Migrate to Derp from Windows Terminal

Derp on Windows covers everything you use Windows Terminal for today, including profiles, PowerShell, color schemes, and keybindings, with Agent Mode and blocks on top. This page walks through the migration.

What Derp can help transfer

Derp doesn't have a one-click Windows Terminal importer. Because Windows Terminal stores profiles, color schemes, and keybindings in a single JSON file, Derp's Agent can read that file and translate matching values into Derp's settings.toml:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json

Use Derp's Agent to migrate your settings (recommended)

The fastest way to bring over your Windows Terminal setup is to ask Derp's Agent to translate settings.json directly. Derp ships a settings.toml file and a bundled modify-settings skill that lets the Agent read your existing config and write equivalent values into Derp's settings, including translating your color schemes into a Derp custom theme.

1. In the Derp app, open a new tab and switch to Agent Mode with Ctrl+I.

2. Paste this prompt into Agent Mode, then press Enter.

   Read my Windows Terminal settings.json at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json and port the active profile and color scheme into my Derp settings.toml using the modify-settings skill. Create a matching custom theme. Show me a diff before applying.

3. Review the proposed diff, then approve the changes. Derp hot-reloads settings.toml.

If you'd rather configure each setting manually through the Settings UI, the steps below cover the most common cases.

What to reconfigure manually

Default shell

Derp on Windows supports PowerShell (pwsh and powershell.exe), Command Prompt (cmd), bash, zsh, and fish. Derp auto-detects your login shell. To override it, open Settings > Features > Session in the Derp app and choose a shell from Startup shell for new sessions.

If you use PowerShell modules or a custom $PROFILE, Derp loads them the same way Windows Terminal does.

Profiles

Windows Terminal uses profiles to group shell, theme, starting directory, and font together. Derp doesn't have a single profile concept; instead, match each dimension separately:

• Shell - Configure from Settings > Features > Session in the Derp app.
• Starting directory - Configure Working directory from Settings > Features > Session in the Derp app.
• Font family and size - Configure from Settings > Appearance > Text, fonts, & cursor in the Derp app.
• Color scheme - Configure from Settings > Appearance > Themes in the Derp app. Translate your Windows Terminal color scheme into a custom Derp theme using the same 16 ANSI color values.
• Reusable layouts - create a tab config for each workflow that used to be a profile.

Color scheme

Windows Terminal's schemes array defines foreground, background, cursor, and ANSI colors. To match an existing scheme:

1. Copy the color values from the scheme you use in your settings.json.
2. In the Derp app, open Settings > Appearance > Themes, then choose a preset that matches or create a custom theme.

Keybindings

Derp's default keyboard shortcuts cover most Windows Terminal bindings. For custom bindings from settings.json's actions array, add them in Settings > Keyboard shortcuts in the Derp app.

Prompt

If you use oh-my-posh or a custom PowerShell prompt, it continues to work in Derp. To choose between Derp's native prompt and your existing shell prompt, open Settings > Appearance > Prompt in the Derp app. See prompt.

Derp-native equivalents

Use this table to find Derp equivalents for Windows Terminal features you might look for after switching:

From Windows Terminal	In Derp
Profiles	Tab configs + themes + per-session shell settings
Tabs and panes	Tabs, vertical tabs, split panes
Command palette	Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
Oh My Posh prompts	Keep using them; pick Shell prompt (PS1) in Derp
Quake mode	Global hotkey

Beyond Windows Terminal's feature set, Derp adds Agent Mode, blocks, and Derp Drive. See Derp for Windows installation if you haven't installed yet.