# TUI Mode

TUI (Textual User Interface) Mode provides a modern, visually rich terminal interface for AI pair programming.

## Activation

Command line:
```
aider-ce ... --tui

### OR!

cecli ... --tui
```

## Configuration

TUI Mode can be configured directly in the relevant config.json file or with JSON in the command line arguments:

### Minimal Configuration

```yaml
tui: true
```

### Complete Configuration Example

Complete configuration example in YAML configuration file (`.aider.conf.yml` or `~/.aider.conf.yml`). The base theme is pretty nice but if you want different colors, do you thing:

```yaml
tui: true
tui-config:
  colors:
    primary: "#00ff5f"
    secondary: "#888888"
    accent: "#00ff87"
    foreground: "#ffffff"
    background: "#1e1e1e"
    success: "#00aa00"
    warning: "#ffd700"
    error: "#ff3333"
    surface: "transparent"
    panel: "transparent"
    dark: true
    variables:
      input-cursor-foreground: "#00ff87"
  other:
    dark: true
    input-cursor-text-style: "underline"

```

## Benefits

- **Improved Productivity**: Reduced context switching with all information visible at once
- **Better Organization**: Clear separation of concerns between input, output, and status
- **Enhanced Readability**: Proper formatting and syntax highlighting for code discussions
- **Real-time Feedback**: Immediate visual feedback for all operations
- **Modern Interface**: Familiar UI patterns that reduce cognitive load
- **Accessibility**: Full keyboard navigation without requiring mouse interaction

## Integration with Other Modes

TUI Mode works seamlessly with other aider-ce features:

- **Agent Mode**: Visual feedback for tool calls and autonomous operations
- **Skills**: Clean display of skill outputs and interactions
- **MCP Servers**: Integrated display of MCP tool outputs
- **Git Operations**: Real-time git status updates in the footer

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

1. **TUI not starting**: Ensure your terminal supports True Color (24-bit color)
2. **Display issues**: Try resizing your terminal window
3. **Performance problems**: Reduce terminal refresh rate or disable animations
4. **Input lag**: Check for conflicts with terminal multiplexers (tmux, screen)

### Terminal Requirements

- **True Color Support**: Required for proper color rendering
- **Minimum Size**: 80x24 terminal size recommended
- **Unicode Support**: Required for proper symbol display
- **Modern Terminal**: Recommended: Kitty, WezTerm, iTerm2, or Windows Terminal

TUI Mode represents a significant evolution in cecli's user experience, providing a modern, efficient interface for AI pair programming while maintaining the power and flexibility of the command-line foundation. Ideally, this mode makes ai-enabled programming more colorful and more fun for us all!