# The Omarchy Terminal Workflow

Checked against Omarchy 4.0.4. Omarchy is built around the terminal, and it shows. A fresh install has a fast terminal with no tabs, a session manager with a key you have never pressed, an editor that starts in a mode where typing does nothing, and a pile of command names (`ff`, `tdl`, `rg`, `lsa`) you did not choose. Nobody hands you a map.

This guide is the map. You learn what each piece is for, the handful of keys that matter, and how they fit together into a workflow where closing a window never loses your work.

## Prerequisite

Comfort with the basics of a shell. If a command prompt still feels foreign, start with [The Terminal and Shell](/guides/the-terminal-and-shell), then [Linux From Zero](/guides/linux-from-zero). For the editor, [Editing in the Terminal](/guides/editing-in-the-terminal) teaches vim modes properly, and this guide leans on it instead of repeating it. The hotkeys and menu are in [Omarchy Menus, Panels, and the CLI](/guides/omarchy-menus-panels-and-cli).

## How to read this

- **In a hurry?** Jump to [Phase 2](02-tmux-sessions-windows-and-panes.md) for tmux, the single biggest upgrade, or [Phase 4](04-tuis-and-development-tools.md) for Docker and language setup.
- **Want it to make sense?** Read in order. Each phase uses the one before it.

## The phases

1. **[Your Terminal and Shell Toolkit](01-your-terminal-and-shell-toolkit.md)** - Foot, copy and paste, and the shell tools and functions Omarchy ships.
2. **[Tmux: Sessions, Windows, and Panes](02-tmux-sessions-windows-and-panes.md)** - persistent sessions, the keys that matter, and the dev layouts.
3. **[Neovim the Omarchy Way](03-neovim-the-omarchy-way.md)** - the LazyVim setup, the keys worth learning first, and the alternatives.
4. **[TUIs and Development Tools](04-tuis-and-development-tools.md)** - lazygit, lazydocker, btop, mise, Docker, databases, and AI agents.

To change how any of this looks, see [Making Omarchy Comfortable](/guides/making-omarchy-comfortable). To install more software, see [Installing and Updating Software on Omarchy](/guides/installing-and-updating-software-on-omarchy).