kitty
kitty is a GPU-accelerated terminal emulator for macOS and other desktop platforms, built for command-line work with tabs, splits, and scripting.
What is kitty?
kitty is a terminal emulator for users who spend a lot of time in the command line on macOS and other desktop platforms. It is designed for shell access, development, remote sessions, and other text-based workflows where speed, keyboard control, and flexible window management matter. Users can work with multiple tabs and split layouts, customize behavior through configuration files, and extend tasks with built-in helper tools known as kittens. kitty also supports graphics, ligatures, and advanced terminal features that make modern terminal workflows more capable than a basic console window. It fits well for developers, system administrators, and power users who want a native desktop terminal focused on performance and control. kitty is published by Kovid Goyal.
Key features
- Open multiple tabs and split terminal windows for parallel work
- Customize keyboard shortcuts, colors, fonts, and behavior with configuration files
- Run remote shell sessions and everyday command-line tools in a full desktop terminal
- Display inline graphics and images in supported terminal workflows
- Use built-in kittens for tasks such as clipboard access, hints, diff viewing, and SSH workflows
- Control and automate terminal behavior with scripting and remote-control features
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Safety overview
Status: Safe
kitty is legitimate terminal software. Its access to files, shells, network tools, and remote connections is consistent with a terminal emulator's purpose, but the commands you run inside it can change files, connect to servers, or execute scripts with your user privileges. Treat terminal sessions and copied commands carefully, especially when using sudo or connecting to unfamiliar systems.
Recommendation: Keep kitty if you use it for development, shell access, SSH, or other command-line work. Remove it if you no longer use this terminal emulator; doing so will mainly affect your saved configuration and terminal-based workflows rather than general macOS operation.
Common paths
/Applications/kitty.app~/Library/Preferences/kitty~/.config/kitty
Preference paths
~/Library/Preferences/net.kovidgoyal.kitty.plist~/.config/kitty
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