Tui Use

tui-use — TUI Automation for AI Agents

Operate interactive terminal programs that require keyboard input — REPLs, debuggers, TUI apps, anything bash can't reach.

Core Workflow

start → wait → type/press → wait → ... → kill

start automatically makes the new session current. Only call use when switching between multiple existing sessions.

Commands

tui-use start <cmd>                            # Start a program (becomes current session)
tui-use start --cwd <dir> "<cmd> -flags"       # Start in directory, quote full command for flags
tui-use start --label <name> <cmd>             # Start with label
tui-use start --cols <n> --rows <n> <cmd>      # Custom terminal size (default: 120x30)
tui-use use <session_id>                       # Switch to a session
tui-use type <text>                            # Type text (any characters, strings)
tui-use type "<text>\n"                        # Type with Enter
tui-use paste "<text>\n<text>\n"               # Multi-line paste (each line + Enter)
tui-use press <key>                            # Press a named key (enter, escape, ctrl+r, arrow_up…)
tui-use wait                                   # Wait for screen to stabilize (default timeout: 3000ms)
tui-use wait <ms>                              # Custom timeout
tui-use wait --text <pattern>                  # Wait until screen contains pattern (preferred)
tui-use wait --debounce <ms>                   # Idle window before resolving (default: 100ms)
tui-use snapshot                               # Get current screen
tui-use snapshot --format json                 # JSON output
tui-use find <pattern>                         # Search in screen (regex)
tui-use scrollup <n>                           # Scroll up to older content
tui-use scrolldown <n>                         # Scroll down to newer content
tui-use list                                   # List all sessions
tui-use info                                   # Show session details
tui-use rename <label>                         # Rename session
tui-use kill                                   # Kill current session
tui-use daemon status/stop/restart             # Manage daemon

type vs press

• type <text> — sends printable characters: letters, numbers, symbols, vim commands (i, u, :wq)
• press <key> — sends a named control key: enter, escape, tab, backspace, arrow_up, ctrl+r, ctrl+c, f1–f10

Run tui-use keys to see all valid key names.

wait

wait blocks until the screen has been stable for 100ms (debounce), then resolves. No need for sleep.

• timeout (positional, default 3000ms) — deadline; wait returns regardless when this expires
• --debounce <ms> (default 100ms) — how long screen must be idle before resolving; increase for slow programs

Prefer --text <pattern> for the most reliable results — it waits for a semantic signal, not just silence:

tui-use wait --text ">>>"       # Python REPL ready
tui-use wait --text "(Pdb)"     # pdb at prompt
tui-use wait --text "\\$"       # shell prompt

wait output

Pretty format:

─── session-id ──────────────────────────────────────
What is your name?
> Alice
─── running | cursor(2,8) | fullscreen:false | title:"" ─
highlights(0):

JSON (--format json):

{
  "session_id": "abc12345",
  "screen": "What is your name?\n> Alice",
  "cursor": { "x": 2, "y": 1 },
  "changed": true,
  "status": "running",
  "exit_code": null,
  "title": "",
  "is_fullscreen": false,
  "cols": 120,
  "rows": 30,
  "highlights": []
}

Rules

1. use only when switching — start sets current session automatically
2. wait before type/press — confirms program is ready
3. prefer --text over plain wait — semantic signal beats silence detection
4. check status — if "exited", don't send more input
5. kill when done — clean up sessions

Example

tui-use start python3
tui-use wait --text ">>>"
tui-use type "x = 42"
tui-use press enter
tui-use wait --text ">>>"
tui-use type "print(x * 2)"
tui-use press enter
tui-use wait --text ">>>"
tui-use kill

Multiple Sessions

SID1=$(tui-use start htop --label monitor)
SID2=$(tui-use start python3)

tui-use use $SID1
tui-use wait --text "PID"
tui-use type "q"
tui-use kill

tui-use use $SID2
tui-use wait --text ">>>"
tui-use type "print(1+1)"
tui-use press enter
tui-use wait --text ">>>"
tui-use type "exit()"
tui-use press enter
tui-use kill