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Foreground color query (OSC 10)

Category: extensions · Baseline: modern · Tags: Operating System Commands (OSC), Xterm Extensions · Specification ↗

ESC ] 10 ; ? BEL
OSC 10 queries the terminal's default foreground color. The query is ESC ] 10 ; ? ST and the terminal responds with the color in X11 rgb:RR/GG/BB format. Applications use this to detect light vs. dark themes and adapt their color schemes accordingly.
How this is testedautomated
Query foreground color with OSC 10 ; ? BEL, verify response matches OSC 10 ; rgb:... pattern via feedCapture.

The same probe runs against headless backends (via Termless) and real terminal apps (via a daemon launched in each terminal). This lets us distinguish parser correctness from rendering correctness.

Analysis2026-04-06

Supported by 10 of 12 terminals (83%). Not supported by: vt100.js, xterm.js. Part of the Modern TUI baseline. Notes: vt100.js: Not implemented — pure TypeScript emulator; xterm.js: OSC 10 foreground color query not implemented in xterm.js.

Supported by 8 of 14 backends (57%)

Terminal Applications

TerminalVersionSupportNotes
iTerm23.6.9✓ yes
Ghostty1.3.1✓ yes
VS Code✓ yes
Warp✓ yes
Cursor✓ yes
Terminal.app✓ yes

Headless Backends

Parser correctness only — a means the parser accepts the sequence.

BackendVersionSupportNotes
vterm0.2.0✓ yes
Alacritty0.26.0~ partialOSC 10 color query not exposed in headless mode
Kitty0.40.0~ partialOSC 10 color query not exposed via Python batch bridge
WezTerm0.1.0-fork.5~ partialOSC 10 color query not exposed in headless mode
vt100.js0.2.1✗ noNot implemented — pure TypeScript emulator
xterm.js5.5.0✗ noOSC 10 foreground color query not implemented in xterm.js