Fix "xterm-ghostty: unknown terminal type" Error

When connecting to a remote Ubuntu machine from a MacBook using Ghostty, you may encounter the error: 'xterm-ghostty': unknown terminal type.

This occurs because the remote machine lacks Ghostty's terminfo entry. Here's how to fix it.

Solution

Run the following command on your MacBook, replacing user@ubuntu-host with your actual SSH details:

infocmp -x xterm-ghostty | ssh user@ubuntu-host -- tic -x -

This copies Ghostty's terminfo entry to the Ubuntu machine, enabling commands like clear to work.

Notes

If you see a warning like "'<stdin>', line 2, col 31, terminal 'xterm-ghostty': older tic versions may treat the description field as an alias", it’s harmless and can be ignored.

To eliminate the warning, update ncurses on Ubuntu:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ncurses-bin

Alternatively, remove the description field:

infocmp -x xterm-ghostty | sed '1 s/|.*$//' | ssh user@ubuntu-host -- tic -x -

If you can't copy the terminfo, add this to ~/.ssh/config on your MacBook (create the file if needed):

Host ubuntu-host
  SetEnv TERM=xterm-256color

Note: This fallback may limit some Ghostty features.

After applying the fix, reconnect via SSH.