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Overview

Powerline gives your tmux status bar a sleek, modern look with angled separators between sections. The Dracula theme provides extensive powerline customization options.

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Enable powerline

Turn on powerline symbols to use angled separators between plugins:
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@dracula-show-powerline
boolean
default:"false"
Enable powerline symbols for the status bar. This creates the signature angled appearance between plugins.
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true

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Edge icons

Edge icons add powerline-style caps to the far left and right of your status bar:
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@dracula-show-edge-icons
boolean
default:"false"
Enable edge icons at the beginning and end of the status bar for a complete powerline appearance.
set -g @dracula-show-edge-icons true
For the full powerline effect, enable both powerline symbols and edge icons together.

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Custom separators

You can customize the powerline separator symbols to match your preferences:
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@dracula-show-left-sep
string
default:""
The separator symbol displayed on the left side of each plugin.Must be a Nerd Font or Unicode symbol that your terminal can render.
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@dracula-show-right-sep
string
default:""
The separator symbol displayed on the right side of each plugin.Can be set to any symbol you like as a separator.
# Default right-pointing arrow
set -g @dracula-show-left-sep 

# Default left-pointing arrow
set -g @dracula-show-right-sep
These symbols require a Nerd Font to display correctly. Make sure your terminal is configured to use a Nerd Font.

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Transparent background

Create a floating appearance by making the powerline background transparent:
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@dracula-transparent-powerline-bg
boolean
default:"false"
Make the powerline background transparent, allowing your terminal background to show through.This creates a “floating” effect for your status bar plugins.
set -g @dracula-transparent-powerline-bg true

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Inverse divider

When using a transparent background, the left separator symbol is inverted. You can customize this:
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@dracula-inverse-divider
string
default:""
The inverted divider symbol used with transparent backgrounds.This symbol appears on the left side of plugins when transparency is enabled.
set -g @dracula-transparent-powerline-bg true

# Customize the inverse divider
set -g @dracula-inverse-divider

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Complete powerline examples

# Enable powerline with default arrows
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true
set -g @dracula-show-edge-icons true
This creates the classic powerline look with angled separators and edge caps.
# Enable powerline with transparent background
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true
set -g @dracula-show-edge-icons true
set -g @dracula-transparent-powerline-bg true
This creates a floating effect where plugins appear to hover over your terminal background.
# Use rounded separators instead of angled
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true
set -g @dracula-show-edge-icons true
set -g @dracula-show-left-sep 
set -g @dracula-show-right-sep
This creates a softer, rounded appearance for your status bar.
# Thin separators for a subtle look
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true
set -g @dracula-show-left-sep 
set -g @dracula-show-right-sep 

# Transparent background for minimal appearance
set -g @dracula-transparent-powerline-bg true
set -g @dracula-inverse-divider
This creates a more subtle powerline effect with thin separators.

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Troubleshooting

If powerline symbols don’t display correctly:
  1. Verify you’re using a Nerd Font in your terminal
  2. Check that your terminal supports Unicode
  3. Try a different powerline symbol from the examples above
  4. Ensure your terminal’s font fallback settings are correct

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Visual comparison

ConfigurationAppearance
No powerlineplugin1 plugin2 plugin3
With powerlineplugin1 plugin2 plugin3
Transparent powerlineplugin1 plugin2 plugin3 (floating)
With edge iconsplugin1 plugin2 plugin3

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