Compatibility
Operating Systems
macOS and Linux are supported. Windows is not currently supported.
Terminal Graphics
Sauva uses the Kitty graphics protocol with Unicode placeholders for glyph images.
| Terminal | Graphics mode | Support |
|---|---|---|
| kitty | auto | Supported |
| Ghostty | auto | Supported |
| Other terminals supporting Kitty graphics and Unicode placeholders | force | Can be tried; compatibility is not guaranteed |
| Terminals supporting the iTerm2 inline image protocol | iterm2 | Explicit opt-in; compatibility and future support are not guaranteed |
| Other terminals | off or auto | Text information remains available without glyph images |
Automatic detection recognizes TERM=xterm-kitty and TERM=xterm-ghostty.
If a compatible terminal is not detected, try:
sauva --graphics force
This skips detection; it does not add graphics support to the terminal. A terminal multiplexer or a changed TERM value may affect detection and image display.
The iTerm2 inline image protocol is available only when selected explicitly:
sauva --graphics iterm2
Sixel is not implemented. To disable images, use:
sauva --graphics off
Fonts
Sauva does not bundle fonts. The available glyphs and their appearance depend on the fonts installed on the system.
Additional fonts are optional. If a character has no glyph preview, installing a font that covers it may help. Useful starting points include:
| Fonts | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Noto Sans Symbols and Noto Sans Symbols 2 | Symbols, arrows, and dingbats |
| Noto Sans CJK | Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters |
| Noto Color Emoji | Color emoji on Linux |
Coverage varies by font and version. Install the fonts needed for the characters you want to explore.
- macOS uses Core Text to find system fonts.
- Linux uses Fontconfig when available. If Fontconfig cannot be loaded, Sauva uses a best-effort font database lookup.
Preferred text and emoji fonts can be configured separately. See Glyph Preview for the selection order and settings.
Glyph preview fonts are selected independently of the terminal's text font, so terminal-rendered characters and glyph images can look different. The glyph preview settings do not change the terminal's text font.
Layout
The TUI adapts to the terminal size. Some preview panels are hidden at smaller widths, while the main text view remains available. See Requirements for the minimum size.