ghostling-libghostty-terminal

Compare original and translation side by side

🇺🇸

Original

English
🇨🇳

Translation

Chinese

Ghostling — libghostty Terminal Emulator

Ghostling — libghostty-vt 终端模拟器

Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.
Ghostling is a minimal viable terminal emulator built on libghostty-vt, the embeddable C library extracted from Ghostty. It uses Raylib for windowing/rendering and lives in a single C file. The project demonstrates how to wire libghostty-vt's VT parsing, terminal state, and render-state API to any 2D or GPU renderer.
ara.so提供的技能 — 2026每日技能合集。
Ghostling是一个基于libghostty-vt构建的最小可行终端模拟器,libghostty-vt是从Ghostty中提取的可嵌入C语言库。它使用Raylib进行窗口管理与渲染,整个实现仅包含一个C文件。该项目展示了如何将libghostty-vt的VT解析、终端状态和渲染状态API与任意2D或GPU渲染器对接。

What libghostty-vt Provides

libghostty-vt 提供的功能

  • VT sequence parsing (SIMD-optimized)
  • Terminal state: cursor, styles, text reflow, scrollback
  • Render state management (what cells changed and how to draw them)
  • Unicode / multi-codepoint grapheme handling
  • Kitty keyboard protocol, mouse tracking, focus reporting
  • Zero dependencies (not even libc) — WASM-compatible
libghostty-vt does NOT provide: windowing, rendering, PTY management, tabs, splits, or configuration.
  • VT序列解析(SIMD优化)
  • 终端状态管理:光标、样式、文本重排、回滚
  • 渲染状态管理(追踪哪些单元格发生变化以及如何绘制)
  • Unicode/多码点字形处理
  • Kitty键盘协议、鼠标追踪、焦点报告
  • 零依赖(甚至无需libc)——支持WASM
libghostty-vt 不提供以下功能: 窗口管理、渲染、PTY管理、标签页、分屏、配置。

Requirements

环境要求

ToolVersion
CMake3.19+
Ninjaany
C compilerclang/gcc
Zig0.15.x (on PATH)
macOSXcode CLT or Xcode
工具版本
CMake3.19+
Ninja任意版本
C语言编译器clang/gcc
Zig0.15.x(需在PATH中)
macOSXcode CLT 或 Xcode

Build & Run

构建与运行

sh
undefined
sh
undefined

Clone

克隆仓库

Debug build (slow — safety checks enabled)

调试构建(速度慢——启用了安全检查)

cmake -B build -G Ninja cmake --build build ./build/ghostling
cmake -B build -G Ninja cmake --build build ./build/ghostling

Release build (optimized)

发布构建(已优化)

cmake -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release cmake --build build ./build/ghostling

After first configure, only the build step is needed:

```sh
cmake --build build
Warning: Debug builds are very slow due to Ghostty's safety/correctness assertions. Always benchmark with Release builds.
cmake -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release cmake --build build ./build/ghostling

首次配置后,仅需执行构建步骤:

```sh
cmake --build build
注意: 调试构建由于Ghostty的安全/正确性断言会非常慢。请始终使用发布构建进行性能测试。

Project Structure

项目结构

ghostling/
├── main.c          # Entire terminal implementation (single file)
├── CMakeLists.txt  # Build config; fetches libghostty-vt + Raylib
└── demo.gif
ghostling/
├── main.c          # 完整的终端实现(单文件)
├── CMakeLists.txt  # 构建配置;自动拉取libghostty-vt + Raylib
└── demo.gif

Core libghostty-vt API Patterns

libghostty-vt 核心API使用模式

All implementation lives in
main.c
. Below are the key patterns extracted from it.
所有实现都在
main.c
中。以下是从中提取的关键使用模式。

1. Initialize the Terminal

1. 初始化终端

c
#include "ghostty.h"  // provided by libghostty-vt via CMake

// Create terminal with cols x rows cells
ghostty_terminal_t *terminal = ghostty_terminal_new(
    &(ghostty_terminal_config_t){
        .cols = cols,
        .rows = rows,
    }
);
if (!terminal) { /* handle error */ }
c
#include "ghostty.h"  // 由libghostty-vt通过CMake提供

// 创建cols x rows单元格的终端实例
ghostty_terminal_t *terminal = ghostty_terminal_new(
    &(ghostty_terminal_config_t){
        .cols = cols,
        .rows = rows,
    }
);
if (!terminal) { /* 处理错误 */ }

2. Write Data from PTY into the Terminal

2. 将PTY中的数据写入终端

c
// Read from PTY fd, feed raw bytes to libghostty-vt
ssize_t n = read(pty_fd, buf, sizeof(buf));
if (n > 0) {
    ghostty_terminal_write(terminal, buf, (size_t)n);
}
c
// 从PTY文件描述符读取数据,将原始字节传入libghostty-vt
ssize_t n = read(pty_fd, buf, sizeof(buf));
if (n > 0) {
    ghostty_terminal_write(terminal, buf, (size_t)n);
}

3. Send Keyboard Input

3. 发送键盘输入

c
// libghostty-vt encodes the correct escape sequences
ghostty_key_event_t ev = {
    .key       = GHOSTTY_KEY_A,          // key enum
    .mods      = GHOSTTY_MODS_CTRL,      // modifier flags
    .action    = GHOSTTY_ACTION_PRESS,
    .composing = false,
};

uint8_t out[64];
size_t  out_len = 0;
ghostty_terminal_key(terminal, &ev, out, sizeof(out), &out_len);

// Write encoded bytes to PTY
if (out_len > 0) write(pty_fd, out, out_len);
c
// libghostty-vt会编码正确的转义序列
ghostty_key_event_t ev = {
    .key       = GHOSTTY_KEY_A,          // 按键枚举值
    .mods      = GHOSTTY_MODS_CTRL,      // 修饰符标志
    .action    = GHOSTTY_ACTION_PRESS,
    .composing = false,
};

uint8_t out[64];
size_t  out_len = 0;
ghostty_terminal_key(terminal, &ev, out, sizeof(out), &out_len);

// 将编码后的字节写入PTY
if (out_len > 0) write(pty_fd, out, out_len);

4. Send Mouse Events

4. 发送鼠标事件

c
ghostty_mouse_event_t mev = {
    .x      = cell_col,   // cell column
    .y      = cell_row,   // cell row
    .button = GHOSTTY_MOUSE_LEFT,
    .action = GHOSTTY_MOUSE_PRESS,
    .mods   = GHOSTTY_MODS_NONE,
};

uint8_t out[64];
size_t  out_len = 0;
ghostty_terminal_mouse(terminal, &mev, out, sizeof(out), &out_len);
if (out_len > 0) write(pty_fd, out, out_len);
c
ghostty_mouse_event_t mev = {
    .x      = cell_col,   // 单元格列号
    .y      = cell_row,   // 单元格行号
    .button = GHOSTTY_MOUSE_LEFT,
    .action = GHOSTTY_MOUSE_PRESS,
    .mods   = GHOSTTY_MODS_NONE,
};

uint8_t out[64];
size_t  out_len = 0;
ghostty_terminal_mouse(terminal, &mev, out, sizeof(out), &out_len);
if (out_len > 0) write(pty_fd, out, out_len);

5. Resize the Terminal

5. 调整终端大小

c
ghostty_terminal_resize(terminal, new_cols, new_rows);
// libghostty-vt handles text reflow automatically
// Send SIGWINCH to the child process after this
struct winsize ws = { .ws_col = new_cols, .ws_row = new_rows };
ioctl(pty_fd, TIOCSWINSZ, &ws);
kill(child_pid, SIGWINCH);
c
ghostty_terminal_resize(terminal, new_cols, new_rows);
// libghostty-vt会自动处理文本重排
// 之后向子进程发送SIGWINCH信号
struct winsize ws = { .ws_col = new_cols, .ws_row = new_rows };
ioctl(pty_fd, TIOCSWINSZ, &ws);
kill(child_pid, SIGWINCH);

6. Render: Walk the Render State

6. 渲染:遍历渲染状态

The render state API tells you exactly which cells changed and how to draw them — no need to redraw everything every frame.
c
// Get render state handle
ghostty_render_state_t *rs = ghostty_terminal_render_state(terminal);

// Begin a render pass (snapshot current state)
ghostty_render_state_begin(rs);

// Iterate dirty cells
ghostty_render_cell_iter_t iter = {0};
ghostty_render_cell_t      cell;

while (ghostty_render_state_next_cell(rs, &iter, &cell)) {
    // cell.col, cell.row      — grid position
    // cell.codepoint          — Unicode codepoint (0 = empty)
    // cell.fg.r/g/b           — foreground RGB
    // cell.bg.r/g/b           — background RGB
    // cell.attrs.bold         — bold flag
    // cell.attrs.italic       — italic flag
    // cell.attrs.reverse      — reverse video

    // Example: draw with Raylib
    Color fg = { cell.fg.r, cell.fg.g, cell.fg.b, 255 };
    Color bg = { cell.bg.r, cell.bg.g, cell.bg.b, 255 };

    Rectangle rect = {
        .x      = cell.col * cell_width,
        .y      = cell.row * cell_height,
        .width  = cell_width,
        .height = cell_height,
    };
    DrawRectangleRec(rect, bg);

    if (cell.codepoint != 0) {
        char glyph[8] = {0};
        // encode codepoint to UTF-8 yourself or use a helper
        encode_utf8(cell.codepoint, glyph);
        DrawText(glyph, (int)rect.x, (int)rect.y, font_size, fg);
    }
}

// End render pass (marks cells as clean)
ghostty_render_state_end(rs);
渲染状态API会准确告诉你哪些单元格发生了变化以及如何绘制——无需每次帧都重绘所有内容。
c
// 获取渲染状态句柄
ghostty_render_state_t *rs = ghostty_terminal_render_state(terminal);

// 开始渲染过程(快照当前状态)
ghostty_render_state_begin(rs);

// 遍历脏单元格
ghostty_render_cell_iter_t iter = {0};
ghostty_render_cell_t      cell;

while (ghostty_render_state_next_cell(rs, &iter, &cell)) {
    // cell.col, cell.row      — 网格位置
    // cell.codepoint          — Unicode码点(0表示空)
    // cell.fg.r/g/b           — 前景色RGB值
    // cell.bg.r/g/b           — 背景色RGB值
    // cell.attrs.bold         — 粗体标志
    // cell.attrs.italic       — 斜体标志
    // cell.attrs.reverse      — 反显标志

    // 示例:使用Raylib绘制
    Color fg = { cell.fg.r, cell.fg.g, cell.fg.b, 255 };
    Color bg = { cell.bg.r, cell.bg.g, cell.bg.b, 255 };

    Rectangle rect = {
        .x      = cell.col * cell_width,
        .y      = cell.row * cell_height,
        .width  = cell_width,
        .height = cell_height,
    };
    DrawRectangleRec(rect, bg);

    if (cell.codepoint != 0) {
        char glyph[8] = {0};
        // 自行将码点编码为UTF-8或使用辅助函数
        encode_utf8(cell.codepoint, glyph);
        DrawText(glyph, (int)rect.x, (int)rect.y, font_size, fg);
    }
}

// 结束渲染过程(标记单元格为已清理)
ghostty_render_state_end(rs);

7. Scrollback

7. 回滚

c
// Scroll viewport up/down by N rows
ghostty_terminal_scroll(terminal, -3);  // scroll up 3
ghostty_terminal_scroll(terminal,  3);  // scroll down 3

// Scroll to bottom
ghostty_terminal_scroll_bottom(terminal);
c
// 将视口向上/向下滚动N行
ghostty_terminal_scroll(terminal, -3);  // 向上滚动3行
ghostty_terminal_scroll(terminal,  3);  // 向下滚动3行

// 滚动到底部
ghostty_terminal_scroll_bottom(terminal);

8. Cursor Position

8. 光标位置

c
ghostty_cursor_t cursor;
ghostty_terminal_cursor(terminal, &cursor);
// cursor.col, cursor.row  — cell position
// cursor.visible          — bool
// cursor.shape            — GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BLOCK, _UNDERLINE, _BAR
c
ghostty_cursor_t cursor;
ghostty_terminal_cursor(terminal, &cursor);
// cursor.col, cursor.row  — 单元格位置
// cursor.visible          — 布尔值
// cursor.shape            — GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BLOCK, _UNDERLINE, _BAR

9. Cleanup

9. 清理资源

c
ghostty_terminal_free(terminal);
c
ghostty_terminal_free(terminal);

PTY Setup (POSIX)

PTY设置(POSIX系统)

libghostty-vt has no PTY management — you own this:
c
#include <pty.h>   // openpty
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int master_fd, slave_fd;
struct winsize ws = { .ws_row = rows, .ws_col = cols,
                      .ws_xpixel = 0, .ws_ypixel = 0 };
openpty(&master_fd, &slave_fd, NULL, NULL, &ws);

pid_t child = fork();
if (child == 0) {
    // Child: become session leader, attach slave PTY
    setsid();
    ioctl(slave_fd, TIOCSCTTY, 0);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDIN_FILENO);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDOUT_FILENO);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDERR_FILENO);
    close(master_fd);
    close(slave_fd);
    char *shell = getenv("SHELL");
    if (!shell) shell = "/bin/sh";
    execl(shell, shell, NULL);
    _exit(1);
}
// Parent: use master_fd for read/write
close(slave_fd);
libghostty-vt不提供PTY管理——这部分需要你自行实现:
c
#include <pty.h>   // openpty
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int master_fd, slave_fd;
struct winsize ws = { .ws_row = rows, .ws_col = cols,
                      .ws_xpixel = 0, .ws_ypixel = 0 };
openpty(&master_fd, &slave_fd, NULL, NULL, &ws);

pid_t child = fork();
if (child == 0) {
    // 子进程:成为会话领导者,关联从PTY
    setsid();
    ioctl(slave_fd, TIOCSCTTY, 0);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDIN_FILENO);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDOUT_FILENO);
    dup2(slave_fd, STDERR_FILENO);
    close(master_fd);
    close(slave_fd);
    char *shell = getenv("SHELL");
    if (!shell) shell = "/bin/sh";
    execl(shell, shell, NULL);
    _exit(1);
}
// 父进程:使用master_fd进行读写
close(slave_fd);

CMakeLists.txt Pattern

CMakeLists.txt 配置示例

The project fetches libghostty-vt automatically via CMake FetchContent:
cmake
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.19)
project(ghostling C)

include(FetchContent)
该项目通过CMake FetchContent自动拉取libghostty-vt:
cmake
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.19)
project(ghostling C)

include(FetchContent)

libghostty-vt

libghostty-vt

FetchContent_Declare( libghostty URL https://release.files.ghostty.org/tip/libghostty-vt-<platform>.tar.gz ) FetchContent_MakeAvailable(libghostty)
FetchContent_Declare( libghostty URL https://release.files.ghostty.org/tip/libghostty-vt-<platform>.tar.gz ) FetchContent_MakeAvailable(libghostty)

Raylib

Raylib

FetchContent_Declare( raylib GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/raysan5/raylib.git GIT_TAG 5.0 ) FetchContent_MakeAvailable(raylib)
add_executable(ghostling main.c) target_link_libraries(ghostling PRIVATE ghostty-vt raylib)
undefined
FetchContent_Declare( raylib GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/raysan5/raylib.git GIT_TAG 5.0 ) FetchContent_MakeAvailable(raylib)
add_executable(ghostling main.c) target_link_libraries(ghostling PRIVATE ghostty-vt raylib)
undefined

Key Enums & Constants

关键枚举与常量

c
// Keys
GHOSTTY_KEY_A … GHOSTTY_KEY_Z
GHOSTTY_KEY_UP, GHOSTTY_KEY_DOWN, GHOSTTY_KEY_LEFT, GHOSTTY_KEY_RIGHT
GHOSTTY_KEY_ENTER, GHOSTTY_KEY_BACKSPACE, GHOSTTY_KEY_ESCAPE, GHOSTTY_KEY_TAB
GHOSTTY_KEY_F1 … GHOSTTY_KEY_F12

// Modifiers (bitmask)
GHOSTTY_MODS_NONE
GHOSTTY_MODS_SHIFT
GHOSTTY_MODS_CTRL
GHOSTTY_MODS_ALT
GHOSTTY_MODS_SUPER

// Mouse buttons
GHOSTTY_MOUSE_LEFT, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_RIGHT, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_MIDDLE
GHOSTTY_MOUSE_WHEEL_UP, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_WHEEL_DOWN

// Cursor shapes
GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BLOCK, GHOSTTY_CURSOR_UNDERLINE, GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BAR
c
// 按键
GHOSTTY_KEY_A … GHOSTTY_KEY_Z
GHOSTTY_KEY_UP, GHOSTTY_KEY_DOWN, GHOSTTY_KEY_LEFT, GHOSTTY_KEY_RIGHT
GHOSTTY_KEY_ENTER, GHOSTTY_KEY_BACKSPACE, GHOSTTY_KEY_ESCAPE, GHOSTTY_KEY_TAB
GHOSTTY_KEY_F1 … GHOSTTY_KEY_F12

// 修饰符(位掩码)
GHOSTTY_MODS_NONE
GHOSTTY_MODS_SHIFT
GHOSTTY_MODS_CTRL
GHOSTTY_MODS_ALT
GHOSTTY_MODS_SUPER

// 鼠标按键
GHOSTTY_MOUSE_LEFT, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_RIGHT, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_MIDDLE
GHOSTTY_MOUSE_WHEEL_UP, GHOSTTY_MOUSE_WHEEL_DOWN

// 光标形状
GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BLOCK, GHOSTTY_CURSOR_UNDERLINE, GHOSTTY_CURSOR_BAR

Common Patterns

常见使用模式

Non-blocking PTY Read Loop

非阻塞PTY读取循环

c
// Set master_fd non-blocking
fcntl(master_fd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);

// In your main loop:
uint8_t buf[4096];
ssize_t n;
while ((n = read(master_fd, buf, sizeof(buf))) > 0) {
    ghostty_terminal_write(terminal, buf, (size_t)n);
}
// EAGAIN means no data available — not an error
c
// 将master_fd设置为非阻塞模式
fcntl(master_fd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);

// 在主循环中:
uint8_t buf[4096];
ssize_t n;
while ((n = read(master_fd, buf, sizeof(buf))) > 0) {
    ghostty_terminal_write(terminal, buf, (size_t)n);
}
// EAGAIN表示无可用数据——并非错误

Raylib Key → ghostty_key_t Mapping

Raylib按键 → ghostty_key_t 映射

c
ghostty_key_t raylib_key_to_ghostty(int rl_key) {
    switch (rl_key) {
        case KEY_A: return GHOSTTY_KEY_A;
        case KEY_ENTER: return GHOSTTY_KEY_ENTER;
        case KEY_BACKSPACE: return GHOSTTY_KEY_BACKSPACE;
        case KEY_UP: return GHOSTTY_KEY_UP;
        case KEY_DOWN: return GHOSTTY_KEY_DOWN;
        // ... etc
        default: return GHOSTTY_KEY_INVALID;
    }
}
c
ghostty_key_t raylib_key_to_ghostty(int rl_key) {
    switch (rl_key) {
        case KEY_A: return GHOSTTY_KEY_A;
        case KEY_ENTER: return GHOSTTY_KEY_ENTER;
        case KEY_BACKSPACE: return GHOSTTY_KEY_BACKSPACE;
        case KEY_UP: return GHOSTTY_KEY_UP;
        case KEY_DOWN: return GHOSTTY_KEY_DOWN;
        // ... 其他按键
        default: return GHOSTTY_KEY_INVALID;
    }
}

Scrollbar Rendering

滚动条渲染

c
int total_rows    = ghostty_terminal_total_rows(terminal);
int viewport_rows = rows; // your grid height
int scroll_offset = ghostty_terminal_scroll_offset(terminal);

float bar_h      = (float)viewport_rows / total_rows * window_height;
float bar_y      = (float)scroll_offset / total_rows * window_height;
DrawRectangle(window_width - SCROLLBAR_W, (int)bar_y,
              SCROLLBAR_W, (int)bar_h, GRAY);
c
int total_rows    = ghostty_terminal_total_rows(terminal);
int viewport_rows = rows; // 你的网格高度
int scroll_offset = ghostty_terminal_scroll_offset(terminal);

float bar_h      = (float)viewport_rows / total_rows * window_height;
float bar_y      = (float)scroll_offset / total_rows * window_height;
DrawRectangle(window_width - SCROLLBAR_W, (int)bar_y,
              SCROLLBAR_W, (int)bar_h, GRAY);

Troubleshooting

故障排查

ProblemFix
Build fails:
zig not found
Install Zig 0.15.x and ensure it's on
$PATH
Debug build extremely slowUse Release:
cmake -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
Terminal renders garbageVerify you're calling
ghostty_render_state_begin
before iterating cells and
ghostty_render_state_end
after
Child process not getting resizeCall
ioctl(pty_fd, TIOCSWINSZ, &ws)
AND
kill(child_pid, SIGWINCH)
after
ghostty_terminal_resize
Kitty keyboard protocol brokenKnown upstream Raylib/GLFW limitation — libghostty-vt supports it correctly but needs richer input events
Colors look wrongCheck
cell.fg
/
cell.bg
— libghostty-vt resolves palette to RGB, use those values directly
ghostty_terminal_write
crashes
Ensure buffer passed is valid and
len > 0
; never pass NULL
问题解决方法
构建失败:
zig not found
安装Zig 0.15.x并确保其在
$PATH
调试构建速度极慢使用发布构建:
cmake -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
终端渲染内容乱码确保在遍历单元格前调用
ghostty_render_state_begin
,遍历后调用
ghostty_render_state_end
子进程未接收到大小调整信号
ghostty_terminal_resize
后调用
ioctl(pty_fd, TIOCSWINSZ, &ws)
kill(child_pid, SIGWINCH)
Kitty键盘协议失效这是Raylib/GLFW的已知上游限制——libghostty-vt本身支持该协议,但需要更丰富的输入事件
颜色显示异常检查
cell.fg
/
cell.bg
——libghostty-vt会将调色板解析为RGB值,请直接使用这些值
ghostty_terminal_write
崩溃
确保传入的缓冲区有效且
len > 0
;切勿传入NULL

What libghostty-vt Will NOT Do For You

libghostty-vt 不提供的功能

You must implement these yourself:
  • PTY creation and process management
  • Window creation and event loop
  • Font loading and glyph rendering
  • Clipboard read/write (OSC 52 bytes are provided, handling is yours)
  • Tabs, splits, multiple windows
  • Configuration UI
以下功能需要你自行实现:
  • PTY创建与进程管理
  • 窗口创建与事件循环
  • 字体加载与字形渲染
  • 剪贴板读写(会提供OSC 52字节数据,但处理逻辑需自行实现)
  • 标签页、分屏、多窗口
  • 配置UI

API Reference

API参考