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# Change the prompt in clickhouse-client

> This article explains how to change the prompt in your Clickhouse client and clickhouse-local terminal window from :) to a prefix followed by :)

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{frontMatter.description}

If you don't like how `clickhouse client` and clickhouse-local display the prompt in your terminal window, it is possible to change it to add a prefix.
This article explains how to change the prompt to whatever you want.

The default prompt is your local computer name followed by `:) `:

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/0_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=7b468822be20d3b56f1c96e7e9d48275" size="md" alt="Default ClickHouse client prompt" width="2289" height="411" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/0_prompt.png" />

The following are variables that you can use in a prompt: `{user}`, `{host}`

There are several ways to update the prompt and we'll go through them each.

<h2 id="--prompt-flag">
  \--prompt flag
</h2>

The first way to change the flag is using the `--prompt`:

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse --prompt 👉
```

This will add the finger emoji before the smiley face:

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/1_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=f38377a0145484dc840bb913219bd7a5" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with finger emoji" width="2298" height="386" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/1_prompt.png" />

<h2 id="config-file---top-level">
  Config file - top level
</h2>

Alternatively, you can provide a prompt prefix in a `config.xml` file:

```xml theme={null}
<config>
    <prompt>👉 </prompt>
</config>
```

```
clickhouse
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/2_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=c984599643441b54a2dab6f839cd1ea6" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with config file" width="2307" height="769" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/2_prompt.png" />

We can use a config file with any name we like and pass it in using the `-C` flag:

```xml theme={null}
<config>
    <prompt>🎄 </prompt>
</config>
```

```
clickhouse -C christmas.xml
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/3_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=833c9374b5741995d1dd843c9f2db2bb" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with Christmas tree emoji" width="2314" height="781" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/3_prompt.png" />

Prefer your config files to be in YAML?
That works too:

```yaml theme={null}
prompt: 🟡
```

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse -C christmas.yaml
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/4_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=9b5bd187423482046f02b0b7b96e6d57" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with yellow circle emoji" width="2302" height="600" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/4_prompt.png" />

<h2 id="config-file---connections_credentials">
  Config file - connections\_credentials
</h2>

Alternatively, you can specify a prompt per connection credentials.
This only makes sense when using clickhouse-client.

```xml theme={null}
<config>
    <connections_credentials>
        <connection>
            <n>prod<n>
            <hostname>127.0.0.1</hostname>
            <port>9000</port>
            <secure>0</secure>
            <user>default</user>
            <prompt>\e[31m[PRODUCTION]\e[0m {user}@prod</prompt>
        </connection>
        <connection>
            <n>dev<n>
            <hostname>127.0.0.1</hostname>
            <port>9000</port>
            <secure>0</secure>
            <user>default</user>
            <prompt>\e[32m[DEVELOPMENT]\e[0m {user}@dev</prompt>
        </connection>
    </connections_credentials>
</config>
```

We can then try to connect with the `dev` connection:

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse client -C connections.xml --connection dev
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/5_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=a6f2c847dab1692391b105f004e50196" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with development connection" width="1310" height="203" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/5_prompt.png" />

Or the `prod` one:

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse client -C connections.xml --connection prod
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/6_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=f3660db4e96f9c6a24b007e643925c73" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with production connection" width="1297" height="189" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/6_prompt.png" />

And here's a YAML version:

```yaml theme={null}
connections_credentials:
  connection:
    - name: prod
      hostname: 127.0.0.1
      port: 9000
      secure: 0
      user: default
      prompt: "\e[35m[PRODUCTION]\e[0m {user}@{host}"
    - name: dev
      hostname: 127.0.0.1
      port: 9000
      secure: 0
      user: default
      prompt: "\e[34m[DEVELOPMENT]\e[0m {user}@{host}"
```

With the `dev` connnection:

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse client -C connections.yaml --connection dev
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/7_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=4a1becf25825d284497adc95055b22bd" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with development connection using YAML" width="1581" height="169" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/7_prompt.png" />

And now `prod`:

```bash theme={null}
clickhouse client -C connections.yaml --connection prod
```

<Image img="https://mintcdn.com/private-7c7dfe99-mintlify-8c05c8a2/ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj/images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/8_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ReqPIWJy9XA4ykCj&q=85&s=f8b4e93e616641550b8987f83d78c699" size="md" alt="ClickHouse client prompt with production connection using YAML" width="1525" height="187" data-path="images/knowledgebase/change-the-prompt-in-clickhouse-client/8_prompt.png" />
