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zstyle ':completion:*' matcher-list '' 'm:{a-zA-Z}={A-Za-z}'Put it in the remote account’s active .zshrc—usually ~/.zshrc, or $ZDOTDIR/.zshrc if ZDOTDIR is set. The shell handling the prompt is the one whose completion settings matter.
Make the change in the shell where Tab fails
When you open Terminal on a Mac and connect with SSH, there may be two shells involved: the local shell in Terminal and a shell on the SSH destination. If completion fails after you connect, configure the remote account. Changing the Mac’s local zsh settings does not automatically change the remote account’s shell or startup files.
Apple documents zsh as the default shell in Terminal on Mac, but Terminal can use other shells, and a networked environment may specify a shell for an account. Check the active prompt rather than assuming the remote host uses zsh. See Apple’s guide to changing the default shell in Terminal.
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Check the active shell and zsh configuration directory
At the prompt where Tab completion fails, run:
print -r -- $SHELL
print -r -- $ZSH_VERSION
print -r -- $ZDOTDIR$ZSH_VERSION should show a version if that prompt is running zsh. $ZDOTDIR indicates the directory zsh uses for user startup files when it is set. These checks help identify the environment; the actual startup sequence determines which files are read.
Add a case-insensitive fallback
In the remote account’s active interactive zsh configuration, add:
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zstyle ':completion:*' matcher-list '' 'm:{a-zA-Z}={A-Za-z}'The empty first entry asks zsh to try its usual case-sensitive completion. If that attempt finds no matches, the second entry retries with uppercase and lowercase letters treated as corresponding forms. This ordered fallback is documented in the Zsh Completion System manual.
The braces pair letters by case. The lowercase m means the inserted result can use the trial completion’s spelling. With uppercase M, zsh instead preserves the corresponding text typed on the command line. Avoid substituting unordered character classes such as [a-z] and [A-Z]: they do not pair letters one by one. The zsh user guide’s matching-control section explains these forms.
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Choose whether normal completion should get first try
| Behavior | Setting | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Normal matching first; case-insensitive retry | zstyle ':completion:*' matcher-list '' 'm:{a-zA-Z}={A-Za-z}' |
Retains ordinary matching when it succeeds; uses the case-insensitive matcher only if the first attempt produces no matches. |
| Case-insensitive matching from the first attempt | zstyle ':completion:*' matcher-list 'm:{a-zA-Z}={A-Za-z}' |
Broadens the first matching attempt rather than waiting for a case-sensitive attempt to fail. |
For most users, the fallback version is the less surprising starting point. Both forms are documented by the completion-system manual and the zsh user guide.
Apply the setting and test it
Reload the configuration
If you edited the usual remote configuration file, reload it in the current interactive shell:
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source ~/.zshrcIf ZDOTDIR points elsewhere, source the .zshrc in that directory instead. If the current session still does not reflect the setting, reconnect over SSH and test in the new session.
Test both capitalization directions
At the remote prompt, try a known completion candidate using a prefix with the opposite capitalization—for example, a lowercase prefix for a capitalized candidate, then an uppercase prefix for a lowercase candidate. Use a candidate relevant to the completion context you are testing: a filename tests file completion, while a command argument may be handled by a different completion function.
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Diagnose cases where completion still ignores the setting
- Verify the remote shell. Confirm the SSH account is actually running interactive zsh; a local Mac zsh setting will not affect another shell on the destination.
- Check the startup-file location. Zsh’s documented startup sequence reads
/etc/zshrcand then$ZDOTDIR/.zshrcfor an interactive shell. IfZDOTDIRis unset, the zsh user guide says it defaults to$HOME. Login shells also read login-specific files. See the zsh startup and shutdown files manual. - Look for a more specific style. A later or context-specific
matcher-listsetting may affect the completion context being used. Zsh styles are selected by completion context, so a global setting may not govern every completer. - Account for completers that do not use matchers. The completion-system manual notes that
_correctand_approximatedo not use matcher specifications. - Separate filename globbing from completion matching. The
matcher-liststyle controls completion behavior. Filename globbing has separate options, includingNO_CASE_GLOB; toggling that option is not the general fix for command and argument completion. - Investigate glob patterns separately. Zsh documents restrictions on matching control when the typed word contains a glob pattern. If the problem occurs only in that situation, it may not be resolved by the ordinary completion matcher.
Keep the matcher list short. The Zsh Completion System manual gives one to three matcher-list strings as a rough rule of thumb for acceptable performance; it does not provide a measured speed or success-rate benchmark.
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