fish 4.3 released with smarter theming, easier configuration, improved completion and more

fish 4.3 is now available for both macOS and Linux users, maintaining its reputation as a user-friendly command line shell. In this release, universal variables such as fish_color_*, fish_pager_color_*, and fish_key_bindings are now set globally rather than as universal variables, which simplifies configuration for users managing multiple environments. Managing themes has been streamlined as well: the fish_config theme choose command now only clears color variables set by previous theme changes, which should provide more predictable theming behavior.

Building on these configuration changes, fish introduces a new status language command that allows users to display and modify message language settings directly, without needing to adjust environment variables. For those who start typing immediately after launching fish, the shell now correctly renders the first prompt, addressing a common usability concern. Path completion has also been refined to improve accuracy for file paths containing special characters like = or :.

Following these updates, theme files now support both [light] and [dark] sections, making it easier to create color-theme-aware designs. Additionally, the working directory is reported on every prompt using OSC 7, ensuring the shell environment remains accurate even after interacting with child processes such as SSH. Several other enhancements and bug fixes further enhance stability and everyday usability for frequent terminal users.