agent-tui
A CLI tool that enables AI agents to automate interactions with terminal user interface (TUI) applications.
Install & Use
Copy this prompt and send it to your AI assistant (Claude / Cursor / TRAE / Codex / WorkBuddy etc.) to auto-install:
Help me install this AI Skill: agent-tui. It is used for: A CLI tool that enables AI agents to automate interactions with terminal user interface (TUI) applications. Full Skill content: https://321skill.com/skills/agent-tui/raw/index.md Read that page and install it.
The prompt includes a link to the full Skill content. You can also view the full content.
agent-tui addresses the challenge of AI agents struggling to interact with terminal user interface (TUI) applications. It creates a virtual terminal environment, allowing the AI to 'see' the terminal screen and send keyboard commands, just like a human, thereby enabling automated control of TUI applications such as htop, vim, and tmux.
To use it, you first start a daemon process, then send commands via the agent-tui CLI tool to the interface exposed for the AI agent. The AI agent can request screenshots to 'observe' the terminal state and send commands like keystrokes or text input to 'operate' the application. The entire process can be monitored in real-time via WebSocket.
It is particularly suitable for agent developers, operations engineers, and testers who need to integrate traditional TUI applications into automated workflows. For example, developing an AI agent that can automatically monitor server status or perform system configuration.
Note that the tool currently only supports Unix-like systems (e.g., Linux, macOS) and does not support native Windows environments. Ensure your system has capabilities like PTY and Unix domain sockets, and manage session state files carefully.
Key Features
Unlike traditional terminal automation tools that only handle plain text output, agent-tui enables AI to 'see' and operate any pixel-based TUI interface through virtual terminal and screenshot capabilities, solving the automation challenges of complex interfaces built with libraries like ncurses. Additionally, it is specifically designed for AI agents, providing interfaces such as JSON-RPC over WebSocket for seamless integration with LLM-driven agents.
Limitations
Only supports Unix-like systems (Linux, macOS, etc.); does not support native Windows environments or its related ecosystem.
FAQ
Can agent-tui be used on Windows?
No, it relies on Unix-specific PTY and domain sockets, making it a Unix-only tool.
How does it differ from expect or screen?
expect operates in text mode, while agent-tui 'visually' operates TUIs via screenshots; screen is a terminal multiplexer, whereas agent-tui is an automation interface for external AI agents to drive terminals.
Installation guide for AI assistants
If your AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Cursor, TRAE etc.) can see this page, send it this message to auto-install:
Visit https://321skill.com/skills/agent-tui/raw/index.md to read the original Skill definition (Markdown format) for agent-tui, and install it according to the instructions.
Raw Markdown URL for AI: /skills/agent-tui/raw/index.md