[Feature request] Add copy mode

[mister-choo]

Add a copy mode, like in wezterm, which allows to navigate the scrollback buffer with keyboard

[miroshQa]

I would rather prefer to have Vim mode like in Alacrity https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/blob/master/docs/features.md.
because with Wezterm copy mode it is impossible to achieve real Vim normal mode behavior.

[mister-choo]

Yea, obviously if there were even more functionality this would be nice.
For even more supercharged option there is https://github.com/mikesmithgh/kitty-scrollback.nvim , which allows for embedded neovim for scrollback buffer, which provides full vim functionality, without the need to implement it all from scratch

[MithicSpirit]

I've found that piping stuff into editors is substantially less powerful than having it built-in, as editors don't handle Very Long files very well.

[radiaku]

+1 , this mode good to have when need copy or moving around on terminal rather than use mouse. and yes vim mode alacritty its excellent Or iterms copy mode.

Its must have when on tmux doing copy on another buffer window and paste it on another window. Its become really akward if from mouse to keyboard and then keyboard again. ( atleast on my experience )

[0x4a61636f62]

I think Alacritty's Vim mode could be better. It would be amazing if Ghostty could somehow include a Vim mode to navigate the scrollback that has linenumbers.

[in43sh]

Can someone explain what exactly is copy mode?

[radiaku]

https://iterm2.com/documentation-copymode.html

Basically, you can select and copy text from the terminal output.

Really good when you are on tmux. Or you have spent a lot of time at the terminal.

Other than that, I think you dont need it.

[mister-choo]

Personally I use it all the time to copy outputs of last commands, or selecting error, or other

[cynicaljoy]

This is pretty much the only feature keeping me from giving Ghostty a serious test drive. I have a lot of productivity gains from WezTerm Quick Select Mode.

[rmacklin]

WezTerm's "quick select mode" is covered by this older feature request (the title is based on the analogous feature in kitty):

• "Hints" mode to quickly select and act on arbitrary text patterns visible in the terminal #2394

[00-kat]

Related: #3708.

[Stenstromen]

I would also like this feature, +1

[cynicaljoy]

you're getting 👎 responses because adding "+1" comments without any additional input as to what needs to be included in the feature is generally frowned upon. Just add your vote at the top.

[timursevimli]

My solution is to use tmux inside Ghostty, which provides vim-like copy-paste functionality through prefix + [

[cynicaljoy]

tmux prefix + [ copy mode vs WezTerm copy mode is like iPod vs iPhone. Both can listen to music...but one can do a whole lot more.

[beef1218]

I do that too. But the problem for me is that I work with both my local macbook and a remote Linux machine. I rather launch Tmux after I sshed into my Linux machine.
If I launch tmux on my local machine, I will have to launch another nested tmux after I sshed into my Linux.

[timursevimli]

I do that too. But the problem for me is that I work with both my local macbook and a remote Linux machine. I rather launch Tmux after I sshed into my Linux machine. If I launch tmux on my local machine, I will have to launch another nested tmux after I sshed into my Linux.

By the way, to avoid such issues, I use CTRL + A as the prefix for tmux on my local MacBook, and it works well when the remote Linux machine uses the default prefix CTRL + B in tmux. This way, it becomes convenient to manage tmux opened on the remote machine through the local tmux session