[BUG] Issue: Ghostty configuration errors after ML4W dotfiles update

[SagarOnArch]

Describe the bug

class: value required
dotfiles-floating: invalid field

This happens immediately when I trigger the update from Waybar

Possible cause

$(cat ~/.config/ml4w/settings/terminal.sh) --class dotfiles-floating -e ~/.config/ml4w/scripts/ml4w-network

Ghostty seems to interpret this incorrectly in the current configuration, resulting in:

class: value required

dotfiles-floating: invalid field

Ghostty expects:

--class=

or

--class value

But if something in the update writes something like:

class: dotfiles-floating

or injects dotfiles-floating incorrectly into config, Ghostty may parse it as a separate field, which produces:

dotfiles-floating: invalid field

So the parser basically goes:

class: (missing value)
dotfiles-floating: ??? (unknown key)

Which explains the two errors together.

Environment

• Distro: CachyOS
• Terminal: Ghostty
• Dotfiles repo: ML4W dotfiles

Steps to reproduce

1. Install ML4W dotfiles
2. Run the ML4W update script
3. Launch Ghostty
4. Ghostty shows a configuration error pop-up

Expected behavior

Ghostty should start normally without configuration errors when launched through the ML4W dotfiles setup.

Screenshots

Distribution

Other (please specify below)

If Other, specify

CachyOS

Additional context

replace

--class dotfiles-floating

with

--class=dotfiles-floating

$(cat ~/.config/ml4w/settings/terminal.sh) --class=dotfiles-floating -e ~/.config/ml4w/scripts/ml4w-install-system-updates

By changing it like this issue resolves

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

[SagarOnArch]

Since Ghostty is becoming a fast and modern alternative to terminals like Kitty or Alacritty, I created a small setup script that integrates with the ML4W ecosystem. It is designed to work with the ML4W dotfiles and automatically apply the same Matugen-generated theme, keeping the terminal appearance consistent.

The goal was simply to make Ghostty easier to adopt within the ML4W environment while keeping the same dynamic color workflow.

If this could be useful, I’d be happy to adapt it to better fit the ML4W dotfiles structure or help improve Ghostty support for the project.

If you have time to check it out, I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions:
https://github.com/devSagarSardar/MyGhostty

Meanwhile, the repo includes an automatic installer script similar to the ML4W dotfiles, which might make testing quicker and easier.

[SagarOnArch]

Also, I just wanted to say I really appreciate the work you've put into the ML4W project. It’s a great setup and I’m genuinely a big fan of how well everything is organized and integrated. Thanks for creating and maintaining such an awesome project!

[mylinuxforwork]

Thank you very much for your contribution. I will definitely test your ghostty setup.

What are the benefits of ghostty compared to kitty from your experiences?

[SagarOnArch]

Thank you for taking the time to check it out. I really appreciate it. From my experience, Ghostty feels extremely fast, and the font rendering is excellent, especially with Nerd Font and ligature support.

It also has built-in tabs and pane splits, so you can manage multiple sessions without tools like tmux or Zellij. The tab overview feature is very convenient when working with many tabs.

Customisation is another great point. You can define your own keybindings and even use performable keybindings, where a single shortcut can trigger multiple actions (for example, Ctrl+C can perform both Copy and Copy to Clipboard). It also supports shaders, automatic theme switching, and the Kitty image protocol.

I’ve only been using Ghostty for a short time, so these are just the things I noticed early on. I’m currently testing it with the ML4W dotfiles and still exploring more features. It’s been really fun so far, and I’m working on the next version of my setup, which should bring faster workflows and some interesting theming ideas for ML4W users.

If more ML4W users try it and share feedback through you, I think it could become a really nice project to keep improving and learning from. And having a great developer like you who can suggest many cool ideas, like those in the ML4W dotfiles, would definitely be the cherry on top.

[SagarOnArch]

Also, thank you for your encouragement. It has honestly motivated me to keep working on this project and inspired me to build more awesome projects in the future.

[SagarOnArch]

@mylinuxforwork Hey, can you give me a few suggestions if you have free time ? Is it good to have nvim-like keybindings in ghostty, like gg to the top of the page?

[Pintjebier]

@SagarOnArch made some changes in ~/.config/ml4w/scripts/ml4w-toggle-theme so I can switch between dark and light mode:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

GTK3_SETTINGS_FILE="$HOME/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini"
GTK4_SETTINGS_FILE="$HOME/.config/gtk-4.0/settings.ini"
GHOSTTY_THEME_FILE="$HOME/.config/ghostty/config.d/theme.conf"

if grep -q "gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=1" "$GTK3_SETTINGS_FILE"; then
  # LIGHT
  sed -i 's/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=1/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=0/' "$GTK3_SETTINGS_FILE"

  if [ -f "$GTK4_SETTINGS_FILE" ]; then
    sed -i 's/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=true/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=false/' "$GTK4_SETTINGS_FILE"
  fi

  echo "theme = ml4w-matugen-light" >"$GHOSTTY_THEME_FILE"

  echo "Switched to light theme."

else
  # DARK
  sed -i 's/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=0/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=1/' "$GTK3_SETTINGS_FILE"

  if [ -f "$GTK4_SETTINGS_FILE" ]; then
    sed -i 's/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=false/gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=true/' "$GTK4_SETTINGS_FILE"
  fi

  echo "theme = ml4w-matugen-dark" >"$GHOSTTY_THEME_FILE"

  echo "Switched to dark theme."
fi

Here are the light and dark configs I made:
ml4w-matugen-dark

# Matugen Ghostty Theme Dark

foreground = #f1dfda
background = #1a110f

cursor-color = #f1dfda
cursor-text = #d8c2bc

selection-foreground = #442a22
selection-background = #e7bdb1

# black
palette = 0=#4c4c4c
palette = 8=#f1dfda

# red
palette = 1=#ffb4ab
palette = 9=#c49ea0

# green
palette = 2=#f1dfda
palette = 10=#9ec49f

# yellow
palette = 3=#aca98a
palette = 11=#c4c19e

# blue
palette = 4=#ffb59f
palette = 12=#a39ec4

# magenta
palette = 5=#ffb4ab
palette = 13=#c49ec4

# cyan
palette = 6=#f1dfda
palette = 14=#9ec3c4

# white
palette = 7=#f0f0f0
palette = 15=#e7e7e7

ml4w-matugen-light

# Matugen Ghostty Theme Light

foreground = #2b1a16
background = #f8efec

cursor-color = #2b1a16
cursor-text = #f8efec

selection-foreground = #ffffff
selection-background = #c49ea0

# black

palette = 0=#2b1a16
palette = 8=#6e5a55

# red

palette = 1=#c14b47
palette = 9=#ff8a80

# green

palette = 2=#4f7d52
palette = 10=#7fbf7f

# yellow

palette = 3=#8a844a
palette = 11=#c4c19e

# blue

palette = 4=#b35b46
palette = 12=#ffb59f

# magenta

palette = 5=#a55a84
palette = 13=#d78fb3

# cyan

palette = 6=#4f7f84
palette = 14=#8fbec2

# white

palette = 7=#e7d7d2
palette = 15=#ffffff

The only thing I need to figure out is for Ghostty to reload its config after theme switch 😕

[SagarOnArch]

@Pintjebier I think I can do that...Are you using MyGhostty Config ?

[Pintjebier]

@SagarOnArch Yes, I gave Ghostty a try again. I tried using Ghostty a while ago but switched back to Kitty as it is not a 100% compatible with Hyprland

[SagarOnArch]

@SagarOnArch Yes, I gave Ghostty a try again. I tried using Ghostty a while ago but switched back to Kitty as it is not a 100% compatible with Hyprland

I will push theme toggle switcher feature in MyGhostty configuration...but Ghostty is highly compatible with Hyprland as it is a native Wayland terminal..Also Ghosty released crazy features in there version 1.3 soon I will release MyGhostty 0.1.3 it will be next level configuration with full of features mark my word