Oh my ZSH with zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting and zsh-autocomplete.md

Oh my ZSH with zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting and zsh-autocomplete.md

Note

I’ve written a newer optimized 2026 version of this guide with a faster setup using Zinit + Starship and improved plugin loading.

This version avoids slow shell startups and works better with modern Zsh setups.

Updated guide: https://gist.github.com/n1snt/2cccc8aa5f7b645a7628d3512c70deb6

Oh my zsh.

Install ZSH.

sudo apt install zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh

Install Oh my ZSH.

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

Install plugins.

• autosuggesions plugin

  git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions.git $ZSH_CUSTOM/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

• zsh-syntax-highlighting plugin

  git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git $ZSH_CUSTOM/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

• zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting plugin

  git clone https://github.com/zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/fast-syntax-highlighting

• zsh-autocomplete plugin

  git clone --depth 1 -- https://github.com/marlonrichert/zsh-autocomplete.git $ZSH_CUSTOM/plugins/zsh-autocomplete

Enable plugins by adding them to .zshrc.

• Open .zshrc

  nvim ~/.zshrc

• Find the line which says plugins=(git).

• Replace that line with plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting fast-syntax-highlighting zsh-autocomplete)

References

• Oh my ZSH
• zsh-autosuggestions
• zsh-syntax-highlighting
• zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting
• zsh-autocomplete

Words cannot describe my gratitude!!!

great write up and plugin combination, thanks!

🔥

I asked AI to write a script for me to do the tricks above. :) It works well in my environment.

#!/bin/bash

# install ZSH and related packages
echo "Installing ZSH and related packages..."
sudo apt install zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh -y

# Install Oh My ZSH
echo "Installing Oh My ZSH..."
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" "" --unattended

# Install plugins
echo "Installing ZSH plugins..."

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

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

# fast-syntax-highlighting
git clone https://github.com/zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/fast-syntax-highlighting

# autocomplete
git clone --depth 1 -- https://github.com/marlonrichert/zsh-autocomplete.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autocomplete

# Change .zshrc file
echo "Configuring .zshrc..."
sed -i 's/plugins=(git)/plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting fast-syntax-highlighting zsh-autocomplete)/' ~/.zshrc

# switch to zsh as default shell
echo "Changing default shell to ZSH..."
chsh -s $(which zsh)

echo "Installation completed! Please restart your terminal or run 'source ~/.zshrc' to apply changes."

@jacob-fm

is there an easy way to disable that?

Not at the moment, but feel free to submit a pull request. It's not hard to implement. You'll need to change only a small part of the code

I should have listened to "Do we want to mix all of those? Aren't some of them competing?"... zsh-autocomplete won't play ball with fast-syntax-highlighting. Many thanks for the gist.

Thanks for your help!

Have you found solution for that semicolo issue? @jacob-fm @PhilipLutley

@yaozzzhao that your script is great, thanks for the simplification, it's same thing i had in mind

Thank you!

Thank you!

I should have listened to "Do we want to mix all of those? Aren't some of them competing?"... zsh-autocomplete won't play ball with fast-syntax-highlighting. Many thanks for the gist.

But what about zsh-syntax-highlighting and zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting? Do those two compete?

Works for me thank you

Thank you so much!

Tks

Great right

Awesome! Thanks!

Great ! Bookmarking it !

Nice

This is awesome, thank you!

i have used this configurations on my all devices and every time i get new device or install new linux distro i gets back to here, thanks!

Nice!

Awesome configurations, thanks!

Esta muy buena pero yo lo voy a intalar en Linux From Scratch

But what about zsh-syntax-highlighting and zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting? Do those two compete?

makes no sense to use both. i use fast-syntax-highlighting

Thanks man

Thanks broooooo

This is GOAT

I asked AI to write a script for me to do the tricks above. :) It works well in my environment.

#!/bin/bash

# install ZSH and related packages
echo "Installing ZSH and related packages..."
sudo apt install zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh -y

# Install Oh My ZSH
echo "Installing Oh My ZSH..."
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" "" --unattended

# Install plugins
echo "Installing ZSH plugins..."

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

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

# fast-syntax-highlighting
git clone https://github.com/zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/fast-syntax-highlighting

# autocomplete
git clone --depth 1 -- https://github.com/marlonrichert/zsh-autocomplete.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autocomplete

# Change .zshrc file
echo "Configuring .zshrc..."
sed -i 's/plugins=(git)/plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting fast-syntax-highlighting zsh-autocomplete)/' ~/.zshrc

# switch to zsh as default shell
echo "Changing default shell to ZSH..."
chsh -s $(which zsh)

echo "Installation completed! Please restart your terminal or run 'source ~/.zshrc' to apply changes."

Yoo, thanks a lot dude! It makes it even faster XD

I asked AI to write a script for me to do the tricks above. :) It works well in my environment.

#!/bin/bash

# install ZSH and related packages
echo "Installing ZSH and related packages..."
sudo apt install zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh -y

# Install Oh My ZSH
echo "Installing Oh My ZSH..."
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" "" --unattended

# Install plugins
echo "Installing ZSH plugins..."

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

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

# fast-syntax-highlighting
git clone https://github.com/zdharma-continuum/fast-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/fast-syntax-highlighting

# autocomplete
git clone --depth 1 -- https://github.com/marlonrichert/zsh-autocomplete.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autocomplete

# Change .zshrc file
echo "Configuring .zshrc..."
sed -i 's/plugins=(git)/plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting fast-syntax-highlighting zsh-autocomplete)/' ~/.zshrc

# switch to zsh as default shell
echo "Changing default shell to ZSH..."
chsh -s $(which zsh)

echo "Installation completed! Please restart your terminal or run 'source ~/.zshrc' to apply changes."

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