Docker container set $TERM to xterm which cause some terminal editor feature not work.

[zw963]

Maybe check this link is the most easy way to undertand why this is a issue.

https://gitlab.com/craigbarnes/dte/-/issues/117#note_559774982

For a brief description, when use kitty (a terminal), it set $TERM env to xterm-kitty
automatically, even on remote VPS. it very useful, especially for dte, a editor,
which use OSC 52 escape sequence feature.

but, when use with docker, it not work, $TERM always is term.

Describe the solution you'd like
set correct $TERM when use with docker.(that is, same as current $TERM)

e.g. when run following docker command within kitty

$: docker run -it debian:jessie /bin/bash
root@54956eb7348d:/# echo $TERM                                                                                                                                
xterm  # expect this is xterm-kitty

It have to run like this to make dte editor works.

$: docker run -it -e TERM=$TERM debian:jessie /bin/bash
root@54956eb7348d:/# echo $TERM                                                                                                                                
xterm-kitty

[AkihiroSuda]

If we change the CLI to propagate $TERM from the client, it may break something else, so I'm not sure the current behavior can be changed.

[zw963]

Thank you, when use kitty with ssh, i found it set $TERM env automatically
on remote VPS. though i am not sure if this done by kitty or ssh, anyway, it very useful.

[x-yuri]

@AkihiroSuda Why does docker set TERM to xterm in the first place? Is it because docker emulates xterm or... what exactly? (possibly @thaJeztah?)

[thaJeztah]

I see the change you linked to was made as part of #163 to fix #18 looks like that may have been even before the repository was open source (so slightly before I got involved). (funny, I do see that an earlier commit on the same PR set it to the value from the host 50bee2f - my best guess here would be to keep a consistent value, and to not (by default) leak information/configuration from the client environment into the container configuration.