Bash Prompt Generator

An interactive Bash PS1 prompt generator and Linux prompt builder. Create custom terminal prompts with colors, Git branch, system info, and formatting—no installation needed. Use the visual canvas to build your prompt and get ready-to-copy code for ~/.bashrc.

Keywords: bash prompt generator · PS1 generator · custom bash prompt · terminal prompt builder · Linux prompt

Live version: https://neikiri.dev/bash-prompt-generator/

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Why use a Bash Prompt Generator?

Tired of the plain $ in your terminal? Want to see your Git branch, current path, or system info at a glance? This tool lets you visually build a custom PS1 prompt—no need to memorize escape codes or edit .bashrc by hand. Add elements, set colors, and copy the result.

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Bash Prompt Generator Features

The app lets you build a PS1 prompt by adding building blocks (date, user, path, Git branch, etc.) to a canvas, style them with colors and text attributes, and get the final PS1="..." string for your ~/.bashrc. It works on desktop (with drag-and-drop and multi-select) and on mobile (tap to add, full-screen properties panel). Below is a detailed breakdown.

Left panel – Prompt Elements

• Element categories – add any of these to your prompt:

  • Date & Time – date, time (24h/12h), timezone, Unix timestamp
  • User – username, root indicator ($/#), UID
  • Host & System – hostname (short/full), shell, Bash version, shell level
  • Directory – current directory (full path or name), home shortcut (~), depth
  • Commands & History – command number, exit status, success/error indicator
  • Processes – background jobs count, PID, process count
  • Version Control – Git branch, commit hash, repo name, clean/dirty status, staged count
  • Development Environments – Python venv, Node/Ruby/Go version, Docker/Kubernetes context
  • System Status – CPU/memory/disk usage, load average, uptime
  • Network – local/public IP, SSH indicator, network interface
  • Layout – newline, carriage return, space, tab
  • Characters – bell, escape, backslash, pipe
  • Icons / Symbols – Git, folder, user, host, time, success/error icons

• Quick Characters – one-tap insertion of special characters (space, ~, !, ?, @, #, $, %, …).

Center – Canvas and output

• Canvas – area where you arrange prompt building blocks in the order they should appear.
• Preview – live preview of the prompt (with sample values).
• Prompt Code – generated PS1="..." string ready to paste into .bashrc.
• Buttons:
  • Copy to Clipboard – copies the Prompt Code.
  • Reset All – resets all element properties (foreground/background colors and text attributes) to defaults for every element on the canvas. Elements and their order are kept; only styling is cleared.
  • Delete All – removes all elements from the canvas (with confirmation).

Right panel – Element Properties

When one or more elements on the canvas are selected:

• Colors – foreground and background (hex/ANSI/Truecolor).
• Text attributes – Bold, Dim, Italic, Underline, Blink, Inverted.
• Actions – Duplicate (duplicate selected elements), Delete (remove selected). Changes apply to all selected elements at once.

Desktop (PC) behaviour

• Drag & drop – drag items from Prompt Elements onto the canvas; you can drop between existing elements (top/bottom half of an element sets insert position).
• Multi-select – click elements on the canvas to add/remove them from the selection; edit properties for all selected at once.
• Reordering – drag elements on the canvas to reorder (Sortable).

Mobile behaviour

• Adding – tap elements in Prompt Elements to add them (no drag & drop).
• Element Properties – when opened, the panel goes full screen (full viewport).
• Single selection – one tap selects one element.

Other

• Each element on the canvas has its own instance – you can have several of the same type (e.g. three "Date") and select/edit them separately.
• Empty prompt shows PS1=""; with elements, only the content inside the quotes is generated.

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How to Use the Bash Prompt Generator

1. Open https://neikiri.dev/bash-prompt-generator/.
2. Add elements
   • Desktop: click an element in the left panel, or drag it onto the canvas (or between two existing elements).
   • Mobile: tap elements in Prompt Elements (at the top).
3. Reorder – on desktop, drag elements on the canvas to change order.
4. Style – click/tap an element (or on desktop select several); in Element Properties set colors and attributes. Changes apply to all selected.
5. Duplicate or remove – use Duplicate or Delete in Element Properties for the selection; or use the per-element delete icon on the canvas.
6. Reset styling only – use Reset All to set all elements' colors and attributes back to defaults (elements and order stay).
7. Copy the code – in Prompt Code, click Copy to Clipboard, then in ~/.bashrc add:

   PS1="your_generated_string"
   

   Run source ~/.bashrc or reopen the terminal.

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FAQ

What is a Bash prompt (PS1)?
The Bash prompt (PS1) is the text shown before each command in a Linux/Unix terminal (e.g. user@host:~$). You can customize it to show date, Git branch, current directory, and more.

How do I add Git branch to my Bash prompt?
Use this generator: add the "Git branch" element from the Version Control category, style it if you want, then copy the generated code into your ~/.bashrc and run source ~/.bashrc.

Is this tool free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser at neikiri.dev/bash-prompt-generator. No signup or installation required.

Does it work offline?
No. The page must be loaded once from the web. After that, most editing works without a connection, but initial load requires internet.

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Tech

• Plain HTML/CSS/JavaScript (single page, no build).
• Sortable.js for drag-and-drop reordering on the canvas.
• Font Awesome for icons.
• Responsive layout with full-screen Element Properties on mobile.

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Author

© 2026 neiki · neikiri@neikiri.cz

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Related searches

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