.fish File — Fish Shell Script

FISH files are scripts for the Friendly Interactive SHell, a smart and user-friendly command-line shell designed for interactive use. Fish deliberately breaks POSIX compatibility in favor of better usability and cleaner syntax. FISH scripts use a cleaner syntax than Bash — set instead of variable assignment, and/or instead of &&/||, begin/end blocks, and function definitions with event handlers. Fish provides out-of-the-box features that require extensive configuration in other shells: syntax highlighting while typing, autosuggestions based on history and completions, web-based configuration interface (fish_config), universal variables shared across all sessions, and comprehensive tab completion for thousands of commands. Fish's scripting language avoids many Bash pitfalls — no word splitting on variable expansion, sane array handling, and clear error messages. Configuration lives in ~/.config/fish/ with config.fish for startup and functions/ for autoloaded functions. Fish has grown a dedicated community and is particularly popular among developers who prioritize interactive shell experience. Fisher, Oh My Fish, and plug.fish provide plugin management. While Fish's POSIX incompatibility means it's rarely used for system scripts, its interactive features make it a popular daily-driver shell.