kovidgoyal/kitty · warning

Invalid config line: %#v

Error message

Invalid config line: %#v

What it means

A line in a config file did not match the expected `key value` pattern and could not be parsed. The offending raw line is echoed with %#v formatting so exact whitespace/content is visible.

Source

Thrown at tools/config/api.go:195

				} else {
					next_line = ""
				}
			}
		} else {
			next_line = ""
		}

		if line[0] == '#' {
			if self.CommentsHandler != nil {
				if err := self.CommentsHandler(line); err != nil {
					add_bad_line(err)
				}
			}
			continue
		}
		m := key_pat().FindStringSubmatch(line)
		if len(m) < 3 {
			add_bad_line(fmt.Errorf("Invalid config line: %#v", line))
			continue
		}
		key, val := m[1], m[2]
		for i, ch := range line {
			if ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' {
				key = line[:i]
				val = strings.TrimSpace(line[i+1:])
				break
			}
		}
		switch key {
		default:
			if err := self.LineHandler(key, val); err != nil {
				add_bad_line(err)
			}
		case "include", "globinclude", "envinclude", "geninclude":
			var includes []string
			val = ExpandVars(val)

View on GitHub (pinned to 6d5d0c4406)

Solutions

1. Locate the exact line using the %#v output in the error message
2. Correct the syntax to `key value` or remove the obsolete directive
3. Check the kitty docs for the current version to confirm the option still exists

Example fix

# before
map
# after
map ctrl+a>1 goto_window 1

if !keyPat.MatchString(line) && !strings.HasPrefix(line, "#") && strings.TrimSpace(line) != "" {
    log.Printf("suspicious config line: %q", line)
}

if err := config.ParseFiles("kitten.conf"); err != nil { log.Printf("config parse: %v", err) /* treat as non-fatal */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Lines that are not blank, not comments, and lack a key/value separation matching the parser's key pattern — e.g. stray characters, malformed syntax, or a directive belonging to a different program's config.

Common situations: Pasting config snippets for a different kitty version that removed/renamed a directive, invisible Unicode characters, or a missing space between key and value.

Related errors

• This should be run as kitten broadcast
• No option named: {k}
• No custom kitten named {kitten} found
• Not a number: {x} with error: {e}
• Not a valid unit: {x}. Allowed units are: {default_unit}, {"

AI-assisted analysis of kovidgoyal/kitty@6d5d0c4406 (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9a395712f2ee70c4. Report an issue: GitHub.