
        weight = "Bold"
    },
    font_size = 11.0
},
default_cwd = "~", -- Start in home directory
window_decorations = "RESIZE", -- Minimalist window decorations

I’ve kept the look professional with a dark title bar and bold fonts for the title. This makes the terminal window less distracting and more in line with the minimalist aesthetic I prefer while coding.

Why I Love This Setup

After years of trying different terminal setups, this WezTerm config hits all the right notes. Here’s why it’s a game-changer for my workflow:

Wrap-Up: Boost Your Developer Flow

If you’re looking for a terminal that is lightning-fast, customizable, and built for productivity, WezTerm should be at the top of your list. My setup is all about speed, mouseless navigation, and efficiency, making it perfect for developers who want to optimize every part of their workflow.

I hope this post gives you some ideas to supercharge your own WezTerm setup. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or want to share your own tips! Happy coding! 🚀