My Terminal Setup: Zsh, Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10k and Tmux

This is my repeatable terminal setup for a new laptop. The goal is simple: install the core tools, clone my public config repo, link the config files, and get the same shell and tmux experience everywhere.

My setup uses:

zsh as the shell
Oh My Zsh for shell framework and plugins
Powerlevel10k as the prompt theme
zsh-autosuggestions for command suggestions
zsh-syntax-highlighting for command highlighting
tmux for terminal multiplexing
A custom .tmux.conf with pane shortcuts, mouse support, vi copy mode, and a simple status bar

1. Install System Dependencies

macOS

Install Homebrew if it is not already installed:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install the tools:

brew install git zsh tmux reattach-to-user-namespace

reattach-to-user-namespace is used by my tmux config so copy mode can pipe selected text to pbcopy on macOS.

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git zsh tmux curl

Note: my current tmux copy binding is macOS-specific because it uses pbcopy. On Linux, replace the tmux copy command with a Linux clipboard tool such as xclip or xsel.

2. Make Zsh the Default Shell

Check where zsh is installed:

which zsh

Change the default shell:

chsh -s "$(which zsh)"

Close and reopen the terminal after this step.

3. Install Oh My Zsh

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

This creates the ~/.oh-my-zsh directory and a default ~/.zshrc.

4. Install Powerlevel10k

Clone the Powerlevel10k theme into the Oh My Zsh custom themes directory:

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k"

My .zshrc uses:

ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"

Powerlevel10k needs a Nerd Font for the prompt symbols to render correctly. Install the recommended MesloLGS NF font from the Powerlevel10k font instructions, then set that font in your terminal app.

5. Install Zsh Plugins

My .zshrc enables these plugins:

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting)

Install the custom plugins:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions"

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting"

The git plugin comes built into Oh My Zsh, so it does not need a separate install.

6. Clone My Config Repo

Clone the public repo where I keep my config files:

DOTFILES_REPO="https://github.com/G-Sudarshan/configs.git"
DOTFILES_DIR="$HOME/dotfiles"

git clone "$DOTFILES_REPO" "$DOTFILES_DIR"

I keep these files in the repo, update as required:

.zshrc
.p10k.zsh
.tmux.conf

Reload zsh:

source ~/.zshrc

If Powerlevel10k asks configuration questions, run:

p10k configure

7. Verify the Setup

Check zsh:

echo $SHELL
echo $ZSH_THEME

Check that the plugins exist:

ls "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins"

Check tmux:

tmux -V
tmux

Inside tmux, reload the config:

tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

10. Tmux Shortcuts in My Config

My tmux config includes these shortcuts:

prefix + | splits the window horizontally
prefix + - splits the window vertically
Alt + Left/Right/Up/Down moves between panes without pressing the prefix key
Mouse mode is enabled
Copy mode uses vi keys
Press y in tmux copy mode to copy selected text to the macOS clipboard

The status bar is kept simple and shows the date and time on the right.

Fresh Laptop Checklist

# 1. Install tools
brew install git zsh tmux reattach-to-user-namespace

# 2. Set zsh as default shell
chsh -s "$(which zsh)"

# 3. Install Oh My Zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

# 4. Install Powerlevel10k
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k"

# 5. Install plugins
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions"

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting"

# 6. Clone dotfiles
DOTFILES_REPO="https://github.com/G-Sudarshan/configs.git"
DOTFILES_DIR="$HOME/dotfiles"
git clone "$DOTFILES_REPO" "$DOTFILES_DIR"


# 7. Reload shell
source ~/.zshrc

After this, the terminal should have the same prompt, plugins, and tmux behavior as my main machine.