RTL Terminal
The first VS Code terminal that properly renders Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu.
The Problem
VS Code, Cursor, and Antigravity all use xterm.js for their terminal — and xterm.js doesn't support Arabic text shaping. Arabic text appears with disconnected, unreadable letters:
ه ذ ا م ث ا ل ع ر ب ي
The Solution
RTL Terminal renders Arabic correctly — connected letters, proper word shapes, fully readable:
هذا مثال عربي
Features
| Feature |
Details |
| Arabic text shaping |
Proper letter joining with contextual forms (initial, medial, final, isolated) |
| All RTL languages |
Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu |
| Auto-detection |
Automatically activates when RTL text is detected |
| Full terminal emulation |
Powered by xterm.js — cursor, scrollback, scrolling, resize |
| ANSI colors |
Full support for 16, 256, and RGB colors |
| Claude Code |
Read and write Arabic in Claude Code sessions |
| Nerd Fonts |
Powerline glyphs and icons render correctly |
| Keyboard shortcut |
Cmd+Shift+T (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+T (Win/Linux) |
| Custom cursor |
Blinking cursor on Arabic lines |
| Cross-platform |
macOS, Linux, and Windows |
Installation
Search "RTL Terminal" in the VS Code Extensions sidebar, or run:
code --install-extension khalid-alzahrani.ar-terminal
Usage
- Press
Cmd+Shift+T (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows/Linux)
- Or open Command Palette → "RTL Terminal: New Terminal"
- Or click the RTL Terminal icon in the sidebar
Use it like any terminal — Arabic text renders correctly automatically.
Works With
- Claude Code — full Arabic support in conversations
- zsh / bash / PowerShell — all shells supported
- git — Arabic commit messages, branch names
- npm / node — Arabic output from scripts
- ssh — remote sessions with Arabic text
- vim / htop / less — TUI apps work normally (overlay auto-disables)
How It Works
RTL Terminal uses a hybrid rendering approach:
Shell (zsh/bash/PowerShell)
↓ raw output
node-pty (PTY process)
↓ terminal data
xterm.js (full terminal emulation)
↓ rendered buffer
DOM Overlay (browser text engine)
↓ connected Arabic letters
WebView Panel (VS Code)
- xterm.js handles all terminal logic — cursor positioning, scrollback, ANSI escape codes, input handling
- DOM overlay scans each visible line for RTL characters
- Lines with Arabic text get an HTML overlay on top of the canvas
- The browser's native text engine renders the Arabic with proper letter connections
- Non-Arabic lines are untouched — zero overhead
Commands
| Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
| RTL Terminal: New Terminal |
Cmd+Shift+T / Ctrl+Shift+T |
Open a new RTL Terminal |
| RTL Terminal: Toggle Mode |
— |
Cycle between auto/on/off |
| RTL Terminal: Set Mode On |
— |
Force RTL processing on all lines |
| RTL Terminal: Set Mode Off |
— |
Disable RTL processing |
| RTL Terminal: Set Mode Auto |
— |
Auto-detect RTL text (default) |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
rtlTerminal.mode |
auto |
RTL processing mode: auto, on, or off |
rtlTerminal.shell |
— |
Shell executable (auto-detects if empty) |
rtlTerminal.shellArgs |
[] |
Arguments to pass to the shell |
| Platform |
Status |
| macOS ARM (M1/M2/M3/M4) |
Supported |
| macOS Intel |
Supported |
| Linux x64 |
Supported |
| Linux ARM64 |
Supported |
| Windows x64 |
Supported |
| Windows ARM64 |
Supported |
Building from Source
git clone https://github.com/alzahrani-khalid/ar-terminal.git
cd ar-terminal
npm install
npx @electron/rebuild -v 32.3.2 -m . --only node-pty
npx vsce package --allow-missing-repository
code --install-extension ar-terminal-*.vsix
Note: The electron-rebuild step compiles node-pty for VS Code's Electron version. Check your VS Code version if 32.3.2 doesn't match.
Known Limitations
- Opens as an editor tab, not in the terminal panel (VS Code API limitation)
- Brief flash (~30ms) of disconnected Arabic before the overlay renders
- Text selection on Arabic lines copies from xterm.js underneath
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or PR on the GitHub repository.
License
MIT
