cleveragents-core/docs/api/tui.md

# `cleveragents.tui` — Interactive Terminal UI

The `tui` package provides the full-screen Textual-based terminal user interface.
It requires the optional `cleveragents[tui]` extra.

See [ADR-044](../adr/ADR-044-tui-architecture-and-framework.md) (TUI framework),
[ADR-045](../adr/ADR-045-tui-persona-system.md) (persona system), and
[ADR-046](../adr/ADR-046-tui-reference-and-command-system.md) (reference and command system)
for design rationale.

---

## Launching the TUI

```bash
pip install "cleveragents[tui]"
agents tui
```

---

## First-Run Experience

### `is_first_run(registry: PersonaRegistry) → bool`

Returns `True` when no personas are configured — used by `app.on_mount()` to
decide whether to show the actor selection overlay.

### `create_default_persona_for_actor(registry: PersonaRegistry, actor: str) → None`

Creates and persists a `"default"` persona bound to `actor` after the user
completes the first-run selection flow.

### `ActorSelectionOverlay`

```python
from cleveragents.tui.widgets import ActorSelectionOverlay
```

A centred Textual widget displayed on first launch.

| Method | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `show()` | Make the overlay visible |
| `hide()` | Dismiss the overlay |
| `move_up()` | Move selection cursor up (wraps) |
| `move_down()` | Move selection cursor down (wraps) |
| `set_search(query: str)` | Apply fuzzy filter to actor list |
| `confirm() → str` | Confirm selection; returns actor name and hides overlay |
| `render_actor_selection() → str` | Pure rendering function (testable without Textual) |

Default actor list (in display order):

| Actor | Notes |
|-------|-------|
| `anthropic/claude-4-sonnet` | Recommended |
| `anthropic/claude-4-opus` | |
| `openai/gpt-4o` | |
| `openai/o3` | |
| `google/gemini-2` | |

**Key bindings inside the overlay:**

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `j` / `↓` | Move down |
| `k` / `↑` | Move up |
| `/` | Enter fuzzy search |
| `Enter` | Confirm selection |

---

## Persona System

Personas are YAML files stored in `~/.config/cleveragents/personas/`.  Each
persona binds an actor, optional argument presets, and scope references to a
named identity.

### `PersonaRegistry`

```python
from cleveragents.tui.persona import PersonaRegistry

registry = PersonaRegistry()
registry.load()                          # load all YAML files from config dir
persona = registry.get("default")       # retrieve by name
registry.save(persona)                  # persist changes
registry.ensure_default(actor="openai/gpt-4o")  # create default if absent
```

### `Persona`

```python
@dataclass
class Persona:
    name: str
    actor: str
    presets: list[ArgumentPreset]
    scope_refs: list[str]
```

---

## Input Mode Routing

The prompt auto-detects three input modes from the first character:

| First character | Mode | Handler |
|-----------------|------|---------|
| (none / letter) | Normal | Message + `@reference` expansion |
| `/` | Command | Slash command overlay |
| `!` | Shell | Subprocess passthrough |

### `InputModeRouter`

```python
from cleveragents.tui.routing import InputModeRouter

router = InputModeRouter(container)
await router.dispatch(input_text, session_id)
```

---

## Slash Commands

67 slash commands across 14 groups are exposed via `SlashCommandOverlay`.

```python
from cleveragents.tui.commands import SLASH_COMMAND_SPECS

# SLASH_COMMAND_SPECS: dict[str, list[SlashCommandSpec]]
# Keys are group names; values are lists of command specs.
```

**Groups:** Session, Persona, Scope, Plan, Project, Actor, Resource, Config,
Tool, Skill, Invariant, Profile, Context, Utility.

### Session commands (via `TuiCommandRouter`)

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `/session:export [--format json\|md] [path]` | Export session to JSON or Markdown |
| `/session:import <path>` | Import a session from a JSON file |

```python
# Export as Markdown transcript
/session:export --format md ~/my-session.md

# Export as canonical JSON (default)
/session:export ~/my-session.json

# Import a previously exported session
/session:import ~/my-session.json
```

---

## Session Export / Import

### `Session.as_export_markdown() → str`

Domain method on `Session` that renders a human-readable Markdown transcript.
The output is **lossy** (for sharing/documentation) and cannot be re-imported.

```python
from cleveragents.domain.models.core.session import Session

session: Session = ...
md = session.as_export_markdown()
# Returns a Markdown string with:
# - Header block: session ID, actor, created_at, message count
# - Message history: role | timestamp | content
# - Linked plan references
```

### CLI

```bash
# Export as canonical JSON (importable)
agents session export --session-id <ID> --output session.json

# Export as Markdown transcript (human-readable, not importable)
agents session export --session-id <ID> --output session.md --format md

# Import from JSON
agents session import --input session.json
```

---

## Widgets

### `ThoughtBlockWidget`

Renders actor reasoning traces inline in the conversation stream.

```python
from cleveragents.tui.widgets import ThoughtBlockWidget
```

- Collapsed by default; press `Space` to expand/collapse
- Muted styling distinguishes thought blocks from regular messages
- Backed by `ThoughtBlock` domain model with configurable `max_lines` (default: 10)

### `PermissionsScreen`

Full-screen overlay for tool permission requests.

```python
from cleveragents.tui.screens import PermissionsScreen
```

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `a` | Allow once |
| `A` | Allow always |
| `r` | Reject once |
| `R` | Reject always |
| `d` | Cycle diff display mode (unified → side-by-side → context) |

---

## TUI State Persistence

The TUI persists minimal state to `~/.config/cleveragents/tui-state.yaml`:

```yaml
last_persona: "default"
```

This is loaded on startup to restore the last active persona.