Bell Notification
Your build finished. Your long command completed. Chau7 lets you know, however you prefer.
What is bell notification in Chau7 terminal
Chau7 bell notification is the system that alerts you when a program writes the BEL character (0x07) to your terminal. When a build finishes, a long-running command completes, or a test suite reports results, the program sends a BEL character and Chau7 delivers a notification.
Chau7 provides three mutually exclusive bell modes: none, subtle, and default. You select one mode in Chau7's settings. Additionally, the bellVisual setting enables a screen flash as an independent visual bell option. Bell rate limiting via bellRateLimitSeconds (0.1s default, clamped 0-60s) prevents rapid-fire bells from overwhelming you. Dock bounce is a separate notification feature that works independently when it is in the background. Bell settings are global, not per-profile.
How to enable visual bell in Chau7 on macOS
Set the Chau7 bell mode to "subtle" for a quiet visual notification when a BEL character arrives. The "default" mode provides a more prominent notification.
The "subtle" mode is useful when you want a less intrusive notification. For example, when tailing logs, the subtle mode provides awareness without being distracting.
How Chau7 audio bell works
When the bell mode is set to "default", Chau7 plays the macOS system alert sound when a BEL character arrives. The sound Chau7 plays is the same sound configured in macOS System Settings under Sound. To change the it bell sound, change the macOS system alert sound.
Bell settings are global across all tabs. Set the mode to "none" to silence bell notifications entirely, or "subtle" for a quieter notification.
How to make Chau7 bounce the Dock icon on bell
Chau7 Dock bounce animates the Chau7 icon in the macOS Dock when a BEL character arrives and it is not the frontmost application. Dock bounce is part of the notification system and works separately from the bell mode setting.
Chau7 Dock bounce only activates when Chau7 is in the background. When it is the active application, the selected bell mode handles the notification instead. This makes Dock bounce ideal for long-running builds or commands where you switch to another application while waiting.
Bell configuration in Chau7
Chau7 bell behavior is configured globally in settings. The three mutually exclusive modes are: none (no notification), subtle (quiet visual notification), and default (standard system alert sound). The bellVisual setting enables a screen flash as an independent option that works alongside any bell mode.
Bell rate limiting via bellRateLimitSeconds prevents rapid-fire bells from overwhelming you. The default rate limit is 0.1 seconds, clamped between 0 and 60 seconds. Dock bounce is a separate setting that works independently from the bell mode. It activates when Chau7 is in the background and a BEL character arrives.
Terminal bell not working in Chau7
If the terminal bell is not working in Chau7, check that the bell mode is not set to "none" in settings. Run printf '\a' to test.
If running printf '\a' in Chau7 produces no notification at all, open Chau7 settings and verify that the bell mode is set to "subtle" or "default".
How Chau7 bell notification compares to other terminals
Chau7 offers three mutually exclusive bell modes (none, subtle, default), an independent visual bell (screen flash) setting, bell rate limiting, plus a separate Dock bounce notification for background alerts.
macOS Terminal.app supports audio bell and visual bell. iTerm2 supports visual bell and audio bell with per-profile settings. Alacritty supports only visual bell with no audio bell or Dock bounce option.
Chau7's bell modes and rate limiting provide fine-grained control over notification behavior with a clean interface.
Why Chau7 bell notification matters
The terminal bell is the standard mechanism for programs to request attention. A build finishing, a long-running command completing, a test suite reporting results: all of these use the BEL character. Chau7 bell notification ensures you never miss these events, whether Chau7 is in the foreground or the background.
Questions this answers
- What is bell notification in Chau7 terminal
- How does Chau7's bell notification compare to other terminals
- How to enable visual bell in macOS terminal
- Terminal bell not working in my terminal emulator
- How to make terminal bounce Dock icon on bell
- Disable terminal bell sound on macOS
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a custom sound for the Chau7 terminal bell?
Chau7 uses the system alert sound by default. You can change the system alert sound in macOS System Settings > Sound, which will also change the Chau7 bell sound.
Does the Chau7 Dock bounce work when Chau7 is in the foreground?
No. The Chau7 Dock bounce is specifically for background notification, when Chau7 is not the frontmost application. When it is in the foreground, the it visual bell and audio bell provide the notification.
How do I trigger a test bell in Chau7?
Run printf '\a' or echo -e '\007' in your Chau7 terminal. If Chau7 bell notifications are configured correctly, you will see and/or hear the notification immediately.
Why is the terminal bell not working in Chau7?
In Chau7, bell notifications require the bell mode to be set to something other than "none" in settings. Run printf '\a' to test. If nothing happens, open Chau7 settings and verify that the bell mode is set to "subtle" or "default".