| name | tui-design |
| description | Create distinctive, production-grade terminal user interfaces. Use when building TUI components with ratatui, CLI output styling, or xterm.js terminal rendering. Triggers: 'design TUI', 'terminal UI', 'TUIใใถใคใณ', 'ใฟใผใใใซUI', 'ratatui widget' |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, Glob, Grep, Edit, Write |
TUI Design
Create distinctive, production-grade terminal user interfaces with high design quality. Use this skill when building TUI components, CLI tools, or terminal-based interfaces. Generate creative, polished code that avoids generic terminal aesthetics.
gwt Technology Context
- Primary TUI framework: Rust ratatui (gwt-core TUI migration target)
- Terminal emulation: xterm.js v6 (gwt-gui, rendered in Tauri WebView)
- Design principle: ใทใณใใซใใฎๆฅต้ใ่ฟฝๆฑใใคใคใใฆใผใถใใชใใฃใจ้็บ่
ไฝ้จใฎๅ่ณชใฏๅฆฅๅใใชใ (CLAUDE.md)
- Scope: TUI/CLI/terminal rendering โ Web UI components use
frontend-design skill instead
Design Thinking
Before coding, understand the context and commit to a BOLD aesthetic direction:
- Purpose: What problem does this interface solve? Who uses it? What's the workflow?
- Tone: Pick an extreme: hacker/cyberpunk, retro-computing (80s/90s), minimalist zen, maximalist dashboard, synthwave neon, monochrome brutalist, corporate mainframe, playful/whimsical, matrix-style, steampunk terminal, vaporwave, military/tactical, art deco, paper-tape nostalgic
- Constraints: Technical requirements (Rust ratatui, xterm.js, pure ANSI escape codes)
- Differentiation: What makes this UNFORGETTABLE? What's the one thing someone will remember about this terminal experience?
Choose a clear conceptual direction and execute it with precision. A dense information dashboard and a zen single-focus interface both work โ the key is intentionality, not intensity.
Box Drawing & Borders
Choose border styles that match your aesthetic:
- Single line:
โโโโโโ โ Clean, modern
- Double line:
โโโโโโ โ Bold, formal, retro-mainframe
- Rounded:
โญโโฎโโฐโฏ โ Soft, friendly, modern
- Heavy:
โโโโโโ โ Strong, industrial
- Dashed/Dotted:
โโ โ Light, airy, informal
- ASCII only:
+-+| โ Retro, universal compatibility
- Block characters:
โโโโโ โ Chunky, bold, brutalist
- Custom Unicode: Mix symbols like
โขโฃโคโฅ, โโโโ, โฒโผโโถ for unique frames
Avoid defaulting to simple single-line boxes. Consider asymmetric borders, double-thick headers, or decorative corners like โ, โ, โฆ, โฌก.
Color & Theme
Commit to a cohesive palette. Terminal color strategies:
- ANSI 16: Classic, universal. Craft distinctive combinations beyond default red/green/blue
- 256-color: Rich palettes. Use color gradients, subtle background variations
- True color (24-bit): Full spectrum. Gradient text, smooth color transitions
- Monochrome: Single color with intensity variations (dim, normal, bold, reverse). Elegant constraint
Create atmosphere with:
- Background color blocks for sections
- Gradient fills using block characters
โโโโ
- Color-coded semantic meaning (but avoid clichรฉ red=bad, green=good)
- Inverted/reverse video for emphasis
- Dim text for secondary information, bold for primary
Palette examples (invent your own):
- Cyberpunk: Hot pink
#ff00ff, electric cyan #00ffff, deep purple #1a0a2e background
- Amber terminal:
#ffb000 on black, like vintage CRTs
- Nord-inspired: Cool blues and muted greens on dark blue-gray
- Hot Dog Stand: Intentionally garish yellow/red (for playful/ironic UIs)
Typography & Text Styling
The terminal is ALL typography. Make it count:
- ASCII art headers: Use figlet-style banners, custom letterforms, or Unicode art
- Text weight: Bold, dim, normal โ create visual hierarchy
- Text decoration: Underline, strikethrough, italic (where supported)
- Letter spacing: Simulate with spaces for headers:
H E A D E R
- Case: ALL CAPS for headers, lowercase for body, mixed for emphasis
- Unicode symbols: Enrich text with
โ โข โ โ
โก ฮป โด โก โ
- Custom bullets: Replace
- with โธ โ โ โฌข โบ or themed symbols
ASCII Art Styles:
Block: โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโ
Slant: /___ / / // / / ____/
Small: โโโโโโโโโ
Minimal: [ HEADER ]
Layout & Spatial Composition
Break free from single-column output:
- Panels & Windows: Create distinct regions with borders
- Columns: Side-by-side information using careful spacing
- Tables: Align data meaningfully, use Unicode table characters
- Whitespace: Generous padding inside panels, breathing room between sections
- Density: Match to purpose โ dashboards can be dense, wizards should be sparse
- Hierarchy: Clear visual distinction between primary content, secondary info, and chrome
- Asymmetry: Off-center titles, weighted layouts, unexpected alignments
Motion & Animation
Terminals support dynamic content:
- Spinners: Beyond basic
|/-\. Use Braille patterns โ โ โ นโ ธโ ผโ ดโ ฆโ งโ โ , dots โฃพโฃฝโฃปโขฟโกฟโฃโฃฏโฃท, custom sequences
- Progress bars:
โโ, โโ, [=====> ], or creative alternatives like โโโโ
- Typing effects: Reveal text character-by-character for drama
- Transitions: Wipe effects, fade in/out with color intensity
- Live updates: Streaming data, real-time charts
Data Display
- Sparklines:
โโโโโ
โโโ for inline mini-charts
- Bar charts: Horizontal bars with block characters
- Tables: Smart column sizing, alternating row colors, aligned numbers
- Trees:
โโโ โโโ โ for hierarchies
- Status indicators:
โ green, โ empty, โ partial, โ complete, โ failed
- Gauges:
[โโโโโโโโโโ] with percentage
Decorative Elements
Add character without clutter:
- Dividers:
โโโโโ โโโโโ โขโขโขโขโขโข โโโโโโ โโโโโโ
- Section markers:
โถ SECTION, [ SECTION ], โโโ SECTION โโโ, โ SECTION
- Background textures: Patterns using light characters like
ยท โ โ
- Icons: Nerd Font icons if available:
๓ฐข
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
NEVER use generic terminal aesthetics like:
- Plain unformatted text output
- Default colors without intentional palette
- Basic
[INFO], [ERROR] prefixes without styling
- Simple
---- dividers
- Walls of unstructured text
- Generic progress bars without personality
- Boring help text formatting
- Inconsistent spacing and alignment
Library Quick Reference
| Framework | Language | Notes |
|---|
| ratatui | Rust | gwt primary TUI framework |
| xterm.js v6 | TypeScript | gwt-gui terminal emulation (Tauri WebView) |
| Rich, Textual | Python | General purpose |
| Bubbletea, Lipgloss | Go | General purpose |
| Ink, Blessed | Node.js | General purpose |
ANSI Escape Codes
\x1b[1m Bold
\x1b[3m Italic
\x1b[4m Underline
\x1b[31m Red foreground
\x1b[38;2;R;G;Bm True color
\x1b[2J Clear screen
Guiding Principle
The terminal is a canvas with unique constraints and possibilities. Don't just print text โ craft an experience.
Match implementation complexity to the aesthetic vision. A dense monitoring dashboard needs elaborate panels and live updates. A minimal CLI needs restraint, precision, and perfect alignment. Elegance comes from executing the vision well.
