Zellij

Layouts

• dev: Standard layout for git project development. Multi-instance.
• dotfiles: Extends dev with leading chezmoi tab running chezit. For editing this dotfiles repo.
• home: User central session for note-taking and system monitoring. Single-instance.

Composition pattern

Zellij has no native layout includes, so shared blocks live in home/.chezmoitemplates/ and are inlined by chezmoi at apply time.

Partials

• zellij-default-tab.kdl: default_tab_template block (tab-bar + status-bar panes). All new layouts must include this partial to keep the chrome consistent.
• zellij-dev-tabs.kdl: dev tab set (vcs, edit, ai, services). Reused by dev and dotfiles.

Authoring a new layout

1. Create home/dot_config/zellij/layouts/<name>.kdl.tmpl.
2. Open with layout {, inline zellij-default-tab.kdl, add tabs (custom or via existing partials), close.

Example:

layout {
  {{ template "zellij-default-tab.kdl" . }}

  tab name="custom" focus=true {
    pane { command "..." }
  }

  {{ template "zellij-dev-tabs.kdl" . }}
}

Tab order in the file = tab order in the bar. Use focus=true on the tab that should open active.

Why partials over a single base layout

Zellij parses each layout file standalone; no include directive exists. Chezmoi templates render the partials before zellij ever reads the kdl, so the runtime sees a flat, valid layout.