# Terminal (TUI)

> Use OpenHands interactively in your terminal with the text-based user interface

## Overview

The Terminal User Interface (TUI) is the default mode when you run `openhands`. It provides a rich, interactive experience directly in your terminal.

```bash  theme={null}
openhands
```

## Features

* **Real-time interaction**: Type natural language tasks and receive instant feedback
* **Live status monitoring**: Watch the agent's progress as it works
* **Command palette**: Press `Ctrl+P` to access settings, MCP status, and more

## Command Palette

Press `Ctrl+P` to open the command palette, then select from the dropdown options:

| Option       | Description                          |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| **Settings** | Open the settings configuration menu |
| **MCP**      | View MCP server status               |

## Controls

| Control             | Action                  |
| ------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `Ctrl+P`            | Open command palette    |
| `Esc`               | Pause the running agent |
| `Ctrl+Q` or `/exit` | Exit the CLI            |

## Starting with a Task

Start a conversation with an initial task:

```bash  theme={null}
# Provide a task directly
openhands -t "Create a REST API for user management"

# Load task from a file
openhands -f requirements.txt
```

## Confirmation Modes

Control how the agent requests approval for actions:

```bash  theme={null}
# Default: Always ask for confirmation
openhands

# Auto-approve all actions (use with caution)
openhands --always-approve

# Use LLM-based security analyzer
openhands --llm-approve
```

## Resuming Conversations

Resume previous conversations:

```bash  theme={null}
# List recent conversations
openhands --resume

# Resume the most recent
openhands --resume --last

# Resume a specific conversation
openhands --resume abc123def456
```

For more details, see [Resume Conversations](/openhands/usage/cli/resume).

## Tips

<Tip>
  Press `Ctrl+P` and select **Settings** to quickly adjust your LLM configuration without restarting the CLI.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  Press `Esc` to pause the agent if it's going in the wrong direction, then provide clarification.
</Tip>

## See Also

* [Quick Start](/openhands/usage/cli/quick-start) - Get started with the CLI
* [MCP Servers](/openhands/usage/cli/mcp-servers) - Configure MCP servers
* [Headless Mode](/openhands/usage/cli/headless) - Run without UI for automation


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> To find navigation and other pages in this documentation, fetch the llms.txt file at: https://docs.openhands.dev/llms.txt