zgen
Lightweight Zsh plugin manager
TLDR
Load Oh My Zsh
SYNOPSIS
zgen command [arguments]
DESCRIPTION
zgen is a lightweight plugin manager for Zsh. It generates a static init script from your plugin configuration, making shell startup fast because plugins don't need to be loaded dynamically each time.
The typical workflow:
1. Define plugins in .zshrc using zgen commands
2. Run zgen save to generate the init script
3. Subsequent shell starts load the pre-generated script
zgen supports Oh My Zsh, Prezto, and any GitHub-hosted Zsh plugin. It handles cloning repositories and sourcing the appropriate files.
Configuration example in .zshrc:
if ! zgen saved; then
zgen oh-my-zsh
zgen oh-my-zsh plugins/git
zgen load zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting
zgen save
fi
SUBCOMMANDS
oh-my-zsh [pluginortheme]
Load Oh My Zsh or specific componentload repo [file]
Load plugin from GitHub repositorysave
Save current configuration to init scriptupdate
Update all pluginsreset
Delete generated init script (regenerates on next load)list
List loaded pluginsselfupdate
Update zgen itselfclone repo
Clone repository without loading
CAVEATS
After changing plugins in .zshrc, run zgen reset and restart the shell to regenerate the init script.
zgen development is less active. Consider zinit or sheldon for actively maintained alternatives.
Plugin updates require manual zgen update. No automatic update mechanism.
