TUI Overview

AetherShell’s Terminal User Interface (TUI) provides a rich, multi-pane interface for AI chat, agent management, media browsing, and more — all within your terminal.

Launching the TUI

ae tui              # standard launch
ae --tui            # alternative flag
RUST_LOG=debug ae tui   # with debug logging

Interface Layout

The TUI has three main areas:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Chat │ Agents │ Media │ Settings │ Distributed │ …  │  ← Tabs
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                      │
│                   Main Content                       │  ← Mode-specific
│                                                      │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  > Type a message...                    │ Help: ?    │  ← Input + Help
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Header — Tab bar showing the current mode
2. Main Content — Changes based on the active tab
3. Footer — Text input (70%) and help hints (30%)

Tabs / Modes

Switch between modes using Tab / Shift+Tab or number keys 1-6:

Input Modes

The TUI operates in two input modes:

Normal Mode

Key presses are interpreted as navigation commands. Use arrow keys, j/k for movement, Tab to switch tabs, q to quit.

Editing Mode

Key presses go to the text input field. Press Enter or i to enter Editing mode, Esc to return to Normal mode.

The current mode is indicated in the input box border style.

Configuration

The TUI reads configuration from environment variables and defaults:

Quick Start

1. Set your AI provider:

   export AETHER_AI=openai
   export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
   

2. Launch the TUI:

   ae tui
   

3. Press Enter to start typing, write your message, press Enter to send

4. Press Tab to explore other modes (Agents, Media, etc.)

5. Press q or Ctrl+C to exit