Warp

Overview

Warp is a terminal for macOS, Windows and Linux. Each command and its output form a Block you can select, copy and search on its own, and the input is a real text editor. Warp also ships a built-in agent (in the app, as the warp CLI, and as cloud agents) and runs third-party CLI agents such as Claude Code and Codex. The app is open source (AGPL v3, warpdotdev/warp). This skill covers the parts you configure with files: Workflows, Warp Drive, themes, tab configs and launch configurations. Checked against docs.warp.dev in October 2026; the workflows file format below is the legacy YAML format, which Warp says remains supported.

Instructions

Install

brew install --cask warp      # macOS

On Windows and Linux use the installer or package from warp.dev (the quickstart also lists WinGet and apt).

Workflows

A workflow is a named command with {{argument}} placeholders. Argument names may use letters, digits, hyphens and underscores and cannot start with a digit. Create them in Warp Drive (cloud-synced, shareable with a team) or as YAML files; on macOS local YAML files go in ~/.warp/workflows/. Open the workflow search with Ctrl+Shift+R. The community collection is at commands.dev (repo warpdotdev/workflows).

YAML fields: name, command, description, arguments (each with name, description, default_value), tags, shells (empty means all), source_url, author, author_url. The file format has no conditionals, so write one workflow per operation.

# ~/.warp/workflows/deploy-service.yaml
name: Deploy Service
description: Build, push and roll out a service, then roll back if the health check fails
author: Platform Team
tags: [deploy, docker, kubernetes]
command: |-
  docker build -t {{registry}}/{{service_name}}:{{version}} . &&
  docker push {{registry}}/{{service_name}}:{{version}} &&
  kubectl set image deployment/{{service_name}} {{service_name}}={{registry}}/{{service_name}}:{{version}} -n {{namespace}} &&
  kubectl rollout status deployment/{{service_name}} -n {{namespace}} --timeout=300s ||
  (kubectl rollout undo deployment/{{service_name}} -n {{namespace}}; exit 1)
arguments:
  - name: service_name
    description: Deployment and image name
    default_value: billing-api
  - name: registry
    description: Container registry path
    default_value: ghcr.io/northwind-labs
  - name: version
    description: Image tag
    default_value: 2.14.0
  - name: namespace
    description: Kubernetes namespace
    default_value: production

# ~/.warp/workflows/pg-backup.yaml
name: Postgres Backup
description: Dump a database in compressed custom format with a timestamped file name
tags: [database, postgres, backup]
command: |-
  pg_dump -h {{host}} -U {{user}} -d {{db_name}} --format=custom --compress=9 -f "backup_{{db_name}}_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).dump"
arguments:
  - name: host
    description: Database host
    default_value: localhost
  - name: user
    description: Database role
    default_value: postgres
  - name: db_name
    description: Database to dump
    default_value: orders

# ~/.warp/workflows/git-prune-merged.yaml
name: Delete Merged Local Branches
description: Fetch with prune, list branches merged into the base branch, delete them after confirmation
tags: [git, cleanup]
command: |-
  git fetch --prune &&
  git branch --merged {{base_branch}} | grep -v -e "{{base_branch}}" -e "^\*" &&
  read -p "Delete these branches? (y/n) " confirm &&
  [ "$confirm" = "y" ] && git branch --merged {{base_branch}} | grep -v -e "{{base_branch}}" -e "^\*" | xargs -r git branch -d
arguments:
  - name: base_branch
    description: Branch to compare against
    default_value: main

Warp Drive

Warp Drive is the synced space for workflows, notebooks and other saved items; a team shares them there so nobody re-types a deploy command. Items created in the UI live in the cloud and need a Warp account. Treat Drive items as shared: never put tokens in a default value; read secrets from environment variables in the command.

Notebooks

Notebooks are runnable documents in Warp Drive: Markdown plus shell code blocks. Run a block with Cmd+Enter (macOS) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux); {{name}} placeholders become arguments. Good for runbooks.

# Database Maintenance Runbook

## 1. Check connections
`psql -c "SELECT count(*) FROM pg_stat_activity;"`

## 2. Vacuum a large table
`psql -c "VACUUM (VERBOSE, ANALYZE) {{table_name}};"`

Custom Themes

Theme files are YAML. Directories: macOS ~/.warp/themes/, Windows %APPDATA%\warp\Warp\data\themes\, Linux ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/warp-terminal/themes/. Colors must be hex strings. details is darker or lighter; cursor is optional. Ready-made themes: github.com/warpdotdev/themes.

# ~/.warp/themes/midnight-dev.yaml
name: Midnight Dev
accent: "#7c3aed"
background: "#0f172a"
foreground: "#e2e8f0"
details: darker
terminal_colors:
  normal:
    black: "#1e293b"
    red: "#ef4444"
    green: "#22c55e"
    yellow: "#eab308"
    blue: "#3b82f6"
    magenta: "#a855f7"
    cyan: "#06b6d4"
    white: "#f1f5f9"
  bright:
    black: "#475569"
    red: "#f87171"
    green: "#4ade80"
    yellow: "#facc15"
    blue: "#60a5fa"
    magenta: "#c084fc"
    cyan: "#22d3ee"
    white: "#f8fafc"

Tab Configs

Tab Configs are the current way to open a saved tab layout; Warp marks Launch Configurations as legacy. They are TOML files in ~/.warp/tab_configs/ (macOS), %APPDATA%\warp\Warp\data\tab_configs\ (Windows) or ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/warp-terminal/tab_configs/ (Linux). Create one from the + menu in the tab bar, by right-clicking a tab and choosing Save as new config, or by hand:

# ~/.warp/tab_configs/api-dev.toml
name = "API Dev"

[[panes]]
id = "main"
type = "terminal"
directory = "~/projects/billing-api"
commands = ["npm run dev"]

Launch Configurations (legacy)

YAML files in ~/.warp/launch_configurations/ (macOS), $env:APPDATA\warp\Warp\data\launch_configurations\ (Windows) or ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/warp-terminal/launch_configurations/ (Linux). cwd must be an absolute path: with ~ the file does not appear in the list.

---
name: Full Stack Dev
windows:
  - tabs:
      - title: API
        layout:
          cwd: /Users/maria/projects/billing-api
        color: blue
        commands:
          - exec: npm run dev
      - title: Frontend
        layout:
          cwd: /Users/maria/projects/storefront
        commands:
          - exec: npm run dev

Blocks, Agent and Editor

• Select recent blocks with Cmd+Up/Down (macOS) or Ctrl+Up/Down (Windows/Linux); add Shift to extend the selection. Failed commands show a red background; a sticky header keeps the command visible in long output.
• Shift+Enter inserts a newline in the input editor.
• Ctrl+Shift+Enter opens agent mode for natural-language requests. Outside the app, run warp for the Warp Agent CLI.

Examples

Example 1: Share a deploy command with the team

User request: "Turn our docker build, push and kubectl rollout into something the whole team can run."

Save the Deploy Service workflow above in Warp Drive (or in ~/.warp/workflows/ for local use). Press Ctrl+Shift+R, pick it, and Warp shows fields prefilled with billing-api, ghcr.io/northwind-labs, 2.14.0 and production; change the version and press Enter. The rollout status line prints deployment "billing-api" successfully rolled out, or the rollback runs.

Example 2: Open the dev environment in one click

User request: "I want API and frontend dev servers in separate tabs when I start work."

Create two [[panes]] tab configs, or the launch configuration above with absolute cwd paths. It then appears under the + menu (tab configs) or the launch configuration palette, and each tab starts in its directory with npm run dev running.

Guidelines

• Parameterize everything that changes between environments; give every argument a description and a realistic default.
• Keep destructive steps behind a confirmation (read -p) and never default an argument to a production target for a destructive operation.
• Use unique, consistent tags (deploy, database, git) for search.
• Warp's file locations differ per OS and between Stable and Preview builds; check the docs path for your platform before debugging a "missing" theme or config.
• Use Warp Drive for team items; keep a copy of important workflows in your repo.
• Command text typed in agent mode and Drive content may be synced or sent to model providers; do not paste secrets.
• Warp needs a desktop GUI; it is not for headless servers.