Lazygit Configuration Expert

Expert guidance for configuring lazygit with delta integration, custom pagers, themes, and keybindings.

Core Concepts

Lazygit is a terminal UI for git that prioritizes:

• Minimal configuration: Only override what you need
• YAML-based config: Clean, hierarchical settings
• Custom pagers: Enhanced diff viewing with tools like delta
• Keybinding flexibility: Adapt to any layout (Vim, Emacs, Colemak)
• Repository-specific configs: Override settings per repo

Configuration File Locations

Platform-Specific Paths

Standard locations (current):

• macOS:

  ~/Library/Application Support/lazygit/config.yml

• Linux:

  ~/.config/lazygit/config.yml

• Windows:

  %LOCALAPPDATA%\lazygit\config.yml

Legacy locations (older installs):

• macOS:

  ~/Library/Application Support/jesseduffield/lazygit/config.yml

• Linux:

  ~/.config/jesseduffield/lazygit/config.yml

• Windows:

  %APPDATA%\jesseduffield\lazygit\config.yml

Repository-Specific Configs

Project-level overrides:

• .lazygit.yml

  in any parent directory (applies to child repos)

• <repo>/.git/lazygit.yml

  (repo-specific only)

Precedence: Repo configs override global configs

Quick Access

Press

e

in lazygit's Status panel to edit config directly.

Configuration Structure

Lazygit config uses YAML organized into major sections:

# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/master/schema/config.json

gui:
  # Visual appearance, themes, UI elements

git:
  # Git behavior, pagers, diffing, merging

os:
  # External commands (editor, opener, clipboard)

keybinding:
  # Universal and context-specific key mappings

customCommands:
  # User-defined git commands and workflows

Best practice: Only include settings you want to change from defaults.

Delta Integration (Recommended)

Delta is a syntax-highlighting pager that dramatically improves diff readability.

Quick Setup

1. Install delta:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install git-delta

# Nix
nix profile install nixpkgs#delta

# Add to your flake.nix
packages = [ pkgs.delta ];

2. Configure lazygit:

Add to

config.yml

:

git:
  paging:
    colorArg: always
    pager: delta --dark --paging=never

3. Configure delta in ~/.gitconfig:

[core]
    pager = delta

[interactive]
    diffFilter = delta --color-only

[delta]
    navigate = true
    line-numbers = true
    side-by-side = false
    syntax-theme = Monokai Extended

Advanced Delta Setup

Multiple pagers (cycle with

|

key):

git:
  paging:
    colorArg: always
    pager: delta --dark --paging=never --line-numbers
  pagers:
    - pager: delta --dark --paging=never --line-numbers
    - pager: delta --dark --paging=never --side-by-side
    - pager: diff-so-fancy

Delta with hyperlinks (clickable line numbers):

git:
  paging:
    pager: delta --dark --paging=never --line-numbers --hyperlinks --hyperlinks-file-link-format="lazygit-edit://{path}:{line}"

External diff tool (difftastic, difft):

git:
  pagers:
    - pager: delta --dark --paging=never
    - externalDiffCommand: difft --color=always

Delta Configuration

Delta is configured via

~/.gitconfig

, not lazygit's config.yml.

Basic Delta Settings

[delta]
    # Enable features
    navigate = true           # n/N to jump between files
    line-numbers = true       # Show line numbers
    hyperlinks = true         # Clickable file paths

    # Appearance
    dark = true              # Dark mode (or light = true)
    syntax-theme = Monokai Extended

    # Layout
    side-by-side = false     # Unified diff (true for split view)

    # Decorations
    file-style = bold yellow
    file-decoration-style = yellow ul
    hunk-header-style = file line-number syntax

Popular Delta Themes

Available themes (check with

delta --list-syntax-themes

):

• Dark:

  Monokai Extended

  ,

  Nord

  ,

  OneHalfDark

  ,

  Dracula

• Light:

  GitHub

  ,

  OneHalfLight

  ,

  Solarized (light)

Set theme:

[delta]
    syntax-theme = Nord

Delta Features (Presets)

Delta supports feature presets:

[delta]
    features = decorations navigate

[delta "decorations"]
    file-style = bold yellow ul
    file-decoration-style = none
    hunk-header-decoration-style = blue box

[delta "navigate"]
    navigate = true

Side-by-Side Mode

[delta]
    side-by-side = true
    line-numbers-left-format = ""
    line-numbers-right-format = "│ "

Common Lazygit Configurations

Git Settings

git:
  # Paging (covered above)
  paging:
    colorArg: always
    pager: delta --dark --paging=never

  # Main branches
  mainBranches:
    - master
    - main

  # Auto-refresh
  autoFetch: true
  autoRefresh: true
  fetchInterval: 60  # seconds

  # Commit behavior
  commit:
    signOff: false
    autoWrapCommitMessage: true
    autoWrapWidth: 72

  # Merging
  merging:
    manualCommit: false
    args: ""

  # Log
  log:
    order: topo-order  # or date-order
    showGraph: always
    showWholeGraph: false

  # Diffing
  diff:
    pager: ""  # Uses git.paging.pager if empty

GUI Settings

gui:
  # Theme
  theme:
    activeBorderColor:
      - green
      - bold
    inactiveBorderColor:
      - default
    selectedLineBgColor:
      - blue
    selectedRangeBgColor:
      - blue

  # Window management
  windowSize: normal  # normal, half, full
  sidePanelWidth: 0.3333
  expandFocusedSidePanel: false
  mainPanelSplitMode: flexible  # flexible or horizontal

  # Display
  showFileTree: true
  showListFooter: true
  showRandomTip: false
  showCommandLog: true
  showBottomLine: true
  showBranchCommitHash: false

  # Scroll behavior
  scrollHeight: 2
  scrollPastBottom: true
  scrollOffMargin: 2
  scrollOffBehavior: margin  # margin or jump

  # Mouse support
  mouse: true

  # Commit length
  commitLength:
    show: true

  # Skip hooks
  skipDiscardChangeWarning: false
  skipStashWarning: false
  skipNoStagedFilesWarning: false
  skipRewordInEditorWarning: false

OS Settings

os:
  # Editor (uses $GIT_EDITOR, $VISUAL, $EDITOR in that order if not set)
  edit: "nvim {{filename}}"
  editAtLine: "nvim +{{line}} {{filename}}"
  editAtLineAndWait: "nvim +{{line}} {{filename}}"

  # Open command
  open: "open {{filename}}"
  openLink: "open {{link}}"

  # Clipboard
  copyToClipboardCmd: ""  # Auto-detected if empty

Keybindings

Universal keybindings:

keybinding:
  universal:
    quit: 'q'
    quit-alt1: '<c-c>'
    return: '<esc>'
    quitWithoutChangingDirectory: 'Q'
    togglePanel: '<tab>'
    prevItem: '<up>'
    nextItem: '<down>'
    prevItem-alt: 'k'
    nextItem-alt: 'j'
    prevPage: ','
    nextPage: '.'
    scrollLeft: 'H'
    scrollRight: 'L'
    gotoTop: '<'
    gotoBottom: '>'
    prevBlock: '<left>'
    nextBlock: '<right>'
    prevBlock-alt: 'h'
    nextBlock-alt: 'l'
    nextMatch: 'n'
    prevMatch: 'N'
    startSearch: '/'
    optionMenu: 'x'
    optionMenu-alt1: '?'
    select: '<space>'
    goInto: '<enter>'
    remove: 'd'
    new: 'n'
    edit: 'e'
    openFile: 'o'
    scrollUpMain: '<pgup>'
    scrollDownMain: '<pgdown>'
    scrollUpMain-alt1: 'K'
    scrollDownMain-alt1: 'J'
    scrollUpMain-alt2: '<c-u>'
    scrollDownMain-alt2: '<c-d>'
    executeCustomCommand: ':'
    createRebaseOptionsMenu: 'm'
    pushFiles: 'P'
    pullFiles: 'p'
    refresh: 'R'
    createPatchOptionsMenu: '<c-p>'
    nextTab: ']'
    prevTab: '['
    nextScreenMode: '+'
    prevScreenMode: '_'
    undo: 'z'
    redo: '<c-z>'
    filteringMenu: '<c-s>'
    diffingMenu: 'W'
    diffingMenu-alt: '<c-e>'
    copyToClipboard: '<c-o>'

Context-specific keybindings:

keybinding:
  files:
    commitChanges: 'c'
    commitChangesWithoutHook: 'w'
    amendLastCommit: 'A'
    commitChangesWithEditor: 'C'
    findBaseCommitForFixup: '<c-f>'
    confirmDiscard: 'x'
    ignoreFile: 'i'
    refreshFiles: 'r'
    stashAllChanges: 's'
    viewStashOptions: 'S'
    toggleStagedAll: 'a'
    viewResetOptions: 'D'
    fetch: 'f'
    toggleTreeView: '`'
    openMergeTool: 'M'
    openStatusFilter: '<c-b>'

  branches:
    createPullRequest: 'o'
    viewPullRequestOptions: 'O'
    copyPullRequestURL: '<c-y>'
    checkoutBranchByName: 'c'
    forceCheckoutBranch: 'F'
    rebaseBranch: 'r'
    renameBranch: 'R'
    mergeIntoCurrentBranch: 'M'
    viewGitFlowOptions: 'i'
    fastForward: 'f'
    createTag: 'T'
    pushTag: 'P'
    setUpstream: 'u'
    fetchRemote: 'f'

Custom Commands

Add custom git workflows:

customCommands:
  - key: 'C'
    command: 'git cz'
    description: 'commit with commitizen'
    context: 'files'
    loadingText: 'opening commitizen commit tool'
    subprocess: true

  - key: 'p'
    command: 'git push --force-with-lease'
    description: 'push with lease'
    context: 'global'
    loadingText: 'pushing...'

  - key: 'T'
    prompts:
      - type: 'input'
        title: 'Tag name'
        key: 'TagName'
      - type: 'input'
        title: 'Tag message'
        key: 'TagMessage'
    command: 'git tag -a {{.Form.TagName}} -m "{{.Form.TagMessage}}"'
    description: 'Create annotated tag'
    context: 'commits'

Common Workflows

Setup Lazygit from Scratch

1. Check current config location:

# macOS
ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/lazygit/
# Linux
ls -la ~/.config/lazygit/

2. Create config file: Use Write tool to create config at appropriate path.

3. Install delta: Add to your

flake.nix

or install via package manager.

4. Configure delta in ~/.gitconfig: Use Edit tool to add delta settings.

5. Test:

lazygit
# Press 'e' in status panel to verify config
# Use '|' to cycle between pagers if multiple configured

Migrate Existing Config

1. Read current config:

# Find config location
lazygit --print-config-dir

# macOS example
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/lazygit/config.yml

2. Add delta integration: Merge delta pager settings into existing config.

3. Backup before changes:

cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/lazygit/config.yml \
   ~/Library/Application\ Support/lazygit/config.yml.backup

Repository-Specific Overrides

Use case: Different pager for work vs personal repos

Create

.lazygit.yml

in parent directory:

# ~/Code/work/.lazygit.yml
git:
  paging:
    pager: delta --light --paging=never --side-by-side

All repos under

~/Code/work/

inherit these settings.

Troubleshooting

Delta Not Working

Check installation:

which delta
delta --version

Verify git config:

git config --global core.pager
git config --global interactive.diffFilter

Test delta directly:

git diff | delta

Check lazygit pager setting:

lazygit --print-config-dir
cat "$(lazygit --print-config-dir)/config.yml" | grep -A 5 paging

Colors Not Showing

Ensure

colorArg: always

:

git:
  paging:
    colorArg: always

Check terminal color support:

echo $TERM  # Should be xterm-256color or similar

Config Not Loading

Check file location:

lazygit --print-config-dir

Validate YAML syntax:

# Use yq or Python to validate
yq eval . config.yml
# or
python3 -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('config.yml'))"

Check for schema errors: Add schema directive at top of config.yml:

# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/master/schema/config.json

IDE will highlight errors if schema is loaded.

Output Instructions

When helping with lazygit configuration:

1. Determine User's Platform

uname  # Darwin (macOS), Linux, Windows

Set correct config path based on platform.

2. Check Existing Config

lazygit --print-config-dir
# Read current config if it exists

Use Read tool to check existing settings before making changes.

3. Delta Integration Priority

• Always suggest delta as the default pager (best experience)
• Provide gitconfig delta setup alongside lazygit config
• Include side-by-side option for users who prefer it

4. Use Appropriate Tools

• Read: Check existing configs (lazygit and gitconfig)
• Write: Create new config files
• Edit: Modify existing configs (safer than overwriting)
• Bash: Test delta, verify installation, check config location

5. Provide Complete Configs

• Include schema directive for IDE support
• Only include changed settings (don't copy entire default config)
• Add comments explaining non-obvious settings
• Test configs are valid YAML

6. Consider Project Context

• Check if delta is in

  flake.nix

  packages
• Verify git is configured properly
• Respect existing editor settings (nvim, vim, etc.)
• Follow dotfiles structure (config/ directory, symlinks)

7. Validation Steps

After making config changes:

1. Validate YAML syntax
2. Test delta works standalone:

   git diff | delta

3. Launch lazygit and verify pager works
4. Test pager cycling with

   |

   if multiple pagers configured

Related Tools

Other pagers to consider:

• diff-so-fancy: Colorful diffs with good defaults
• difftastic: Structural diff tool (compares syntax trees)
• delta alternatives: bat (syntax highlighting), colordiff

Complementary tools:

• commitizen: Structured commit messages
• git-absorb: Automatic fixup commits
• git-branchless: Advanced rebasing workflows

Reference Documentation

• Lazygit config docs: https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/blob/master/docs/Config.md
• Custom pagers: https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/blob/master/docs/Custom_Pagers.md
• Delta configuration: https://dandavison.github.io/delta/configuration.html
• Delta GitHub: https://github.com/dandavison/delta