ink-bbs-ansi-ui

name	ink-bbs-ansi-ui
description	Design React Ink terminal UI components for a terminal-based IDE with classic BBS / warez-scene aesthetics and ANSI art composition rules.
triggers	["ink","react ink","terminal ide","tui ui","bbs ui","warez scene","ansi style","acid style","terminal app design","cli ide"]

Ink BBS ANSI UI

Purpose

Design terminal UI components for a React-based Ink application that feels like a classic elite BBS / warez-scene board, while using ANSI art composition principles to get the visual language right.

This is not generic retro styling. This is terminal UI built from:

• ANSI composition rules
• BBS chrome language
• ACiD-style visual density
• artpack-era panel logic
• keyboard-first IDE ergonomics

Aesthetic target

Use the visual language of:

• elite BBS boards
• warez-scene menus
• ANSI art packs
• ACiD-style logos and panels
• iCE / oldschool text-mode work
• box-drawing UI chrome
• neon-on-dark terminal surfaces
• dense, information-rich operator interfaces

Prefer:

• strong silhouette
• hard outline
• framed sections
• layered panels
• crisp separators
• title bars
• status lines
• prompt-driven navigation
• compact menu structures
• deliberate shading and contrast

Avoid:

• web-app whitespace
• soft card UI
• generic SaaS dashboards
• rounded modern components
• decorative noise without function
• retro cosplay with no terminal logic

What to produce

Return one or more of:

• component hierarchy
• layout plan
• Ink component API sketch
• terminal theme tokens
• ANSI-style chrome rules
• interaction model
• focus and keyboard map
• resize behavior
• validation notes
• visual reference interpretation

Core rules

• Design for keyboard-first use.
• Keep terminal width and height constraints explicit.
• Use fixed-cell thinking.
• Assume monospace rendering.
• Treat ANSI composition as part of the UI design language.
• Make the UI feel like a board, not a browser.
• Preserve readability at low terminal sizes.

ANSI composition rules

These matter for component design too:

• silhouette first
• outline second
• fill third
• shading last
• contrast is structure
• line weight matters
• borders are part of the content
• width is a hard constraint
• negative space must be intentional
• palette choices must support hierarchy

ACiD / artpack inspiration rules

Use ACiD-era and artpack-era references as design cues for:

• panel density
• header treatment
• logo blocks
• prompt lines
• info hierarchy
• border behavior
• scene-authentic color use
• title rhythm
• status messaging
• full-screen composition

The UI should feel like it could live beside:

• ANSI art packs
• intro screens
• file boards
• release menus
• scene logins
• old BBS navigational shells

Component philosophy

Design components as terminal primitives:

• panel
• split pane
• tree
• list
• prompt
• status bar
• modal
• inspector
• log view
• transfer view
• tab strip
• command palette
• login form
• message board
• file browser
• editor frame

Output format

When answering, prefer:

• component list
• layout wireframe
• props and state model
• keyboard behavior
• styling tokens
• ANSI chrome guidance
• implementation notes for Ink / React

Constraints

• Do not assume browser layout behavior.
• Do not assume CSS flexbox feels like DOM UI.
• Do not use pixel-based thinking.
• Do not use emoji as primary UI glyphs.
• Do not break the BBS feel by over-modernizing the surfaces.
• Do not lose ANSI craft in the name of UI cleanliness.

Success criteria

A good result:

• feels like a serious old-school board or warez terminal
• uses ANSI composition intelligently
• works in a terminal first
• supports rapid keyboard navigation
• is usable as an IDE shell
• preserves the ACiD / artpack / BBS visual DNA