diff --git a/share/functions/fish_prompt.fish b/share/functions/fish_prompt.fish
index aaa48c684..b4a350b8f 100644
--- a/share/functions/fish_prompt.fish
+++ b/share/functions/fish_prompt.fish
@@ -1,40 +1,27 @@
-# Set the default prompt command. Make sure that every terminal escape
-# string has a newline before and after, so that fish will know how
-# long it is.
+# vim: set noet:
+#
+# Set the default prompt command.
 
 function fish_prompt --description "Write out the prompt"
-
-	# Just calculate these once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
+	# Just calculate this once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
 	if not set -q __fish_prompt_hostname
 		set -g __fish_prompt_hostname (hostname|cut -d . -f 1)
 	end
 
-	if not set -q __fish_prompt_normal
-		set -g __fish_prompt_normal (set_color normal)
-	end
-
+	set -l color_cwd
+	set -l suffix
 	switch $USER
-
-		case root toor
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd_root)
-			else
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-			end
+	case root toor
+		if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd_root
+		else
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
 		end
-
-		echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal" '# '
-
-		case '*'
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-		end
-
-		echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal" '> '
-
+		set suffix '#'
+	case '*'
+		set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+		set suffix '>'
 	end
-end
 
+	echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' (set_color $color_cwd) (prompt_pwd) (set_color normal) "$suffix "
+end
diff --git a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic.fish b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic.fish
index 64c2fb500..b092803e4 100644
--- a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic.fish
+++ b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic.fish
@@ -1,36 +1,24 @@
 # name: Classic
 function fish_prompt --description "Write out the prompt"
-
-	# Just calculate these once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
+	# Just calculate this once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
 	if not set -q __fish_prompt_hostname
 		set -g __fish_prompt_hostname (hostname|cut -d . -f 1)
 	end
 
-	if not set -q __fish_prompt_normal
-		set -g __fish_prompt_normal (set_color normal)
-	end
-
+	set -l color_cwd
+	set -l suffix
 	switch $USER
-
-		case root toor
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd_root)
-			else
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-			end
+	case root toor
+		if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd_root
+		else
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
 		end
-
-		echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal" '# '
-
-		case '*'
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-		end
-
-		echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal" '> '
-
+		set suffix '#'
+	case '*'
+		set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+		set suffix '>'
 	end
+
+	echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' (set_color $color_cwd) (prompt_pwd) (set_color normal) "$suffix "
 end
diff --git a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_git.fish b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_git.fish
index 299faa34a..aa4527f70 100644
--- a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_git.fish
+++ b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_git.fish
@@ -1,91 +1,95 @@
 # name: Classic + Git
 # author: Kevin Ballard
+# vim: set noet:
 
 function fish_prompt --description 'Write out the prompt'
-
 	set -l last_status $status
 
-	# Just calculate these once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
+	# Just calculate this once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
 	if not set -q __fish_prompt_hostname
 		set -g __fish_prompt_hostname (hostname|cut -d . -f 1)
 	end
 
-	if not set -q __fish_prompt_normal
-		set -g __fish_prompt_normal (set_color normal)
-	end
-	
+	set -l normal (set_color normal)
+
+	# Hack; fish_config only copies the fish_prompt function (see #736)
 	if not set -q -g __fish_classic_git_functions_defined
 		set -g __fish_classic_git_functions_defined
 
 		function __fish_repaint_user --on-variable fish_color_user --description "Event handler, repaint when fish_color_user changes"
 			if status --is-interactive
-				set -e __fish_prompt_user
 				commandline -f repaint ^/dev/null
 			end
 		end
 		
 		function __fish_repaint_host --on-variable fish_color_host --description "Event handler, repaint when fish_color_host changes"
 			if status --is-interactive
-				set -e __fish_prompt_host
 				commandline -f repaint ^/dev/null
 			end
 		end
 		
 		function __fish_repaint_status --on-variable fish_color_status --description "Event handler; repaint when fish_color_status changes"
 			if status --is-interactive
-				set -e __fish_prompt_status
 				commandline -f repaint ^/dev/null
 			end
 		end
-	end
 
-	set -l delim '>'
-
-	switch $USER
-
-	case root toor
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd_root)
-			else
-				set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
+		function __fish_repaint_bind_mode --on-variable fish_key_bindings --description "Event handler; repaint when fish_key_bindings changes"
+			if status --is-interactive
+				commandline -f repaint ^/dev/null
 			end
 		end
 
-	case '*'
-
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-			set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
+		# initialize our new variables
+		if not set -q __fish_classic_git_prompt_initialized
+			set -qU fish_color_user; or set -U fish_color_user -o green
+			set -qU fish_color_host; or set -U fish_color_host -o cyan
+			set -qU fish_color_status; or set -U fish_color_status red
+			set -U __fish_classic_git_prompt_initialized
 		end
+	end
 
+	set -l color_cwd
+	set -l prefix
+	switch $USER
+	case root toor
+		if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd_root
+		else
+			set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+		end
+		set suffix '#'
+	case '*'
+		set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+		set suffix '>'
 	end
 
 	set -l prompt_status
 	if test $last_status -ne 0
-		if not set -q __fish_prompt_status
-			set -g __fish_prompt_status (set_color $fish_color_status)
-		end
-		set prompt_status "$__fish_prompt_status [$last_status]$__fish_prompt_normal"
+		set prompt_status ' ' (set_color $fish_color_status) "[$last_status]" "$normal"
 	end
 
-	if not set -q __fish_prompt_user
-		set -g __fish_prompt_user (set_color $fish_color_user)
-	end
-	if not set -q __fish_prompt_host
-		set -g __fish_prompt_host (set_color $fish_color_host)
+	set -l mode_str
+	switch "$fish_key_bindings"
+	case '*_vi_*' '*_vi'
+		# possibly fish_vi_key_bindings, or custom key bindings
+		# that includes the name "vi"
+		set mode_str (
+			echo -n " "
+			switch $fish_bind_mode
+			case default
+				set_color --bold --background red white
+				echo -n "[N]"
+			case insert
+				set_color --bold green
+				echo -n "[I]"
+			case visual
+				set_color --bold magenta
+				echo -n "[V]"
+			end
+			set_color normal
+		)
 	end
 
-	echo -n -s "$__fish_prompt_user" "$USER" "$__fish_prompt_normal" @ "$__fish_prompt_host" "$__fish_prompt_hostname" "$__fish_prompt_normal" ' ' "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) (__fish_git_prompt) "$__fish_prompt_normal" "$prompt_status" "$delim" ' '
-end
-
-
-# initialize our new variables
-# in theory this would be in a fish_prompt event, but this file isn't sourced
-# until the fish_prompt function is called anyway.
-if not set -q __prompt_initialized_2
-	set -U fish_color_user -o green
-	set -U fish_color_host -o cyan
-	set -U fish_color_status red
-	set -U __prompt_initialized_2
+	echo -n -s (set_color $fish_color_user) "$USER" $normal @ (set_color $fish_color_host) "$__fish_prompt_hostname" $normal ' ' (set_color $color_cwd) (prompt_pwd) (__fish_git_prompt) $normal $prompt_status "$mode_str" "> "
 end
diff --git a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_status.fish b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_status.fish
index 4b062c5da..fe64f7934 100644
--- a/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_status.fish
+++ b/share/tools/web_config/sample_prompts/classic_status.fish
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # name: Classic + Status
 # author: David Frascone
 
-function fish_prompt --description 'Write out the prompt'
+function fish_prompt --description "Write out the prompt"
     # Save our status
     set -l last_status $status
 
@@ -10,38 +10,25 @@ function fish_prompt --description 'Write out the prompt'
         printf "%s(%d)%s " (set_color red --bold) $last_status (set_color normal)
     end
 
-    # Just calculate these once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
+    # Just calculate this once, to save a few cycles when displaying the prompt
     if not set -q __fish_prompt_hostname
         set -g __fish_prompt_hostname (hostname|cut -d . -f 1)
     end
 
-    if not set -q __fish_prompt_normal
-        set -g __fish_prompt_normal (set_color normal)
-    end
-
-    set -l user_prompt '>'
+    set -l color_cwd
+    set -l suffix
     switch $USER
-        # Set our root colors, if we're root :)
-        case root toor
-            set user_prompt '#'
-            if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-                if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
-                    set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd_root)
-                else
-                    set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-                end
-            end
-        case '*'
-            if not set -q __fish_prompt_cwd
-                set -g __fish_prompt_cwd (set_color $fish_color_cwd)
-            end
+    case root toor
+        if set -q fish_color_cwd_root
+            set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd_root
+        else
+            set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+        end
+        set suffix '#'
+    case '*'
+        set color_cwd $fish_color_cwd
+        set suffix '>'
     end
-    #printf '%s@%s %s%s%s# ' $USER $__fish_prompt_hostname "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal"
-    #printf "LAST STATUS STRING: $last_status_string \n"
-    printf '%s@%s %s%s%s%s%s ' $USER $__fish_prompt_hostname "$__fish_prompt_cwd" (prompt_pwd) "$__fish_prompt_normal" $user_prompt
 
-end
- 
-function fish_title
-    echo $_ ' ' (prompt_pwd)
+    echo -n -s "$USER" @ "$__fish_prompt_hostname" ' ' (set_color $color_cwd) (prompt_pwd) (set_color normal) "$suffix "
 end