Alacritty vs kitty

Agent access

1. ai-native userPoint an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty is a terminal emulator with no llms.txt or agent-oriented documentation; a direct probe confirms llms.txt returns 404 and no OpenAPI/agent docs exist.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://alacritty.org/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://alacritty.org/openapi.json, https://alacritty.org/swagger.json, https://alacritty.org/api/op…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   Probes explicitly show no llms.txt (404), no markdown-flavored docs endpoint, and no OpenAPI/agent-discovery spec; all documentation is standard human-oriented HTML with no agent-oriented onboarding artifact for pointing an AI agent at.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/overview/.md”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/openapi.json, https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/swagger.json, https://sw.kovidgoya…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userRun the product headlessly / in CI for automation

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty~partialprobed7/10

   Kitty documents and hands-on-verifies a scripts/remote-control interface (kitten @ commands) and supports launching in `--detach` mode with a listening socket, which enables automation-style control loops (open, send-text, read-text, close) as verified in the runtime probe. However, kitty is fundamentally a GUI terminal emulator; there is no documentation of a true headless/no-display mode for CI pipelines (e.g., Xvfb-free operation) or CI-specific guidance. Missing for 10: explicit CI/headless-without-display documentation, and independent confirmation of running in a CI pipeline environment.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userPlug MCP servers into this product so it can use their tools

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userConnect an agent via an official MCP server

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   This product is not itself an agent, so publishing an official MCP server is plausible and the axis applies; no first-party MCP server appears in the evidence. (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   This product is not itself an agent, so publishing an official MCP server is plausible and the axis applies; no first-party MCP server appears in the evidence. (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

5. ai-native userUse an official CLI

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty✓fullclaimed6/10

   Alacritty ships an official CLI: the `alacritty` binary itself plus documented subcommands like `alacritty msg create-window` for IPC control, which any script or agent can invoke non-interactively. Missing for 10: no AI-agent-specific documentation, no broader scripting/automation API beyond window creation/message IPC, and no independent corroboration of AI-driven usage.

   • [claimed-docs] “New windows can be created either by using the `CreateNewWindow` keybinding action, or by executing the `alacritty msg create-window` subcom…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using alacritty msg”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed9/10

   kitty ships an official `kitty @` remote-control CLI (kitten) documented and hands-on verified to list windows, send text, read output, and close windows via JSON — a full scriptable automation loop suitable for AI-native agent control. missing for 10: independent third-party corroboration beyond the single hands-on probe and official docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

6. ai-native userDrive the product through a documented public API

   weight 3 · round to kitty
   Alacritty~partialprobed4/10

   Alacritty documents a limited IPC surface via `alacritty msg` (e.g. create-window, config reload) that could be scripted by an external agent, but this is a narrow CLI/IPC mechanism rather than a full documented public API, and explicit probes show no OpenAPI spec or llms.txt endpoint exists. missing for 10: a comprehensive API reference (REST/RPC/plugin API), machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI/llms.txt), and evidence of AI/agent tooling built against it.

   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using alacritty msg”
   • [claimed-docs] “New windows can be created either by using the `CreateNewWindow` keybinding action, or by executing the `alacritty msg create-window` subcom…”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://alacritty.org/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://alacritty.org/openapi.json, https://alacritty.org/swagger.json, https://alacritty.org/api/op…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed9/10

   kitty ships a well-documented remote-control API (`kitty @` / `kitten @`) allowing scripts/agents to open windows, send text, read output, and manage layout, and this was independently verified hands-on with a full agent-control loop (list, send-text, get-text, close-window). Missing for 10: no formal OpenAPI/machine-readable schema (probe shows 404s for openapi.json/llms.txt), so discovery is documentation-only rather than a structured API spec.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/openapi.json, https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/swagger.json, https://sw.kovidgoya…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

7. ai-native userSubscribe to events via webhooks

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Agentic features

1. ai-native userSet up automations that run autonomously in the background

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Api quality

1. ai-native userDownload a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent)

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   Probes explicitly checked for a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI/swagger/llms.txt) and all returned 404s; kitty's remote-control API is documented only in prose docs, not as a downloadable machine-readable spec.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/overview/.md”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/openapi.json, https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/swagger.json, https://sw.kovidgoya…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Ai agent

1. ai-native userDelegate terminal tasks to a built-in AI agent that plans and executes commands with my approval

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Ai privacy

1. ai-native userUse or fully disable AI features with clear control over what session data leaves my machine, without a forced login

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

1. ai-native userDefine rules that trigger actions automatically on events

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   Evidence covers remote-control scripting, kittens, shell integration, and SSH kitten, but none describe a rule/event-trigger system that automatically fires actions on defined events (e.g., window open, output pattern, OS event) without manual invocation. Missing for 10: any documented 'on-event' hook/watcher/trigger mechanism and evidence of automatic action execution tied to specific events.

   ⚑ flag

2. ai-native userSchedule recurring jobs or workflows

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userVersion, review, and roll back my automations

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   Kitty's config (kitty.conf) and remote-control scripts are plain text files that a user could manually version with an external tool like git, but there is no evidence of any built-in versioning, review, or rollback mechanism for automations within kitty itself.

   ⚑ flag

Dotfiles

1. power-userKeep the terminal's full configuration as plain-text files in my dotfiles and sync it across machines

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty✓fullclaimed9/10

   Alacritty's config is a plain-text TOML file that supports importing additional files (great for dotfiles modularity), making it straightforward to version-control and sync across machines. Docs explicitly confirm TOML format and file import support. Missing for 10: no explicit community testimonial about dotfiles syncing workflow specifically.

   • [claimed-docs] “Alacritty's configuration file uses the TOML format.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files. Imports are loaded in order, skipping all missing files, with the importing file being loaded last.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity9/10

   kitty.conf is a plain-text config file format (kitty-docs-5, kitty-docs-15) that is well-documented and designed to be human-edited and portable, and community users confirm editing/config workflows (kitty-comm-1, kitty-comm-11, kitty-comm-18), consistent with typical dotfiles syncing across machines. missing for 10: no explicit first-party or community mention of dotfiles-repo syncing workflows or 'include' directives for multi-machine config management.

   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf”
   • [community] “Not affiliated, but recently switched to Kitty from iTerm 2 on OS X on my main at-work MacBook Pro and I've been very impressed. It's snappy…”
   • [community] “Kitty is indeed great and I can corroborate the high performance by joining at the macOS activity monitor. Almost zero even with high speed …”
   • [community] “I'm also a macOS Kitty user. The config did take a minute to get used to... My favorite feature though is the auto layout... One thing I nev…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Fonts

1. developerUse programming fonts with ligatures, fallback fonts, and fine-grained font tuning

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Community evidence explicitly states Alacritty lacks ligature support ('the classic ligature issue... given up hope there will ever be support') and no docs mention fallback-font configuration; only basic letter/line-spacing tuning (docs-33) is evidenced, which is insufficient to satisfy the combined ligatures+fallback+font-tuning story.

   • [community] “Ah! The 'classic' ligature issue. Have been following that for a while. Kind of given up hope that there will ever be any support for it.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offset is the extra space around each character. _y_ can be thought of as modifying the line spacing, and _x_ as modifying the letter spacin…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity8/10

   kitty documents dedicated font configuration (Changing kitty fonts, kitty.conf font options for family/bold/italic/fallback fonts and font_features tuning) and community reports strongly corroborate best-in-class ligature support (e.g., FiraCode ligatures cited as reason to switch from iTerm/Alacritty). Missing for 10: no first-party doc excerpt detailing per-font fallback selection algorithm or advanced font_features syntax beyond title listing, and no independent benchmark of fallback font correctness.

   • [claimed-docs] “Changing kitty fonts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [community] “I've switched to kitty a few months ago and it works REALLY well. It's very fast and has the best support for ligatures I've seen in a termi…”
   • [community] “I've been using Kitty for a month now. I really like it... I prefer it to iTerm because it's so. Damn. Fast... I know iTerm recently added a…”
   • [community] “I liked Alacritty well enough, but it doesn't support ligatures. Kitty does, so that's what I use.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Theming

1. power-userApply color schemes and themes, including automatic light/dark mode switching

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty~partialclaimed3/10

   Alacritty's TOML config lets users define custom colors via hex codes and import additional config files, which the community uses to build/swap color schemes, but there is no documented built-in mechanism for named themes or automatic OS light/dark mode switching. missing for 10: official theme gallery/switcher, automatic light/dark detection, live reload without restart for such changes.

   • [claimed-docs] “Colors are specified using their hexadecimal values with a # prefix: #RRGGBB.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Colors are specified using their hexadecimal values with a _#_ prefix: _#RRGGBB_.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files. Imports are loaded in order, skipping all missing files, with the importing file being loaded last.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Live config reload (changes require restart)”
   • [claimed-docs] “Live config reload (changes require restart) Default: true”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullclaimed8/10

   Docs explicitly cover changing kitty colors/themes (kitty-docs-9) and automatic OS light/dark theme switching (kitty-docs-21), plus general kitty.conf theming support (kitty-docs-5, 15, 18). Missing for 10: independent hands-on corroboration of the auto light/dark switching feature specifically, and details on theme ecosystem/community theme packs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Changing kitty colors”
   • [claimed-docs] “Change color themes automatically when the OS switches between light and dark”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “Wide gamut color formats”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userDo everything through the API that I can do in the UI

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty~partialclaimed2/10

   Alacritty offers a limited IPC via `alacritty msg` for actions like creating new windows and reloading config, but the vast majority of UI-driven features (vi mode navigation, search, selection, mouse interactions, hints) have no documented API/CLI equivalent. missing for 10: API parity for search/selection/vi-mode/mouse actions, documented full IPC command reference, evidence of programmatic control beyond window creation/config reload.

   • [claimed-docs] “New windows can be created either by using the `CreateNewWindow` keybinding action, or by executing the `alacritty msg create-window` subcom…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using alacritty msg”
   • [claimed-docs] “The vi mode allows moving around Alacritty's viewport and scrollback using the keyboard.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Search allows you to find anything in Alacritty's scrollback buffer.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal hints allow easily interacting with visible text without having to start vi mode.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialprobed7/10

   kitty's remote-control API (kitten @) exposes a broad surface — opening windows, sending text, reading text, changing layouts/tabs/titles, closing windows — verified hands-on via a runtime probe showing a full external agent-control loop working. However, this is a CLI/socket protocol rather than a formal documented 1:1 mapping guaranteeing full UI parity (e.g., no OpenAPI spec, and some UI-only interactive features like mouse-driven config or certain kitten interactions aren't confirmed as scriptable). Missing for 10: an explicit enumerated parity list or spec proving every UI action has an API equivalent, and independent third-party confirmation beyond the single runtime probe.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userExport all of my data in open formats and leave

   weight 3 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty~partialprobed5/10

   kitty's configuration lives in plain-text kitty.conf files that users own directly and the project itself is open-source, so there's no vendor lock-in and settings can be copied/ported freely, and remote-control scripting exposes window/session state as JSON. However there's no dedicated 'export my data' feature (e.g., session history, scrollback, or theme export as a documented bulk-export tool) beyond the inherent plain-text config files. missing for 10: explicit documented export/import of scrollback or session data, migration tooling, and independent confirmation that users treat config portability as a full data-export solution.

   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userRead the product's source under an open license

   weight 2 · round to Alacritty
   Alacritty✓fullclaimed9/10

   Alacritty is a well-known open-source project hosted publicly on GitHub under an open license (BSD/Apache-style, common knowledge reinforced by the repo being the canonical source referenced throughout docs), with source, install instructions (cargo build/install), and INSTALL.md all publicly accessible. missing for 10: explicit citation of the LICENSE file text/name in the evidence pack.

   • [github] “The supported platforms currently consist of BSD, Linux, macOS and Windows.”
   • [claimed-docs] “cargo build --release”
   • [claimed-docs] “cargo install alacritty”
   • [claimed-docs] “If you're just interested in the Alacritty binary and you don't need the terminfo file, desktop entry, manual page or shell completions, you…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack references kitty's source code repository, license, or open-source status; all citations are docs, community sentiment, or remote-control probes, none addressing openness of the source.

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userSelf-host the core product

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   The axis applies to terminal emulators as a kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/terminals-na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Multiplexing

1. developerSplit windows into panes and organize work across tabs without an external multiplexer

   weight 3 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty's own GitHub docs explicitly state it does not support tabs or splits, deferring that to a window manager or terminal multiplexer, and community feedback confirms the lack of tabs was a dealbreaker for some users.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [community] “I used to use kitty, but its CPU usage was on the higher side. I tried alacritty but the lack of tabs was a deal-breaker, so I switched to W…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity9/10

   Kitty natively supports windows, tabs, and multiple layouts with programmable splits, documented in first-party docs and confirmed by community users praising its window organization/auto layout — no external multiplexer needed. missing for 10: independent hands-on comparison specifically benchmarking pane/tab workflows against tmux/screen.

   • [claimed-docs] “Arrange windows”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [community] “Kitty is indeed great and I can corroborate the high performance by joining at the macOS activity monitor. Almost zero even with high speed …”
   • [community] “I'm also a macOS Kitty user. The config did take a minute to get used to... My favorite feature though is the auto layout... One thing I nev…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Quick access

1. power-userSummon the terminal instantly with a global hotkey or quake-style dropdown window

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   No evidence of a global hotkey summon or quake-style dropdown window feature; Alacritty explicitly omits window-management features like tabs/splits, leaving such behavior to external tools (window managers/multiplexers), and no dropdown/hotkey capability is documented.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   kitty's docs cover window/tab layouts, remote control, and shell integration, but there is no evidence of a global-hotkey/quake-style dropdown summon feature (kitty is a normal windowed terminal, not an OS-level overlay); no docs or community reports mention such a capability, and some OS integration issues are noted (e.g. xterm-kitty TERM problems) but nothing about instant-summon hotkeys.

   ⚑ flag

Sessions

1. developerRestore my windows, tabs, and working directories after a restart or crash

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty explicitly does not implement tabs or splits, delegating such functionality to a window manager or multiplexer, and there is no evidence of any session/window/working-directory restoration feature after crash or restart.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [community] “I used to use kitty, but its CPU usage was on the higher side. I tried alacritty but the lack of tabs was a deal-breaker, so I switched to W…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialclaimed3/10

   Kitty documents 'startup sessions' to specify working environments (windows/tabs/layouts), which can be used to relaunch kitty into a saved arrangement, but the evidence pack gives only a one-line mention with no detail on automatic state capture or crash/restart recovery — sessions appear to be manually authored config files, not an automatic snapshot/restore mechanism. missing for 10: evidence of automatic session save on exit/crash, working-directory persistence specifics, and any hands-on/community confirmation that restore-after-crash actually works.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Benchmarks

1. power-userSee published benchmarks or measured latency/throughput numbers backing the terminal's performance claims

   weight 2 · round to Alacritty
   Alacritty~partialcommunity5/10

   Alacritty's GitHub README explicitly cites use of vtebench to quantify terminal throughput and claims it consistently outperforms competitors, and community anecdotes (HN threads) corroborate a perception of superior speed (e.g. faster startup than kitty, faster than iTerm2/Terminal in a `find` test). However, no actual published benchmark numbers, methodology, or reproducible latency/throughput figures are included in the evidence pack — only a claim of the benchmark's existence and qualitative community praise. Missing for 10: concrete vtebench output/numbers, methodology details, independent reproducible latency measurements.

   • [github] “Alacritty uses vtebench to quantify terminal emulator throughput and manages to consistently score better than the competition using it.”
   • [community] “It really is the fastest one I ever used. Font rendering is great.”
   • [community] “find /Applications results: Hyper crashed, iTerm2 1:28, Terminal 0:20... Alacritty was surprisingly good, very impressive stuff.”
   • [community] “it also opens faster [than kitty], which is important for me, as I use a tiling window manager and open/close terminals fairly often instead…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialcommunity3/10

   Kitty ships no vendor-published benchmark page, but community threads reference hardware-based latency comparisons showing kitty on par with Terminal.app and users corroborating low CPU/high speed while scrolling, giving power-users some measured performance signal outside official docs. This is thin: it's anecdotal community commentary, not a first-party benchmarks page or reproducible published methodology, and other community reports (e.g., slow cat throughput, slow startup) show the perception is inconsistent. missing for 10: an official kitty benchmarks/methodology page, first-party throughput/latency numbers, and independent reproducible benchmark data beyond single forum comments.

   • [community] “kitty is much better than the rest on latency, see hardware based measurements... showing kitty has the same latency as terminal.app on maco…”
   • [community] “Kitty is indeed great and I can corroborate the high performance by joining at the macOS activity monitor. Almost zero even with high speed …”
   • [community] “Gpu powered terminal emulator? This performs almost 100x worse than Mac OS Terminal.app. Cat-ting a long file takes 100x longer to draw on t…”
   • [community] “For me the difference was large enough to switch to st. Kitty's startup takes 5-10 times as long and it's very noticable for me. As I use te…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Rendering

1. developerRely on GPU-accelerated rendering that stays fast and responsive under heavy output

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Alacritty!disputedcontradicted5/10

   Alacritty documents GPU rendering benchmarks (vtebench) showing it beats competitors, and multiple community users independently confirm it 'is the fastest' terminal they've used with performance described as 'amazing' [alacritty-gh-6, alacritty-comm-2, alacritty-comm-3, alacritty-comm-9]. However, a hands-on report describes concrete crashes during use — 'pty reader panicked at index out of bounds' and 'cursor fell off grid' — which are exactly the kind of failures that would occur under heavy terminal output, directly undermining the 'stays fast and responsive under heavy output' claim [alacritty-comm-5]. missing for 10: recent (non-2016) reproduction of the crash to confirm it still occurs, and first-party acknowledgment/fix of the pty-reader panic issue.

   • [github] “Alacritty uses vtebench to quantify terminal emulator throughput and manages to consistently score better than the competition using it.”
   • [community] “It really is the fastest one I ever used. Font rendering is great.”
   • [community] “find /Applications results: Hyper crashed, iTerm2 1:28, Terminal 0:20... Alacritty was surprisingly good, very impressive stuff.”
   • [community] “I really enjoy Alacritty and use it every day. The performance is amazing!”
   • [community] “Nice, but: thread 'pty reader' panicked at 'index out of bounds'... or thread 'pty reader' panicked at 'cursor fell off grid'.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty!disputedcontradicted5/10

   Kitty's docs claim GPU-accelerated rendering (kitty-docs-24, kitty-docs-27) and many community reports corroborate snappy, low-latency performance even under heavy scrolling (kitty-comm-3, kitty-comm-11, kitty-comm-20), but other hands-on community reports concretely contradict this, citing catting a long file being '100x' slower than a non-GPU terminal, redraw/rendering glitches, GPU driver issues on many Nvidia laptops, and much slower startup vs other terminals (kitty-comm-4, kitty-comm-6, kitty-comm-9, kitty-comm-15). missing for 10: independent benchmark data reconciling these conflicting hands-on reports, official docs addressing known GPU/driver compatibility issues, and evidence of fixes for the reported rendering glitches.

   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal graphics protocol: allows the program running in the terminal, hereafter called the client, to render arbitrary pixel (raster) grap…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [community] “I've switched to kitty a few months ago and it works REALLY well. It's very fast and has the best support for ligatures I've seen in a termi…”
   • [community] “Kitty is indeed great and I can corroborate the high performance by joining at the macOS activity monitor. Almost zero even with high speed …”
   • [community] “kitty is much better than the rest on latency, see hardware based measurements... showing kitty has the same latency as terminal.app on maco…”
   • [community] “Gpu powered terminal emulator? This performs almost 100x worse than Mac OS Terminal.app. Cat-ting a long file takes 100x longer to draw on t…”
   • [community] “This doesn't work on half of Nvidia-powered laptops: github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/issues/456”
   • [community] “I tried it on MacOS (MBP retina) and damn, it renders text awfully.”
   • [community] “For me the difference was large enough to switch to st. Kitty's startup takes 5-10 times as long and it's very noticable for me. As I use te…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userOpt out of telemetry and usage tracking

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no mention of telemetry, usage tracking, or any opt-out configuration setting for Alacritty; the docs cover config format, keybindings, and installation but never address data collection. missing for 10: any documentation or config option confirming telemetry exists or an opt-out mechanism, or explicit statement that no telemetry is collected.

   ⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   No documentation or setting for telemetry collection or an opt-out mechanism appears anywhere in the evidence pack; kitty's docs cover remote control, graphics, shell integration, SSH, and config but never mention data collection or telemetry toggles. A vague community remark about unspecified 'privacy and security' concerns (kitty-comm-14) is not concrete evidence of telemetry, so it cannot establish disputed status either.

   • [community] “Usually I agree but the maintainer of kitty is bonkers rude. There have been several issues concerning privacy and security regarding kitty.…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Graphics

1. developerDisplay inline images and rich graphics via a documented terminal graphics protocol

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   No evidence pack item mentions any inline image protocol (e.g., Sixel, Kitty graphics protocol, iTerm2 image protocol) or documented graphics support; Alacritty's docs focus on selection, search, vi mode, config, and IPC, with no mention of image rendering capability.

   ⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity9/10

   Kitty documents and ships a dedicated Terminal Graphics Protocol allowing clients to render arbitrary pixel graphics inline, plus the icat kitten for displaying images, corroborated by community praise ('The diff and icat tools are must-haves'). This is a well-documented, first-party protocol spec, not just a claim. Missing for 10: independent hands-on verification specifically of the graphics protocol (probe evidence only covers remote-control, not icat/graphics rendering).

   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal graphics protocol”
   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal graphics protocol: allows the program running in the terminal, hereafter called the client, to render arbitrary pixel (raster) grap…”
   • [claimed-docs] “icat”
   • [community] “Just tried kitty on MacOS -- Loved it. The diff and icat tools are must-haves. Won't use iTerm anymore”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Platforms

1. developerRun the same terminal with the same config on macOS, Linux, and Windows

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty!disputedcontradicted5/10

   Alacritty documents cross-platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD) with a single TOML config file that can be imported across platforms (alacritty-gh-1, alacritty-gh-2, alacritty-docs-17, alacritty-docs-8/14), which is the vendor's basis for 'same config everywhere'. However hands-on reports concretely contradict smooth cross-platform parity: a user on Windows/WSL2 hit config gotchas after the TOML switch and couldn't get tmux/neovim shortcuts working before giving up (alacritty-comm-12), another notes modifier-key/shortcut problems in general (alacritty-comm-10), and a current runtime probe shows the macOS Homebrew cask install is broken due to a Gatekeeper failure, blocking straightforward install/use on macOS (alacritty-probe-rt-1). Missing for 10: independent confirmation that an identical config file behaves identically (especially keybindings) across all three OSes, and a working current macOS install path.

   • [github] “The supported platforms currently consist of BSD, Linux, macOS and Windows.”
   • [github] “Alacritty can be installed by using various package managers on Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Alacritty's configuration file uses the TOML format.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files. Imports are loaded in order, skipping all missing files, with the importing file being loaded last.”
   • [community] “I gave it a shot on Windows with wsl2. Hit weird config gotchas since they switched to toml, couldn't get tmux/neovim shortcuts to work, gav…”
   • [community] “Alacritty doesn't do well with modifier keys and a lot of keyboard shortcuts don't work in neovim by default. I recommend using foot instead…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (2026-09-04): `brew install --cask alacritty` fails — Homebrew disabled the cask on 2026-09-01 because the published binaries …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity8/10

   kitty is a cross-platform terminal emulator with official binary installers for macOS, Linux, and BSD, and documented support for Windows via WSL/other builds, using a single shared kitty.conf config file across platforms; community evidence confirms usage on macOS, Linux, and WSL2 with consistent behavior. missing for 10: no direct evidence of native Windows (non-WSL) support quality or explicit cross-platform config-parity testing, and no independent benchmark of identical config working unmodified across all three OSes.

   • [claimed-docs] “Install kitty - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf”
   • [community] “Not affiliated, but recently switched to Kitty from iTerm 2 on OS X on my main at-work MacBook Pro and I've been very impressed. It's snappy…”
   • [community] “Kitty is the only thing I miss from Linux since I'm using WSL 2.”
   • [community] “I'm also a macOS Kitty user. The config did take a minute to get used to... My favorite feature though is the auto layout... One thing I nev…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Ssh

1. developerSSH to remote hosts with the terminal's own integration carrying my terminfo, shell integration, and config along

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   No evidence of any built-in SSH integration feature (e.g., automatic terminfo installation on remote host, shell-integration injection, or config sync over SSH) — only a passing mention that the local install ships a terminfo file. Community reports even describe friction with shortcuts inside tmux/neovim, but nothing about SSH-specific tooling.

   • [claimed-docs] “If you're just interested in the Alacritty binary and you don't need the terminfo file, desktop entry, manual page or shell completions, you…”
   • [community] “Alacritty doesn't do well with modifier keys and a lot of keyboard shortcuts don't work in neovim by default. I recommend using foot instead…”
   • [community] “I gave it a shot on Windows with wsl2. Hit weird config gotchas since they switched to toml, couldn't get tmux/neovim shortcuts to work, gav…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullcommunity8/10

   The ssh kitten is explicitly documented to automatically set up shell integration, forward terminfo, transfer config, and reuse connections when SSHing to remote hosts, directly matching the story. Community reports mostly note a related manual workaround (TERM=xterm-kitty issues) rather than contradicting the kitten's own automatic integration feature. missing for 10: independent hands-on verification specifically of the ssh kitten (not just remote-control) and broader real-world confirmation across shells/OSes.

   • [claimed-docs] “Truly convenient SSH”
   • [claimed-docs] “The ssh kitten allows you to login easily to remote hosts, and automatically setup the environment there to be as comfortable as your local …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration”
   • [community] “Wow! Really like it. The windows organisation is well done... had to add TERM=xterm-256color to my Raspberry Pi's .bashrc to get it to play …”
   • [community] “I'm also a macOS Kitty user. The config did take a minute to get used to... My favorite feature though is the auto layout... One thing I nev…”
   • [community] “It's usable but i had a lot of issues. Copy pasty looses newlines, redraw issues in mutt, etc. It is absolutely 'forbidden' and unsupported …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Tmux

1. developerUse tmux inside the terminal, or a documented native tmux integration/control mode

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty~partialcommunity5/10

   Alacritty explicitly positions itself as a minimal terminal that expects tabs/splits/multiplexing to be handled by an external tool like tmux (alacritty-gh-3), so tmux can be run inside it, but there is no documented native tmux integration or control mode. One community report even describes failing to get tmux shortcuts working properly under WSL2 (alacritty-comm-12), showing this isn't always frictionless. missing for 10: any native tmux control-mode/integration docs, first-party guidance on tmux keybinding compatibility, and stronger independent corroboration that tmux works smoothly.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [community] “I gave it a shot on Windows with wsl2. Hit weird config gotchas since they switched to toml, couldn't get tmux/neovim shortcuts to work, gav…”
   • [community] “it also opens faster [than kitty], which is important for me, as I use a tiling window manager and open/close terminals fairly often instead…”
   • [community] “Alacritty doesn't do well with modifier keys and a lot of keyboard shortcuts don't work in neovim by default. I recommend using foot instead…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialcommunity6/10

   Kitty doesn't ship a native tmux-like multiplexer/control-mode substitute for tmux itself, but it supports running tmux inside it (community confirms zsh/tmux setups work with tweaks) and offers its own overlapping native features (windows/tabs/layouts, remote control, sessions) as an alternative to tmux, plus SSH kitten integration for remote sessions. missing for 10: documented native tmux control-mode protocol/compatibility layer, first-party guidance on using tmux inside kitty, and confirmation that kitty's own multiplexing fully replaces tmux workflows for SSH users.

   • [claimed-docs] “Arrange windows”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Truly convenient SSH”
   • [claimed-docs] “The ssh kitten allows you to login easily to remote hosts, and automatically setup the environment there to be as comfortable as your local …”
   • [community] “Not affiliated, but recently switched to Kitty from iTerm 2 on OS X on my main at-work MacBook Pro and I've been very impressed. It's snappy…”
   • [community] “Wow! Really like it. The windows organisation is well done... had to add TERM=xterm-256color to my Raspberry Pi's .bashrc to get it to play …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agent control

1. ai-native userLet a coding agent programmatically drive the terminal itself — create panes, run commands, read output — through a documented control protocol or API

   weight 3 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty's only scripting surface is `alacritty msg` IPC, documented solely for creating new windows and reloading config (alacritty-docs-5, alacritty-docs-11/16) — there is no documented protocol for creating panes, running commands, or reading terminal output. The project explicitly states it deliberately excludes panes/splits, leaving that to window managers or multiplexers (alacritty-gh-3), and probes confirm no llms.txt or OpenAPI/API surface exists (alacritty-probe-1, alacritty-probe-2).

   • [claimed-docs] “New windows can be created either by using the `CreateNewWindow` keybinding action, or by executing the `alacritty msg create-window` subcom…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using alacritty msg”
   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://alacritty.org/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://alacritty.org/openapi.json, https://alacritty.org/swagger.json, https://alacritty.org/api/op…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed10/10

   kitty ships a documented remote-control protocol (kitty @ commands) letting scripts/agents open windows, send text, read output, and manage layouts, and this was independently verified hands-on end-to-end (ls, send-text, get-text, close-window) confirming a real programmatic control loop.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Extensibility

1. developerExtend the terminal with scripts or plugins in a real language (Lua, Python, kittens) beyond built-in options

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty's documented feature set is limited to TOML config, IPC via `alacritty msg`, vi-mode, search, and hints — there is no mention of Lua/Python scripting or a kittens-style plugin system, and the project explicitly positions itself as minimal (leaving multiplexing/extra features to other tools).

   • [claimed-docs] “Import additional configuration files.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Alacritty's configuration file uses the TOML format.”
   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [github] “The software is considered to be at a **beta** level of readiness; there are a few missing features and bugs to be fixed, but it is already …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed9/10

   Kitty ships a documented kittens system extensible in Python, plus remote-control scripting APIs (verified hands-on in kitty-probe-rt-1) and config/mapping extensibility, directly matching the story of extending the terminal with real-language scripts/plugins beyond built-ins. Missing for 10: independent third-party evidence of custom kitten development (community citations focus on performance/UX rather than plugin authoring).

   • [claimed-docs] “Extend with kittens”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Completely customizing the matching and actions of the kitten”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Layouts

1. power-userDefine startup sessions and window layouts in config or scripts so a project workspace opens in one command

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty explicitly excludes window/session management, deferring tabs, splits, and layouts to external window managers or terminal multiplexers rather than providing built-in session/workspace config; no evidence of a startup-session or layout scripting mechanism exists in the pack.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [community] “I really disagree with the author's definition of minimal. I need scrollback, tabs, and monitor for activity/silence - I can't really use th…”
   • [community] “I used to use kitty, but its CPU usage was on the higher side. I tried alacritty but the lack of tabs was a deal-breaker, so I switched to W…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed9/10

   Kitty's official docs explicitly advertise startup sessions to specify working environments plus programmable tabs/splits/layouts, configurable via kitty.conf and session files, and remote-control scripting lets a single command open/arrange a full workspace. Runtime probe further corroborates the control/scripting loop working hands-on. Missing for 10: no independent community example specifically demonstrating a startup-session file opening a full project workspace in one command.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Arrange windows”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty.conf - kitty”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Remote control

1. developerScript and control the terminal from the command line — open windows, send text, query state — via a documented CLI or IPC interface

   weight 3 · round to kitty
   Alacritty~partialprobed5/10

   Alacritty documents an IPC mechanism (`alacritty msg`) and explicitly shows opening new windows via `alacritty msg create-window` [alacritty-docs-5][alacritty-docs-11][alacritty-docs-16], satisfying the 'open windows' part of the story. However, there is no documentation of sending text to a running instance or querying terminal state via CLI/IPC, and a runtime probe could not even exercise `alacritty msg` on macOS due to a broken Homebrew cask [alacritty-probe-rt-1]. missing for 10: documented support for sending text input via CLI/IPC, ability to query terminal state, independent hands-on confirmation that `alacritty msg` works as described.

   • [claimed-docs] “New windows can be created either by using the `CreateNewWindow` keybinding action, or by executing the `alacritty msg create-window` subcom…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using _alacritty msg_”
   • [claimed-docs] “Offer IPC using alacritty msg”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (2026-09-04): `brew install --cask alacritty` fails — Homebrew disabled the cask on 2026-09-01 because the published binaries …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullprobed10/10

   kitty's remote-control system is extensively documented (opening windows, sending text, querying state, changing titles) and independently verified hands-on: a probe launched kitty with remote control enabled, listed windows/state as JSON, sent text, read output back, and closed the window — confirming the full documented CLI/IPC control loop works as claimed.

   • [claimed-docs] “Control kitty from scripts”
   • [claimed-docs] “kitty can be controlled from scripts or the shell prompt. You can open new windows, send arbitrary text input to any window, change the titl…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Control it from scripts or the shell; Extend with kittens using the Python language; Use startup sessions to specify working environments; P…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/remote-control/”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-04, kitty 0.48.2 via official installer): launched `kitty --detach -o allow_remote_control=socket-only --lis…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Command tracking

1. developerI get command-aware features from shell integration, like exit status, duration, and notifications when long commands finish

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   No evidence of any shell-integration features like exit status reporting, command duration tracking, or completion notifications; Alacritty's documented feature set covers vi mode, search, selection, IPC/config, but nothing about command-aware shell integration.

   ⚑ flag

   kitty~partialclaimed4/10

   kitty's shell-integration docs confirm prompt-aware features (jumping between prompts, viewing last command's output, cursor movement while editing) but the evidence pack never documents exit-status marking, command duration tracking, or notifications when long commands finish — the specific command-aware signals the story asks about. Missing for 10: exit status display evidence, duration/timing tracking evidence, and completion notification evidence for long-running commands.

   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration”
   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration with zsh, fish and bash enables features such as jumping to previous prompts in the scrollback, viewing the output of the …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Marks

1. developerJump between prompts and command marks in my scrollback thanks to shell integration

   weight 2 · round to kitty
   Alacritty—none0/10

   The evidence covers vi-mode navigation, scrollback search, and text selection, but there is no mention of shell integration (e.g., OSC 133 prompt/command marks) or a jump-to-previous/next-prompt feature. Missing for 10: any documentation of shell-integration hooks, prompt marks, or command-jump keybindings.

   • [claimed-docs] “The vi mode allows moving around Alacritty's viewport and scrollback using the keyboard.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Search allows you to find anything in Alacritty's scrollback buffer.”
   • [claimed-docs] “In vi mode the search is bound to / for forward and ? for backward search.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty✓fullclaimed8/10

   Kitty's official shell integration docs explicitly state it enables jumping to previous prompts in scrollback, viewing last command output, and command-mark-based navigation for zsh/fish/bash. This is a first-party documented core feature directly matching the story. Missing for 10: independent hands-on community confirmation specifically of prompt-jumping/scrollback navigation (community evidence covers other features like speed/ligatures but not this one).

   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration”
   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration with zsh, fish and bash enables features such as jumping to previous prompts in the scrollback, viewing the output of the …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Discoverability

1. power-userDiscover and run terminal actions from a searchable command palette

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Alacritty—none0/10

   Alacritty explicitly positions itself as a minimal terminal with no built-in tabs, splits, or higher-level UI chrome, and there is no mention anywhere in docs or community evidence of a command palette or searchable action launcher; only scrollback search and vi-mode navigation exist, which are distinct features. No evidence supports discoverable/searchable command execution.

   • [github] “This means you won't find things like tabs or splits (which are best left to a window manager or terminal multiplexer)”
   • [claimed-docs] “Search allows you to find anything in Alacritty's scrollback buffer.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal hints allow easily interacting with visible text without having to start vi mode.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty—none0/10

   Kitty's evidence covers remote control, kittens, shell integration, and hints/selection features, but nothing describes a searchable command palette UI for discovering and running actions—kitty's action system is configured via keybindings in kitty.conf, not an interactive palette.

   ⚑ flag

Hyperlinks

1. developerOpen URLs and file paths from output by clicking them or selecting them from the keyboard

   weight 2 · round to Alacritty
   Alacritty~partialclaimed6/10

   Alacritty documents mouse-click URL opening (alacritty-docs-7, alacritty-docs-29) and keyboard-driven interaction via vi mode and 'terminal hints' for visible text (alacritty-docs-13, alacritty-docs-1), but the evidence never explicitly confirms hint/keyboard support for opening file paths specifically, only URLs. missing for 10: explicit documentation of file-path hint/click support, independent hands-on confirmation of URL/file clicking behavior.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can open URLs with your mouse by clicking on them.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can open URLs with your mouse by clicking on them. The modifiers required to be held and program which should open the URL can be setup …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Terminal hints allow easily interacting with visible text without having to start vi mode.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The vi mode allows moving around Alacritty's viewport and scrollback using the keyboard.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialclaimed4/10

   kitty ships a dedicated 'Hints' kitten (kitty-docs-17) that is documented to let users select URLs/paths/etc. from terminal output via keyboard, and kitty's kittens system (kitty-docs-8) enables extensibility like this, supporting the story's core capability. However, the evidence pack only lists a title reference with no detail on mouse-click behavior, configuration, or independent confirmation from users. Missing for 10: detailed docs excerpt on hints/URL-click behavior, mouse-click-to-open-url specifics, and community/hands-on corroboration of this exact feature.

   • [claimed-docs] “Hints”
   • [claimed-docs] “Extend with kittens”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Scrollback

1. developerSearch my scrollback quickly and jump between matches

   weight 2 · round to Alacritty
   Alacritty✓fullclaimed8/10

   Alacritty documents dedicated search functionality with forward/backward keybindings (Ctrl+Shift+F/B), and SearchStart/SearchEnd actions to jump between matches, plus vi-mode / (forward) and ? (backward) search integration. This directly satisfies searching scrollback and jumping between matches. Missing for 10: independent hands-on corroboration of search UX specifically (community evidence is silent on search quality) and no mention of match highlighting/count details.

   • [claimed-docs] “Search allows you to find anything in Alacritty's scrollback buffer.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Search allows you to find anything in Alacritty's scrollback buffer. You can search forward using Ctrl Shift f (Command f on macOS) and back…”
   • [claimed-docs] “The `SearchStart` and `SearchEnd` keybinding actions can be bound if you're looking for a way to jump to the start or the end of a match.”
   • [claimed-docs] “In vi mode the search is bound to / for forward and ? for backward search.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   kitty~partialclaimed5/10

   Kitty's shell-integration docs mention jumping to previous prompts in the scrollback and viewing the last command's output via a pager (which supports searching), giving partial support for quick scrollback navigation, but there's no explicit documentation of a dedicated 'search scrollback and cycle through matches' feature (e.g., a search kitten or highlighted match navigation) in the evidence pack. Missing for 10: explicit docs on search-in-scrollback UI/keybindings, match highlighting/cycling, and independent user confirmation of this specific workflow.

   • [claimed-docs] “Shell integration with zsh, fish and bash enables features such as jumping to previous prompts in the scrollback, viewing the output of the …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag