How do I install the Platform Compatibility skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add josiahsiegel/platform-compatibility in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Platform Compatibility safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with Platform Compatibility?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Platform Compatibility free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Platform Compatibility?

josiahsiegel (@josiahsiegel) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Platform Compatibility by josiahsiegel

Name: Platform Compatibility
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: josiahsiegel

Platform Compatibility

This skill should be used when the user asks about terminal emulator compatibility, operating-system differences, tmux/screen/Zellij, SSH/remote terminals, Windows ConPTY/classic console/Windows Terminal, Unix PTYs, macOS Terminal/iTerm2, Kitty/Alacritty/WezTerm/foot/GNOME Terminal/Konsole, terminal feature matrices, escape-sequence passthrough, latency, resize propagation, or graceful degradation. PROACTIVELY activate for: compatibility audits, emulator bugs, remote TUI performance, multiplexer passthrough. Provides: support matrices, platform caveats, and fallback rules.

josiahsiegel Updated Sep 9, 2026

File contents

Platform, Emulator, Multiplexer, and Remote Compatibility

Use this skill when a TUI must behave across operating systems, terminal emulators, multiplexers, SSH sessions, containers, CI, or embedded pseudo-terminal hosts.

Compatibility mindset

Terminal capability is a chain: application library, OS console or PTY, shell, multiplexer, SSH transport, terminal emulator, font, theme, and user settings. A feature is reliable only if each link preserves it. Treat every advanced protocol as optional unless the app owns the whole environment.

Support matrix to define

For production TUIs, document and test:

OS: Linux, macOS, Windows Terminal, classic conhost if supported, WSL, containers.
Terminal emulators: Terminal.app, iTerm2, Kitty, Alacritty, WezTerm, foot, GNOME Terminal/VTE, Konsole, Windows Terminal.
Multiplexers: tmux, GNU screen, Zellij.
Remote: SSH, mosh-like links, serial/slow links, jump hosts, agent forwarding policy.
Shell and locale: UTF-8 locale, code page on Windows, TERM and terminfo availability.
Constraints: minimum size, color level, Unicode/ASCII mode, mouse/paste support.

Platform rules

On Windows, distinguish Windows Terminal/ConPTY from legacy console hosts. Enable virtual terminal processing when using low-level console APIs, prefer UTF-8, and test child-process hosting through ConPTY when relevant.
On Unix-like systems, handle PTY semantics, SIGWINCH, termios raw/cbreak restoration, process signals, and locale-dependent encoding.
On macOS, Terminal.app and iTerm2 differ in proprietary protocols, option-key behavior, clipboard/image features, and default color/theme settings.

Multiplexer rules

tmux/screen/Zellij can rewrite TERM, filter OSC/DCS, transform mouse events, mediate alternate screen, and require passthrough wrappers for clipboard, images, truecolor, or keyboard protocols.
Always test inside and outside the multiplexer versions you claim.
Prefer text fallbacks over hard dependencies on OSC 52, OSC 8, Kitty graphics, iTerm2 images, focus events, or extended keyboard protocols.

Remote rules

Minimize write volume and cursor churn over SSH.
Coalesce resize storms and high-frequency metrics.
Do not assume clipboard, local file paths, image protocols, or agent forwarding are present or allowed.
Provide low-bandwidth, no-mouse, no-animation, plain, and batch modes.

Reference files

references/emulator-platform-matrix.md - OS, emulator, PTY, and feature compatibility guidance.
references/multiplexer-remote.md - tmux/screen/Zellij, SSH, latency, passthrough, and resize practices.

---name: platform-compatibilitydescription: This skill should be used when the user asks about terminal emulator compatibility, operating-system differences, tmux/screen/Zellij, SSH/remote terminals, Windows ConPTY/classic console/Windows Terminal, Unix PTYs, macOS Terminal/iTerm2, Kitty/Alacritty/WezTerm/foot/GNOME Terminal/Konsole, terminal feature matrices, escape-sequence passthrough, latency, resize propagation, or graceful degradation. PROACTIVELY activate for: compatibility audits, emulator bugs, remote TUI performance, multiplexer passthrough. Provides: support matrices, platform caveats, and fallback rules.--- # Platform, Emulator, Multiplexer, and Remote Compatibility Use this skill when a TUI must behave across operating systems, terminal emulators, multiplexers, SSH sessions, containers, CI, or embedded pseudo-terminal hosts. ## Compatibility mindset Terminal capability is a chain: application library, OS console or PTY, shell, multiplexer, SSH transport, terminal emulator, font, theme, and user settings. A feature is reliable only if each link preserves it. Treat every advanced protocol as optional unless the app owns the whole environment. ## Support matrix to define For production TUIs, document and test: - OS: Linux, macOS, Windows Terminal, classic conhost if supported, WSL, containers. - Terminal emulators: Terminal.app, iTerm2, Kitty, Alacritty, WezTerm, foot, GNOME Terminal/VTE, Konsole, Windows Terminal. - Multiplexers: tmux, GNU screen, Zellij. - Remote: SSH, mosh-like links, serial/slow links, jump hosts, agent forwarding policy. - Shell and locale: UTF-8 locale, code page on Windows, `TERM` and terminfo availability. - Constraints: minimum size, color level, Unicode/ASCII mode, mouse/paste support. ## Platform rules - On Windows, distinguish Windows Terminal/ConPTY from legacy console hosts. Enable virtual terminal processing when using low-level console APIs, prefer UTF-8, and test child-process hosting through ConPTY when relevant. - On Unix-like systems, handle PTY semantics, `SIGWINCH`, termios raw/cbreak restoration, process signals, and locale-dependent encoding. - On macOS, Terminal.app and iTerm2 differ in proprietary protocols, option-key behavior, clipboard/image features, and default color/theme settings. ## Multiplexer rules - tmux/screen/Zellij can rewrite `TERM`, filter OSC/DCS, transform mouse events, mediate alternate screen, and require passthrough wrappers for clipboard, images, truecolor, or keyboard protocols. - Always test inside and outside the multiplexer versions you claim. - Prefer text fallbacks over hard dependencies on OSC 52, OSC 8, Kitty graphics, iTerm2 images, focus events, or extended keyboard protocols. ## Remote rules - Minimize write volume and cursor churn over SSH. - Coalesce resize storms and high-frequency metrics. - Do not assume clipboard, local file paths, image protocols, or agent forwarding are present or allowed. - Provide low-bandwidth, no-mouse, no-animation, plain, and batch modes. ## Reference files - `references/emulator-platform-matrix.md` - OS, emulator, PTY, and feature compatibility guidance. - `references/multiplexer-remote.md` - tmux/screen/Zellij, SSH, latency, passthrough, and resize practices.

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