- Home
- App Launchers
- foot
foot
What it is
foot is a free terminal emulator for Linux systems running Wayland. It offers native Wayland support and is designed to work independently of a particular desktop environment. Its server mode lets multiple terminal windows share a process, fonts and glyph cache. Display options include configurable font fallback, font and DPI changes while running, color emoji, true color and Sixel images. Users can search scrollback and find URLs with the keyboard. The feature set also includes SSH, scripting, text input through text-input-v3 and multi-seat support. With compatible shell support, OSC 7 can open a new terminal in the current working directory, while OSC 133 enables prompt navigation. Detected URLs open with xdg-open by default, though the launch command can be changed in configuration. Settings are managed through foot.ini in the user's XDG configuration directory. The project is MIT licensed. Its installation guidance describes building with Meson and Ninja, with Wayland protocols and ncurses among the build requirements; full PGO builds using the real binary must run in a Wayland session.
For and against
For
- Native Wayland support
- Server mode shares process and glyph cache
- Includes scrollback search and keyboard URL detection
- MIT licensed and free
Against
- Requires a Wayland environment
- Installation guidance requires Meson and Ninja
- Full PGO builds must run in a Wayland session
The verdict
foot combines terminal essentials with configurable display and navigation features for Wayland users. Its Wayland focus and build requirements are important constraints to weigh.
Who it suits
foot suits Linux users who want a configurable terminal emulator in a Wayland environment. Its native Wayland requirement makes it a poor fit for users who need a terminal for other display systems.
Plans and prices
foot
Wayland terminal emulator · MIT license
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Build and install
- The installation guide describes building with Meson and Ninja and lists Wayland protocols and ncurses among build requirements.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- The README describes configuration through a foot.ini file under the user's XDG configuration directory.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- GPU acceleration
- Noci.codeberg.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Input
- The feature list includes input method support via text-input-v3 and multi-seat support.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- License
- The project states that foot is released under the MIT license.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Native support
- The project lists native Wayland support and says it is desktop-environment agnostic.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Navigation
- foot provides scrollback search and keyboard-driven URL detection.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Notable requirement
- foot is a Wayland terminal emulator, and its installation guide says full PGO builds using the real binary must run in a Wayland session.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Scripting API
- Yesci.codeberg.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Server mode
- Server mode lets multiple terminal windows share one process, fonts, and glyph cache.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Shell integration
- With shell support for OSC 7, new terminals can open in the current working directory; OSC 133 enables prompt navigation.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Split panes
- Noci.codeberg.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- SSH support
- Yesci.codeberg.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Support
- The project directs bug reports to its issue tracker and invites questions in the #foot IRC channel on Libera.Chat.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- linuxci.codeberg.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Text and display
- Features include configurable font fallback, on-the-fly font and DPI adjustment, color emoji, true color, and Sixel images.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- URL handling
- URL launch uses xdg-open by default, and the launch command can be changed in configuration.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- What it does
- foot is a fast, lightweight, minimalistic Wayland terminal emulator.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
