antibody

Bundle all plugins for static loading

$ antibody < [~/.zsh_plugins.txt] bundle > [~/.zsh_plugins.sh]

$ antibody update

$ antibody list

antibody [-v] [-h] {bundle|init|home|list|clean|update|path|search} [options] [plugins...]

bundle [plugin...]
    Fetch and generate sourcing code for specified plugins

-b, --brief
    Print only the source line, no comments

--once
    Print plugin only once if duplicated

-l, --lazy
    Enable lazy loading for the plugin

--branch=BRANCH
    Specify git branch or tag

init
    Print Zsh init code to source in .zshrc

home
    Print Antibody's cache home directory

list
    List all currently bundled plugins

clean
    Remove unused bundles from cache

update
    Update all bundled plugins

path [plugin]
    Print filesystem path to a plugin

search QUERY
    Search for plugins on GitHub

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output

-h, --help
    Show help for command

Antibody is a speedy, lightweight Zsh plugin manager written in Go. It fetches plugins via git, caches them, and generates optimized sourcing code for minimal startup impact. Unlike traditional managers like Oh My Zsh or Antigen, Antibody supports lazy loading, duplicate detection, and branch specification, making shells start faster.

Key features include bundling plugins into a single cache file, automatic updates, and simple integration via a single source <(antibody init) line in .zshrc. It scans for plugins listed between antibody bundle lines, enabling declarative configuration. Ideal for users seeking performance without complexity.

Plugins are referenced by GitHub paths like zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting, supporting branches, tags, and custom paths. Antibody's caching reduces git clones on every shell start, improving responsiveness on slow networks.

Requires git installed; cache in ~/.antibody can grow large; Zsh-only, no Bash support.

Add to .zshrc:
antibody bundle oh-my-zsh/lib/git
antibody bundle zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting
source <(antibody init)

go install github.com/getantibody/antibody/cmd/antibody@latest
Or brew install antibody on macOS.

Created by Caio Ariede in 2016 as a performant alternative to Antigen. Gained popularity for speed; actively maintained until 2020, with community forks post-archival.

zsh(1), git(1)