MAC | Jose Ricardo Zapata

My Terminal Setup (MAC & Linux)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last updated 16 / Apr / 2026

This post is a living document: it reflects my current terminal setup on MAC and Linux, and gets updated over time as I change tools or workflows.

Introduction

A well-configured terminal is one of the most worthwhile investments you can make as a developer. This is the setup I use for my work in programming, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, on both macOS and Ubuntu/Linux.

1. Terminal: Ghostty

Ghostty is a fast, feature-rich, and cross-platform terminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU acceleration. It was created by Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp.

What I love most about Ghostty is that it combines native performance with a modern experience: instant startup, crisp text rendering, and native support on both macOS and Linux without sacrificing any functionality.

Installation on MAC:

brew install --cask ghostty

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu):

sudo apt install ghostty

If it’s not available in your distribution’s repositories, check the official installation guide.

2. Shell: Zsh + Oh My Zsh

Install Zsh

On macOS, Zsh comes installed by default. On Ubuntu:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install zsh -y
chsh -s $(which zsh)

Log out and back in for the shell change to take effect.

Install Oh My Zsh

Oh My Zsh is a framework for managing your Zsh configuration that adds themes, plugins, and advanced autocompletion.

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

Plugins

Plugins are activated by adding them to the plugins=(...) line in ~/.zshrc.

git

The git plugin comes bundled with Oh My Zsh and adds dozens of useful Git aliases (e.g., gst → git status, gco → git checkout, glog → git log --oneline --graph). A must-have for working with Git from the terminal.

zsh-autosuggestions

Suggests commands as you type, based on your history. When the grey suggestion appears, press → to accept it.

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

zsh-syntax-highlighting

Highlights commands in real time: green if the command exists, red if it doesn’t. Catches typos before you execute.

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

zsh-history-substring-search

Lets you search your history by typing part of a command and using ↑ / ↓ to navigate through matching results.

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-history-substring-search \
 ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-history-substring-search

Enable all plugins in ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh-history-substring-search)

Theme: Powerlevel10k

Powerlevel10k is the most complete and fastest theme for Zsh. It shows contextual information in the prompt: Git branch, repo status, Python version, last command execution time, battery level, and much more — all fully customizable.

Installation:

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

Enable in ~/.zshrc:

ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"

When you open a new terminal, the interactive configuration wizard runs automatically. To run it again at any time:

p10k configure

3. Terminal Tools

gh — GitHub CLI

gh brings GitHub to the command line. Create and review pull requests, manage issues, clone repositories, and run GitHub Actions workflows — all without leaving the terminal.

Installation on MAC

brew install gh

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt install gh

Authenticate with GitHub:

gh auth login

lazygit — Git TUI

lazygit is a terminal UI for Git. It lets you view repo status, make commits, manage branches, resolve conflicts, and explore history visually and intuitively — no need to memorize every Git command.

Installation on MAC

brew install lazygit

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

LAZYGIT_VERSION=$(curl -s "https://api.github.com/repos/jesseduffield/lazygit/releases/latest" | grep '"tag_name":' | sed -E 's/.*"v*([^"]+)".*/\1/')
curl -Lo lazygit.tar.gz "https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/releases/download/v${LAZYGIT_VERSION}/lazygit_${LAZYGIT_VERSION}_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz"
tar xf lazygit.tar.gz lazygit
sudo install lazygit -D -t /usr/local/bin/

yazi — File Manager TUI

yazi is a modern terminal file manager written in Rust. It lets you navigate the filesystem with instant previews of images, text, PDFs, and more, using intuitive Vim-style keybindings.

Installation on MAC

brew install yazi

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt install yazi

eza — ls (List files and directories)

The default ls command is fine, but eza is better in every way. It’s a modern replacement with colors, icons, and Git status integration.

Installation on MAC

brew install eza

Add to the end of ~/.zshrc to replace ls with eza:

if command -v eza &> /dev/null; then
 alias ls='eza -lh --group-directories-first --icons=auto'
 alias lsa='ls -a'
 alias lt='eza --tree --level=2 --long --icons --git'
 alias lta='lt -a'
fi

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt install eza

fzf — Fuzzy find everything

fzf is a general-purpose fuzzy finder. Once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. It lets you interactively filter any list: files, command history, processes, Git branches — you name it.

Installation on MAC

brew install fzf
# Install shell integrations (history, ctrl+r, etc.)
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt install fzf

After installing, Ctrl+R in the terminal activates fuzzy search through your command history.

ncdu — Disk usage visualizer

ncdu (NCurses Disk Usage) provides a visual representation of disk usage and lets you navigate directories to identify what’s taking up the most space, quickly and interactively from the terminal.

Installation on MAC

brew install ncdu

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu)

sudo apt install ncdu

Run it in any directory you want to analyze:

ncdu

4. Aliases

Aliases go at the end of ~/.zshrc. After editing the file, run source ~/.zshrc to apply the changes.

Python and virtual environments

alias ps='poetry shell'
alias deac='deactivate'
alias ve='source .venv/bin/activate'
alias wp='which python'
alias pv='python -V'

Terminal tools

alias vs='code .'
alias lg='lazygit'
alias cl='clear'
alias ccc='claude --model opusplan'
alias cop='claude --model opus'

References

My MAC Setup

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last updated 15 / Apr / 2026

This post is a living document: it reflects my current MAC setup, and is updated over time as I change tools or workflows.

Introduction

This is the guide I use to set up a MAC from scratch for my work on programming, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence projects with Python. The process is divided into two main stages: first the base software development tools are installed, then the specific tools for Python development.

1. Install BREW

Homebrew is the package manager for macOS. It allows you to install, update, and uninstall software from the terminal easily.

Open the Terminal and run the following commands:

xcode-select --install

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

The terminal will ask for your MAC password to complete the installation.

After the installation finishes, the installer displays a command that must be run to add brew to the PATH (so the terminal knows where the program is). This command is different on each MAC, so copy exactly what appears in your terminal and paste it to execute it.

2. Install iTerm2 with Oh My Zsh

iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for macOS with many improvements over the default Terminal. Oh My Zsh is a framework for managing Zsh configuration that adds themes, plugins, and autocompletion.

I use Ghostty Terminal, which is a modern alternative to iTerm2, but I always configure iTerm2 first to have it as a base with Zsh.

brew install --cask iterm2

Close the current terminal with (⌘ + Q), open iTerm2 and run:

chsh -s /bin/zsh

To make iTerm2 the default terminal, follow the instructions at: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/60210024/how-can-i-use-iterm-as-default-terminal-on-macos

Install Oh My Zsh to enhance the terminal experience with themes, plugins, and autocompletion:

Open a new terminal (iTerm2 should open) and install Oh My Zsh:

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

3. Install Python Development Tools

UV is a modern tool for managing Python versions, installing packages, and keeping them in isolated virtual environments per project.

brew update
brew install uv readline xz

Close the terminal with (⌘ + Q) and reopen it.

4. Install Python Versions

Install the Python version (or versions) that will be used in your projects. With UV you can install multiple versions without conflicts:

uv python install 3.12
uv python install 3.13

Close the terminal with ⌘ + Q, reopen it, and set the global default Python version (for example, Python 3.12):

uv python install --default 3.12
uv python update shell

5. Configure Git

Git is the standard version control system for software development.

Close the terminal with ⌘ + Q, open iTerm2 and run:

brew install git

Set the name and email that will appear in commits:

git config --global user.name "Your name"
git config --global user.email "myemail@emailhost.com"
git config --global color.ui auto

Run this command to avoid issues when installing pre-commit hooks in virtual environments:

git config --global --unset-all core.hooksPath

Base Applications

Base applications I use:

Ghostty Terminal (modern terminal alternative):
```
brew install --cask ghostty
```
Visual Studio Code — code editor and Jupyter notebooks: Follow the instructions at https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac
Rectangle — to organize windows on the screen:
```
brew install --cask rectangle
```

Free Up Disk Space

After several months of use, it is recommended to clean up disk space by running from the terminal:

Homebrew

brew autoremove && brew cleanup --prune=all

UV
```
uv cache clean
```
Pre-commit
```
pre-commit clean
```
Docker
```
docker system prune -a
```

If you use Hugging Face to download machine learning models:

Hugging Face
```
hf cache clear
```

If you use poetry to manage Python projects, it is recommended to migrate to UV. If you still use it, you can clean its cache with:

poetry cache clear --all ""