macOS: toggle_visibility keybind only hides window, cannot unhide

[vitormalencar]

Hello,
I'm experiencing an issue with the toggle_visibility keybind on macOS. I have my configuration set as follows:

keybind = global:cmd+\=toggle_visibility

When I press the key combination:

• First press: The window becomes invisible (hidden) as expected.
• Second press: The window remains hidden. I have to manually click on the dock icon to bring it back to view.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Configure Ghostty with keybind = global:cmd+\=toggle_visibility.
2. Press Cmd+\ to hide the window.
3. Press Cmd+\ again, expecting the window to reappear.
4. Observe that the window does not become visible again automatically.

System Details:

• macOS Version: 15.2 (24C101)
• Ghostty Version: 1.1.2
• Build: 9416
• Commit: e963f62

I've also validated my configuration with the Ghostty CLI using ghostty +validate-config, and no issues were reported.

I've recorded a video demonstrating the behavior, which I will attach shortly.

Has anyone else encountered this issue or have suggestions for a fix?

Thank you for your help!

example.mp4

[taylrfnt]

Duplicate of #5615, looks like

[vitormalencar]

Yes, sounds like, maybe just the key bind is different

[vitormalencar]

Hey 👋

So for everyone having this problem—I know the Ghostty team is usually quick with fixes, but if you need this feature right now, I've put together a simple workaround to bring toggle visibility back.

example2.mp4

Here’s what you need to do if you want to add it:

Requirements

• macOS
• Hammerspoon installed

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Install Hammerspoon:
   If you haven’t already, you can download and install Hammerspoon from hammerspoon.org.

2. Open Your Hammerspoon Configuration:
   Open your configuration file (typically located at ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua).

3. Add the Toggle Visibility Script:

-- Function to toggle Ghostty's visibility
local function toggleGhosttyVisibility()
  local app = hs.application.find("Ghostty")
  if app then
    -- If Ghostty is the frontmost application, hide it
    if app:isFrontmost() then
      app:hide()
    else
      -- Otherwise, bring it to the front
      app:activate()
    end
  else
    -- If Ghostty isn't running, launch it
    hs.application.launchOrFocus("Ghostty")
  end
end

-- Bind Command + \ to toggle Ghostty visibility Here you can customize for your own keybinds 
hs.hotkey.bind({"cmd"}, "\\", toggleGhosttyVisibility)

This script will check for:

• Checks if Ghostty is running.
• Hides Ghostty if it’s currently active.
• Activates (or launches) Ghostty if it’s hidden.
  Bind this function to a key combination (e.g., Cmd + \) of your choice.

4. Reload Hammerspoon:
   Save your changes and reload Hammerspoon (you can do this via the menu bar icon).

5. Test It Out:
   Press your chosen key combination to toggle Ghostty’s visibility. It should hide if it's active and bring it to the front (or launch it) if it's not.

Hope this helps anyone experiencing the issue.

[mistenkt]

Thanks for this, just a note tho, this did pick up false positives when other windows had something with "Ghostty" in them, like a browser tab and such.

what worked for me:

local function getGhosttyPID()
    local output, status = hs.execute([[ps aux | grep "[G]hostty.app" | awk '{print $2}']])
    local pid = tonumber(output) -- Convert to number
    return pid
end

local function getGhosttyApp()
    local pid = getGhosttyPID()
    if pid then
        return hs.application.applicationForPID(pid)
    end
    return nil
end

local function toggleGhosttyVisibility()
    local app = getGhosttyApp()

    if app then
        if app and app:isFrontmost() then
            app:hide()
        else
            if app then app:activate() end
        end
    else
        -- If Ghostty isn't running, launch it
        hs.application.launchOrFocus("Ghostty")
    end
end

-- Bind Command + ' to toggle Ghostty visibility
hs.hotkey.bind({"cmd"}, "'", toggleGhosttyVisibility)

[alexclifford]

Thanks for this, just a note tho, this did pick up false positives when other windows had something with "Ghostty" in them, like a browser tab and such.

what worked for me:

local function getGhosttyPID()
    local output, status = hs.execute([[ps aux | grep "[G]hostty.app" | awk '{print $2}']])
    local pid = tonumber(output) -- Convert to number
    return pid
end

local function getGhosttyApp()
    local pid = getGhosttyPID()
    if pid then
        return hs.application.applicationForPID(pid)
    end
    return nil
end

local function toggleGhosttyVisibility()
    local app = getGhosttyApp()

    if app then
        if app and app:isFrontmost() then
            app:hide()
        else
            if app then app:activate() end
        end
    else
        -- If Ghostty isn't running, launch it
        hs.application.launchOrFocus("Ghostty")
    end
end

-- Bind Command + ' to toggle Ghostty visibility
hs.hotkey.bind({"cmd"}, "'", toggleGhosttyVisibility)

This half works for me. It doesn't hide Ghostty if it's the active window (but does bring it to bring on first keybind press.

[dkmar]

Another option if you have the the rcmd app. If ghostty is the only 'G' app you care about, you can have this behavior.

[00-kat]

People c'mon this is a duplicate if you want to share workarounds do it in the other thread.