Limon is a fast, lightweight Bash prompt and interactive editor layer for Linux, macOS, WSL, and Git Bash on Windows. It adds fish/Zsh-style ghost autosuggestions, 256-color themes, Git status, an execution timer, and useful indicators using Bash scripts only. There is no Python, Node.js, compiled binary, or per-architecture download.
Tired of slow shell prompts that rely on language runtimes or heavy frameworks? Hate having to install special "patched" Nerd Fonts just to see a Git branch in your prompt? Limon ships its pure-Bash editor engine and keeps prompt rendering small and measurable.
Works on: Linux · macOS · WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) · Git Bash on Windows. Requires: Bash 4.4 or newer and a UTF-8 terminal (Git optional, for the git branch indicator).
macOS note: Apple still ships Bash 3.2 as
/bin/bash. Install a current one withbrew install bashand use that shell — Limon checks the version at startup and tells you if it's too old rather than failing cryptically.
- ⚡ Blazing Fast: Written purely in Bash. No Python interpreters or heavy background processes slowing down your Enter key — a truly lightweight, fast terminal prompt.
- 👻 Ghost Autosuggestions: History, commands, paths, aliases, functions, builtins, and loaded Bash programmable completions appear inline as you type. Right Arrow or End accepts the suggestion; Ctrl+Right accepts one word.
- 🔤 No Patched Fonts Required: Uses standard, universal Unicode symbols. It looks perfect out-of-the-box on any OS or font.
- 🎨 256-Color Modular Themes: Choose from 11 built-in themes (Limon, Dracula, Nord, Neon, and more) or easily create your own with the built-in color picker.
- ⏱️ Smart Execution Timer: Automatically displays how long a command took to run, with sub-second precision (
1.4s,2m 05s,1h 02m 05s). Only appears past a threshold you set — 2 seconds by default, andlimon config timer_threshold=0.5accepts fractions. - 🌿 Git Branch in Prompt: See branch, staged/unstaged/untracked counts (
+N ~N ?Nin verbose mode), merge/rebase state, stash count (≡N), detached HEAD warning, and ahead/behind(↑/↓). - 🔒 Context-Aware Directories: Directories you don't have write access to are marked with a
🔒and colored gray.- Optional root warning is available with
limon config show_root=1.
- Optional root warning is available with
- 🐍 Environment Support: Automatically detects and displays active
Python venv,Conda, andDockerenvironments.
Paste this into your terminal and press Enter:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/faridrasidov/limon/master/get-limon.sh | bashThat's it. Open a new terminal and Limon is on.
What it does: downloads Limon into ~/.local/share/limon and adds a few
lines to your ~/.bashrc so the prompt loads when you open a terminal. It
touches nothing outside your home directory and never needs sudo. To remove
all of it later, run limon uninstall.
Useful options — pass them after bash -s --:
# Install for every user on the machine (needs sudo)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/faridrasidov/limon/master/get-limon.sh | sudo bash -s -- --system
# Install a specific release
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/faridrasidov/limon/master/get-limon.sh | bash -s -- --version 1.2.0Requires Bash 4.4 or newer. macOS still ships Bash 3.2 as
/bin/bash; install a current one withbrew install bashand use that shell. The installer checks this first and tells you if your Bash is too old, rather than half-installing something that cannot run.
Reasonable — piping a script into bash means trusting it sight unseen. Grab
the release, read it, then run it:
- Download
limon-<version>.tar.gz(or.zip) andSHA256SUMSfrom the Releases page. - Check the download is intact:
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
- Unpack and install:
tar -xzf limon-<version>.tar.gz bash limon-<version>/install.sh
The .zip is there for Git Bash on Windows, where tar may be missing.
Use this if you want to contribute, or to follow the beta / dev update
channels — those need a Git checkout, because limon upgrade tracks a branch.
git clone https://github.com/faridrasidov/limon
cd limon
bash install.sh # add --system for all usersThe installer is idempotent — re-running it (or limon upgrade) refreshes
the install without creating duplicate entries in your .bashrc.
Prefer to wire it up by hand? The steps the installer automates are:
git clone https://github.com/faridrasidov/limon
sudo mv limon/ /usr/share/
echo 'alias limon="source /usr/share/limon/limon.sh"' | sudo tee -a /etc/bash.bashrc
echo 'source /usr/share/limon/hint-limon.sh' | sudo tee -a /etc/bash.bashrcThen enable it:
- For the current user:
echo 'limon on' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc- For all users:
echo 'limon on' | sudo tee -a /etc/bash.bashrc
source /etc/bash.bashrcYour config file and themes keep working. Run limon upgrade, or re-run the
one-line installer. Autosuggestions are enabled by default; disable them with
limon config autosuggest=0.
Two things to know before you do, both covered in full in CHANGELOG.md:
- Bash 4.4+ is now required and enforced. If you are on macOS's stock
/bin/bash(3.2), Limon will refuse to start and tell you how to fix it. It never really worked there — it installed the prompt but silently failed to save your settings. - Limon now bundles ble.sh, adding about 2.3 MB to the install but no compiled binaries or architecture-specific packages.
Removing Limon is just as easy as installing it. It will ask whether to keep or delete your configuration so your themes and settings aren't lost by accident.
limon uninstallThis removes Limon's startup entries from your .bashrc / /etc/bash.bashrc, deletes the installed files, restores your original prompt in the current shell, and then prompts:
Remove Limon configuration directory (~/.config/limon)? [y/N]
Answer N (default) to keep your config for a future reinstall, or y to delete it completely.
You can also run the installer directly, which is handy for non-interactive or scripted removals:
./install.sh --uninstall # Prompts about the config dir
./install.sh --uninstall --purge # Remove everything, including config
./install.sh --uninstall --keep-config # Remove Limon, always keep configIf Limon was installed system-wide, prefix the command with
sudoso it can edit/etc/bash.bashrcand remove/usr/share/limon.
Limon is designed to be completely unobtrusive. Once installed, you manage it using the limon command.
Turn Limon ON (and set a theme):
limon on # Turns on with the default theme
limon on neon # Switches to the 'neon' theme
Turn Limon OFF (Restore system default prompt):
limon off
Other commands:
limon status # Show on/off, theme, and config options
limon health # Run diagnostics (bash, colors, git, theme, prompt)
limon themes # List all available themes
limon preview neon # Show a sample prompt without switching themes
limon edit [theme] # Open theme in $EDITOR (copies to ~/.config/limon/themes/)
limon reload # Reload theme/config without toggling off
limon config git=lite # Branch only (fast)
limon config git=verbose # Detailed +N staged, ~N modified, ?N untracked
limon config show_exit=1 # Show exit code on failure (e.g. x127 $)
limon config exit_hints=1 # Add hints like x130(SIGINT) when show_exit=1
limon config clock=1 # Show HH:MM before the command timer (off by default)
limon config timer_threshold=3 # Only show the timer past 3 seconds
limon config timer_threshold=0.5 # Fractions are allowed
limon config show_ssh=1 # Show an [ssh] tag on remote sessions (off by default)
limon config ascii=1 # Use ASCII symbols (# > ^ v) for dumb terminals
limon config max_path=40 # Truncate long paths (e.g. ~/…/project/src)
limon config env_banner=1 # Show PROD/STAGING banner when LIMON_ENV is set
limon config cloud=1 # Show AWS_PROFILE in the prompt
limon config k8s=1 # Show kubectl context (cached 2s)
limon config k8s_ns=1 # Add the namespace: (k8s:kind-dev/default)
limon config k8s_danger='*prod*,*-prd' # Red ⚠ badge for matching contexts
limon config autosuggest=0 # Disable ghost autosuggestions (enabled by default)
limon config autosuggest_delay=150 # Delay before suggestions, in ms (0-2000)
limon config autosuggest_color=245 # Ghost text color: auto or 0-255
limon config highlight=1 # Color commands as you type (off by default, ble.sh only)
limon config fzf=1 # fzf key bindings: Ctrl+R, Ctrl+T, Alt+C (off by default, needs fzf)
export LIMON_ENV=prod # Label this shell as production (use with env_banner=1)Ghost suggestions use command history first, then Bash's completion machinery
for commands, paths, aliases, functions, builtins, and command-specific
arguments. If your distribution provides bash-completion, load it normally in
.bashrc; Limon reuses those recipes instead of shipping a second copy.
Right Arrow or End accepts the whole suggestion. Ctrl+Right accepts one word.
Tab keeps its normal completion behavior. limon off removes Limon's prompt,
timer hooks, and editor features; an editor that you loaded yourself is left
attached with its previous configuration. A bundled ble.sh runtime already
loaded in the current Bash process stays resident but inert until the shell exits.
Colors automatically disable when TERM=dumb or output is not a TTY (safe for logs and script).
Identity & safety: host_color=off (default) keeps the theme's host color. Enable host_color=auto if you want each hostname to get a distinct color. show_root=0 (default) keeps root warnings hidden; enable show_root=1 if you want a ROOT banner. show_sudo warns when sudo credentials are cached.
(Note: Limon remembers your last used theme automatically!)
Limon is built for speed, and you can measure it. Limon can report how long it takes to render your prompt (wall-clock) and how much memory the shell is using.
Benchmark the prompt render time:
limon bench # Average render time over 100 runs
limon bench 500 # More iterations for a steadier average
limon bench --breakdown # Per-segment timings, to see where the time goesExample output:
Limon prompt benchmark
theme: limon
git mode: full
iterations: 100
total: 48.300 ms
per render: 0.483 ms (avg)
shell RSS: 5120 KB (~5 MB, whole bash process)
tip: most cost is the git status call; 'limon config git=lite' or 'git=off' is faster.
See the live render time of each prompt:
limon config metrics=1 # Record render time on every prompt (negligible overhead)
limon status # Shows "Last render: 0.4xx ms" and memory usage
limon config metrics=0 # Turn it back off (default)limon health also includes a quick render-time and memory line.
Where the time goes:
$ limon bench --breakdown
Limon prompt benchmark — per segment
theme: default, git mode: full, 200 iterations each
theme (cached) 0.068 ms
git info 0.065 ms
safety prefix 0.032 ms
path 0.020 ms
prompt symbol 0.028 ms
host color 0.014 ms
symbols 0.014 ms
segments total 0.241 ms
whole render 0.363 ms
Notes:
- Render time is wall-clock time spent building the prompt. Sub-millisecond precision needs bash 5+ (uses
$EPOCHREALTIME, no subprocess) or GNUdate.- The memory figure is the whole bash process RSS (read from
/proc/$$/statuson Linux, orpselsewhere), not Limon in isolation — Limon adds no background processes of its own.- The biggest factor in render time is the
gitstatus call. Uselimon config git=lite(branch only) orgit=offto speed up huge repositories.
Limon installs as a small Git repository, so updating to the latest version is built in.
Update manually (recommended):
limon upgradeThis runs a safe fast-forward git pull in your Limon install directory and tells you when it's done. After updating, run limon on (or open a new terminal) to load the new version.
See CHANGELOG.md for notable changes in each release.
If Limon is installed in a system directory like
/usr/share/limon, you may need elevated permissions. Limon will detect this and suggest:sudo git -C /usr/share/limon pull --ff-only
Enable automatic update checks:
limon config autoupdate=notify # Check once a day, notify you when an update exists
limon config autoupdate=on # Check once a day, auto-install updates when possible
limon config autoupdate=off # Disable update checks (default)Update checks are throttled to once per day and run in the background, so they never slow down your prompt. When an update is available you'll see a short notice the next time you start a shell.
Limon tracks one of three branches, so you can choose how new (and how risky) your updates are:
| Channel | Branch | Description |
|---|---|---|
stable |
master |
Tested, recommended for everyday use (default) |
beta |
beta |
Newest features, may be unstable |
dev |
dev |
Active development, expect breakage |
limon upgrade # Update on your current channel
limon upgrade beta # Switch to the beta channel and update
limon upgrade stable # Switch back to the stable channel and update
limon upgrade dev # Switch to the bleeding-edge dev channel and updateSwitching channels is remembered, so future limon upgrade runs (and the auto-update checks) stay on the channel you chose. To change the channel without upgrading right away:
limon config channel=beta # Next 'limon upgrade' will move you to betalimon status shows your current channel and the git branch it maps to. To return to stable releases at any time, run limon upgrade stable.
Limon supports massive customization of your bash prompt through simple .theme files. Themes are stored in ~/.config/limon/themes/.
Edit a theme in your editor:
limon edit neon # Copies built-in theme to ~/.config/limon/themes/ if needed, then opens $EDITOR
limon edit # Edits the current themePreview without switching:
limon preview dracula # Prints a sample prompt using that themeRun limon themes to see every theme on your system. Apply any theme with limon on <name>.
| Theme | Style | Layout |
|---|---|---|
default |
Teal, blue, green | Single-line |
limon |
Yellow-green brand colors | Two-line ➜ |
neon |
Hot pink, cyan, yellow | Single-line |
sunset |
Orange, gold, warm reds | Two-line ➜ |
ocean |
Blues and pale cyan | Single-line | |
forest |
Greens and brown timer | Single-line |
dracula |
Purple, pink, cyan | Two-line ➜ |
nord |
Muted frost blues and snow | Single-line | |
mono |
Grayscale (SSH-friendly) | Single-line |
high-contrast |
Bold green, red, yellow, white | Single-line |
git_bash |
Cyan and gold (Windows Git Bash) | Two-line ➜ |
Preview (structure only — colors appear in your terminal):
# limon on default
user@host:/path/to/project (@) [main] $
# limon on limon
user@host /path/to/project (@) [main]
➜ $
# limon on dracula
user@host /path/to/project (@) [main]
➜ $
# limon on nord
user@host | /path/to/project (@) [main] $
Don't know the ANSI code for "Hot Pink" or "Deep Blue"? Limon has a built-in color palette generator. Run:
limon colors
This will print a grid of all 256 available colors directly in your terminal with their corresponding ID numbers.
- Create a new file:
nano ~/.config/limon/themes/my_theme.theme - Define your colors and layout using the 256-color syntax (
\e[38;5;NmwhereNis the color number):
# my_theme.theme
col_ok='\[\e[38;5;46m\]' # Neon Green for success
col_err='\[\e[38;5;196m\]' # Red for errors
col_git='\[\e[38;5;214m\]' # Orange for Git
col_dir='\[\e[38;5;39m\]' # Blue for paths
col_host='\[\e[38;5;118m\]' # Green for user@host
col_time='\[\e[38;5;242m\]' # Grey for the timer
theme_multiline=0 # Set to 1 for a two-line prompt
theme_separator=":" # Character between host and path
theme_symbol_prefix="➜ " # Symbol right before your typing area
theme_max_path=0 # Truncate long paths (0 = use bash \w; e.g. 40)
- Apply it:
limon on my_theme
Modern prompt customization tools are incredibly powerful, but they often rely on external binaries or interpreted languages (like Python). Invoking these interpreters every single time you hit Enter introduces a noticeable micro-delay. Delay sucks.
Furthermore, many popular prompts force you to install specific "Nerd Fonts" to render their custom glyphs. If you use a simple bitmap font or log into a remote server, those icons break into ugly missing-character boxes.
Limon was built to solve these two problems. It gives you the colorful, Git-aware, and timer-equipped prompt you want, but does it instantly, natively, and beautifully on any system.
If you've looked at customizing your shell prompt before, you've probably seen tools like Starship, Powerlevel10k, Oh My Posh, or bash-git-prompt. They are excellent and feature-rich, but they generally:
- Require an external binary or interpreter (Rust, Go, Python, Node.js) to be installed and invoked on every prompt.
- Often expect you to install Nerd Fonts to render their custom glyphs and icons.
Limon is a lightweight, Bash-native alternative. It bundles the pure-Bash ble.sh line editor, uses ordinary Unicode symbols, and needs no separate runtime or patched font. Optional Git powers repository status; optional system bash-completion adds richer command-specific suggestions.
How do I add the Git branch to my Bash prompt?
Install Limon and run limon on. It automatically detects Git repositories and shows your current branch, plus indicators for uncommitted changes (@), untracked files (?), and commits ahead/behind the remote (↑/↓).
What is the fastest Bash prompt? Limon is written in pure Bash with no external interpreters, so there is no per-prompt startup cost from Python, Node.js, or a separate binary. This makes it one of the fastest, most lightweight ways to get a colorful, Git-aware prompt.
How can I measure how fast (or heavy) my prompt is?
Run limon bench to see the average render time over many runs, plus the shell's memory usage. For a live per-prompt reading, enable limon config metrics=1 and check limon status. See Performance & Metrics for details.
Do I need Nerd Fonts for a colored prompt? No. Limon uses only standard, universal Unicode symbols and 256-color ANSI codes, so it looks correct out-of-the-box on any OS, terminal, or font — no patched Nerd Fonts required.
How do I customize PS1 in my .bashrc?
Add limon on to your ~/.bashrc (or /etc/bash.bashrc for all users). Limon sets PS1 for you and remembers your last theme. You can further customize the prompt with simple .theme files — see Custom Bash Prompt Themes.
Does Limon work on Windows (WSL / Git Bash)?
Yes. Limon runs on Linux, macOS, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and Git Bash on Windows. There's even a built-in git_bash theme tuned for the Git Bash terminal. The editor is pure Bash, so there is no Windows-specific executable.
How do I show command execution time in the prompt?
Limon includes a built-in execution timer that automatically shows how long a command took (by default only when it runs longer than 2 seconds). Adjust it with limon config timer_threshold=N.
How do I update Limon to the latest version?
Run limon upgrade. Since Limon is installed as a Git repository, this performs a safe fast-forward update from the channel you're on (stable by default). You can also enable automatic daily update checks with limon config autoupdate=notify or limon config autoupdate=on.
How do I try beta/development features?
Limon has three update channels mapped to git branches: stable (master), beta (newest features, may be unstable), and dev (bleeding edge). Run limon upgrade beta to switch to and update on the beta channel, or limon upgrade stable to switch back. The choice is remembered for future updates.
How do I remove or disable Limon?
To temporarily disable it, run limon off to instantly restore your system's default prompt. To uninstall it completely, run limon uninstall (or ./install.sh --uninstall) — it removes the startup entries and installed files, and asks whether to keep or delete your ~/.config/limon configuration.
Limon ships a dependency-free test suite written in plain Bash — no bats, no package manager, nothing to install.
bash tests/run.sh # run everything
bash tests/run.sh git # run only files matching "git"
bash tests/bench_guard.sh # check prompt render time against a ceilingEach test file runs in its own Bash process with an isolated HOME and XDG_CONFIG_HOME, so your real configuration and themes are never touched.
Linting uses ShellCheck:
shellcheck -S warning limon.sh install.sh hint-limon.sh get-limon.sh tests/*.shBoth run automatically in CI on every push and pull request, across Bash 4.4, 5.0, 5.2, and 5.3. CI also uses a real pseudo-terminal to accept a rendered ghost suggestion.
To load Limon's functions without installing the prompt (useful when writing tests):
LIMON_SOURCE_ONLY=1 source ./limon.shTo help others discover this project, the repository uses topics such as:
bash · shell · prompt · bash-prompt · ps1 · git · terminal · cli · linux · macos · wsl · git-bash · themes · dotfiles · bashrc
Limon is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later).
You are free to use, modify, and distribute this project under the terms of the GPL. See the LICENSE file for the full license text.
The bundled ble.sh runtime is BSD-3-Clause licensed. See
THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and
vendor/blesh/LICENSE.md.
Ideas, bug reports, and new themes are always welcome! Open an
issue or submit a
pull request against the dev branch.
- Contributing guide: branches, tests, and what a pull request needs
- Code of Conduct
- Security policy: please report vulnerabilities privately
Peace ✌️