git plugin and zsh-notify: silent status alert configuration

Answer first

Load the git plugin before zsh-notify, then remove zsh-notify’s precmd hook and use an exit‑code filter so notifications appear only on failures. The same pattern works on Oh My Zsh 5.x and 6.x.

Confirmed facts

• The git plugin updates the prompt in precmd.
• zsh-notify tracks command completion in preexec and emits a notification in precmd.
• Both Oh My Zsh 5.x and 6.x use add-zsh-hook to register hooks; order is determined by load order and explicit add/remove calls.

Likely explanation

Every command triggers a desktop pop‑up because zsh-notify’s precmd runs after the git plugin’s precmd and does not check the exit status by default. Removing that hook stops the pop‑ups while keeping the git status visible.

Minimal steps for this case

1. In ~/.zshrc, list the plugins in the desired order:

   plugins=(git zsh-notify)

2. After the Oh My Zsh source line, configure zsh-notify to ignore successful commands and detach its precmd hook:

   # Notify only on non‑zero exit
   export NOTIFY_THRESHOLD=0
   # Remove the precmd hook so it does not fire on every prompt redraw
   add-zsh-hook -d precmd notify
   # Keep preexec for exit‑code capture
   # If your fork uses a different hook name, inspect with:
   # functions | grep -A2 '^notify'

3. (Optional) Trigger a notification only on failures:

   precmd() {
     local exit_code=$?
     if [[ $exit_code -ne 0 ]]; then
       notify
     fi
   }

Verification

• Run functions | grep precmd and confirm notify is not listed.
• Execute a git command that changes the working tree and check that the prompt shows the branch and change indicators without any desktop notification.
• Run a failing command (e.g. false) and verify that a notification appears only if the optional failure trigger was added.

Missing diagnostic

Which exact fork of zsh-notify you are using matters because variable names for exit‑code filtering differ between releases. If you can identify the fork (e.g. the original zsh-notify or a community fork), the configuration variable may be NOTIFY_THRESHOLD or another similarly named option. Knowing the exact repo lets us give a more precise variable name.