# Kitty Remote

> Control kitty terminal via remote protocol and kitty-test-harness; launch panels/windows, send keys, capture screen, manage sockets, and debug remote-control failures when testing TUIs.

- Skill: `majiayu000/kitty-remote` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/kitty-remote`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/kitty-remote/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/kitty-remote

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# Kitty Remote Control

Drive kitty instances via the remote control protocol and kitty-test-harness.

## Prerequisites

- Ensure kitty is installed and on PATH.
- Enable remote control (`allow_remote_control=yes` in kitty.conf or via `-o`).
- Run under an active Wayland or X11 session.

## Quick start

1. Launch kitty with a unix socket (`--listen-on unix:/abs/path.sock` or `KITTY_LISTEN_ON`).
1. Wait for `@ ls` to succeed before sending input.
1. Send input with `send-text` and capture output with `get-text --extent screen`.
1. Close with `close-window` and remove the socket.

## Harness usage

- Prefer `kitty +kitten panel` on Wayland; fall back to windows on X11/WSL
- Use absolute socket paths; delete stale sockets before launch
- Send `ESC` to normalize modal state before `:` commands
- Socket disappearance = app exit/crash; capture with `@ ls`, `get-text --ansi`, logs
- Source [scripts/kitty-harness.sh](scripts/kitty-harness.sh) for ready-to-use harness

## References

- [harness-notes.md](references/harness-notes.md) - internals, failure signatures, debug flow
- [escape-codes.md](references/escape-codes.md) - byte-level key sequences and modifiers