abbr

Add a new abbreviation

$ abbr [[-a|--add]] [abbreviation_name] [command] [command_arguments]

$ abbr --rename [old_name] [new_name]

$ abbr [[-e|--erase]] [abbreviation_name]

$ ssh [host_name] abbr [[-s|--show]] | source

abbr [-a|-g|-d|-e|-l|-s|-k] [KEY [EXPANSION]]

-a, --add
    Add abbreviation (default mode)

-g, --global
    Save abbreviation persistently

-d, --delete
    Delete matching abbreviation(s)

-e, --erase
    Delete all abbreviations

-l, --list
    List all abbreviations

-s, --search
    Search abbreviations by KEY

-k, --query
    Exit 0 if KEY exists, else 1

The abbr command is a built-in in the fish shell, used to create, manage, and remove abbreviations. Abbreviations are shortcuts that expand to full commands or text when pressing Tab, improving typing efficiency without altering the command line like aliases do.

Without arguments, abbr KEY EXPANSION adds a session-only abbreviation. Options allow listing, searching, deleting, or making them global (persistent via config.fish).

Expansions support placeholders like \u1 for first argument. Ideal for frequent commands, e.g., gc → git commit -m. Global mode (-g) saves to ~/.config/fish/config.fish for reuse.

Unlike bash aliases, fish abbreviations expand inline, enabling easy editing post-expansion. Available only in fish shell environments.

Fish shell only; not in bash/zsh. Global requires config write access. Expansions use fish syntax (e.g., \u1 for arg1).

abbr gco 'git checkout'
abbr -g ll 'ls -l'
abbr -d gco
abbr -l | grep git

Use \u1 (1st arg), \u2 (2nd), \u* (all args), \\ (literal backslash).

Introduced in fish 2.6.0 (2016) for abbreviation management. Global support added early; options refined in 3.x for scripting.

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