---
id: colcon-zsh
version: "0.5.0"
license: Apache License, Version 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# colcon-zsh — Extension for colcon to provide Z shell scripts.

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 168.8K/mo

## What it is and what it does

colcon-zsh is a plugin that extends colcon-core to generate and install Z shell (zsh) integration scripts. It allows developers using zsh as their primary shell to work with colcon, a build system aggregator commonly used in robotics projects and multi-package workspaces, with shell-native completion and convenience functions.

The package is a thin, specialized layer: it depends only on colcon-core and provides no runtime logic beyond script generation. It is classified as Alpha and has not been updated since 2023-10-06, indicating it was designed for a stable feature set and is not actively developed. If you use zsh and colcon together, this package bridges the gap; if you use bash or another shell, or do not use colcon, it has no purpose.

Use it for:

- Enable zsh tab-completion for colcon commands when working in robotics or ROS 2 workspaces.
- Integrate colcon build workflows into a zsh-based development environment with shell aliases and functions.
- Provide zsh users with the same shell-level convenience that other shell extensions provide.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides Z shell (zsh) completion and integration scripts for colcon, a build system aggregator used in robotics and multi-package projects.

Yes, if you use zsh as your primary shell and actively use colcon. The low install friction and permissive license make it a straightforward addition. However, the dormant maintenance status means it will not adapt to future colcon changes—verify compatibility with your colcon-core version before relying on it in a new project.

## Install

pip install colcon-zsh
uv add colcon-zsh
poetry add colcon-zsh

## Installing colcon-zsh

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Maintenance is dormant—the latest release was in 2023-10-06 and the repository shows minimal recent activity, though it remains unarchived. Suitable for stable, established workflows but unlikely to receive updates for new colcon features.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive), imposing no significant restrictions on use or redistribution in most contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install colcon-zsh

After installation, source the generated zsh completion script in your shell configuration to enable colcon command completion in zsh.

Requires colcon-core to be installed; zsh must be your active shell for the scripts to be useful.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the zsh scripts remain compatible with recent colcon-core versions given the dormant maintenance status.
- What specific zsh features or completions are provided beyond basic command-line integration.
- Whether Python 3.6+ support (requires_python >=3.6) covers all target environments.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 168.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

zsh completion for colcon, colcon shell integration, z shell build tool scripts, colcon shell scripting, shell completion colcon, shell-integration, zsh

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/colcon-zsh) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/colcon-zsh/)