alacritty use default TERM, send COLORTERM for server ls show color

More see alacritty.toml config comments notes.

2 files changed, 31 insertions, 2 deletions

diff --git a/home/xyz/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml b/home/xyz/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
index cb7582f3..c6544a8f 100644
--- a/home/xyz/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
+++ b/home/xyz/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
@@ -5,8 +5,24 @@ vi_mode_style = "Block"
 
 # 1. when set TERM use alacritty on windows, syntax is very bad
 # 2. need to set xterm-256color if want ls show color when use ssh
-[env]
-TERM = "xterm-256color"
+# But this is actually a wrong/bad workaround and not real fix for issue 2 above. I should not do this.
+# The correct way is to the patch to add `TERM alacritty` in coreutils git repo src/dircolors.hin
+# But the patch does not go through
+# related coreutils ls issues mailing list:
+# https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-coreutils/2024-04/msg00022.html
+# https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-coreutils/2024-04/msg00020.html
+# https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/coreutils/2021-10/msg00007.html
+# related alacritty issues:
+# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/3901
+# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/3606
+# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/2210
+# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/3705
+# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/4710
+# I choose a more correct workaround to pass COLORTERM to ssh
+# If some remote server doesn't work well e.g.: can't install alacritty,
+# I then choose to set TERM to st in ssh config for that server
+#[env]
+#TERM = "xterm-256color"
 
 [font]
 size = 8.0
diff --git a/home/xyz/.ssh/config b/home/xyz/.ssh/config
index 3c82f3d2..7f13ac99 100644
--- a/home/xyz/.ssh/config
+++ b/home/xyz/.ssh/config
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 # another approach is to put it under `HOST *`
 # https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/577490/459013
 AddKeysToAgent yes
+# If use alacritty, need send COLORTERM env to remote server to let remote server ls show color,
+# more see alacritty.toml config
+SendEnv COLORTERM
 
 # tabs and empty only for readability, without also works, not sure about newline
 Host studio
@@ -33,6 +36,16 @@ Host qw
 Host hpc
 	Hostname coe-hpc1.sjsu.edu
 	User 012404405
+	# I could not get this HPC to install alacritty terminfo to ~/.terminfo by `infocmp | ssh studio 'tic -x /dev/stdin'`.
+	# And the HPC does not have alacritty terminfo in /usr/share/terminfo/a.
+	# And it has issues when me using alacritty as TERM env. And manual copy terminfo to ~/.terminfo does not fix the issues.
+	# Issues are `htop` and `vim` errors.
+	# I still want to use alacritty as TERM env on my laptop, so I choose to set TERM env here. xterm-256color and st-256color both works,
+	# but I want to use alacritty colorscheme. It seems if I set st or xterm as TERM env, alacritty colorscheme is used,
+	# maybe because those TERM env means truecolor?
+	# https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Alacritty#Terminal_functionality_unavailable_in_remote_shells
+	# https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty/issues/3901
+	SetEnv TERM=st
 
 Host ia
 	Hostname ia.flylightning.xyz