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Mo Abualruz edited this page Dec 3, 2025 · 1 revision

TUI Interface Guide

Master the RiceCoder Terminal User Interface for efficient code generation and chat interactions.

Status: ✅ Complete

Last Updated: December 3, 2025

Overview

The RiceCoder TUI (Terminal User Interface) provides an interactive chat-like experience for code generation, analysis, and conversation. It's designed for developers who prefer working in the terminal and want a responsive, keyboard-driven interface.

Key Concepts

  • Chat-based interaction: Ask questions and get responses in a conversational format
  • Real-time streaming: See AI responses appear in real-time as they're generated
  • Multiple modes: Switch between different interaction modes (ask, code, vibe)
  • Session persistence: Your conversations are saved and can be resumed
  • Keyboard-driven: Navigate and interact entirely with the keyboard
  • Syntax highlighting: Code blocks are highlighted for readability

Starting the TUI

Basic Usage

rice chat

This starts the interactive TUI with your configured AI provider.

With Specific Provider

# Use OpenAI
rice chat --provider openai

# Use local Ollama
rice chat --provider ollama

# Use Anthropic
rice chat --provider anthropic

With Specific Model

rice chat --model gpt-4
rice chat --model claude-3-opus
rice chat --model mistral

Exiting the TUI

Press Ctrl+C to exit the chat at any time. Your conversation is automatically saved.

Interface Layout

The TUI is organized into several sections:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RiceCoder Chat - Session: default                    [1/10] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                               │
│ > What's the best way to structure a Rust project?          │
│                                                               │
│ RiceCoder:                                                    │
│ Here are the key principles for structuring a Rust project:  │
│                                                               │
│ 1. Separate concerns into modules                            │
│ 2. Use meaningful names                                      │
│ 3. Keep modules focused                                      │
│                                                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ r[ >                                                          │
│ Type your message and press Enter to send                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Components

  • Header: Shows session name and message count
  • Message Area: Displays conversation history with syntax highlighting
  • Input Area: Where you type your messages
  • Status Bar: Shows helpful hints and keyboard shortcuts

Navigation

Scrolling Through Messages

Navigate through your conversation history:

Key Action
↑ / ↓ Scroll up/down one line
Page Up Scroll up one screen
Page Down Scroll down one screen
Home Jump to beginning of conversation
End Jump to end of conversation

Selecting Text

Copy text from the conversation:

Key Action
Shift+↑ / Shift+↓ Select text line by line
Shift+Page Up Select screen by screen
Shift+Page Down Select screen by screen
Ctrl+C Copy selected text (or exit if nothing selected)

Message Navigation

Move between messages:

Key Action
Ctrl+P Previous message
Ctrl+N Next message
Ctrl+Home First message
Ctrl+End Last message

Keyboard Shortcuts

Input Editing

Key Action
Enter Send message
Shift+Enter New line in message
Ctrl+A Move to start of line
Ctrl+E Move to end of line
Ctrl+U Clear line
Ctrl+W Delete word
Backspace Delete character
Delete Delete character forward

Message Editing

Key Action
↑ (in input) Previous message from history
↓ (in input) Next message from history
Ctrl+R Search message history
Ctrl+L Clear screen

Session Management

Key Action
Ctrl+S Save current session
Ctrl+O Open session
Ctrl+N New session
Ctrl+D Delete session

Mode Switching

Key Action
/ask Switch to Ask mode
/code Switch to Code mode
/vibe Switch to Vibe mode
Ctrl+M Show mode menu

Other Commands

Key Action
Ctrl+C Exit TUI
Ctrl+H Show help
Ctrl+? Show keyboard shortcuts
/help Show command help

Modes

RiceCoder supports different interaction modes optimized for different tasks.

Ask Mode

General-purpose conversation and questions.

/ask

Best for:

  • Asking questions about code
  • Getting explanations
  • Brainstorming ideas
  • General conversation

Example:

r[ > /ask
r[ > How do I implement error handling in Rust?

Code Mode

Focused on code generation and analysis.

/code

Best for:

  • Generating code
  • Analyzing existing code
  • Refactoring suggestions
  • Code review

Example:

r[ > /code
r[ > Generate a function to parse JSON

Vibe Mode

Creative and exploratory mode.

/vibe

Best for:

  • Exploring ideas
  • Creative writing
  • Brainstorming
  • Experimental features

Example:

r[ > /vibe
r[ > What would a futuristic CLI tool look like?

Switching Modes

Switch modes at any time:

r[ > /ask
r[ > /code
r[ > /vibe

Or use the keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl+M  # Show mode menu

Session Management

Sessions save your conversation history and can be resumed later.

Creating Sessions

Sessions are created automatically when you start the TUI:

rice chat
# Creates default session

Create a named session:

rice chat --session my-project

Listing Sessions

rice session list

Output:

Sessions:
  default (10 messages, last used 2 hours ago)
  my-project (25 messages, last used 1 day ago)
  experiments (5 messages, last used 1 week ago)

Switching Sessions

In the TUI:

/session switch my-project

Or from the command line:

rice chat --session my-project

Saving Sessions

Sessions are automatically saved. To manually save:

Ctrl+S

Deleting Sessions

rice session delete my-project

Or in the TUI:

/session delete my-project

Exporting Sessions

Export a session to a file:

rice session export my-project > my-project.txt

Tips & Tricks for Power Users

1. Use Multi-line Messages

For longer messages, use Shift+Enter for new lines:

r[ > This is a long message
r[ > that spans multiple lines
r[ > and is easier to read

2. Search Message History

Find previous messages quickly:

Ctrl+R
# Type to search

3. Copy Code Blocks

Select and copy code from responses:

Shift+↑/↓  # Select text
Ctrl+C     # Copy

4. Use Command Shortcuts

Define custom shortcuts in .agent/config.yaml:

shortcuts:
  test: /code Generate a test for this function
  review: /code Review this code for issues
  explain: /ask Explain this code

Then use them:

r[ > /test

5. Pipe Commands

Use shell pipes to send file contents:

cat src/main.rs | rice chat

6. Batch Processing

Process multiple files:

for file in src/*.rs; do
  echo "=== $file ===" | rice chat
  cat "$file" | rice chat
done

7. Theme Customization

Change the TUI theme:

rice config set theme dracula
rice config set theme nord
rice config set theme solarized

Available themes:

  • dracula - Dark theme with vibrant colors
  • nord - Arctic, north-bluish color palette
  • solarized - Precision colors for machines and people
  • monokai - Dark theme with bright accents
  • gruvbox - Retro groove color scheme

8. Keyboard Bindings

Customize keyboard bindings in .agent/config.yaml:

keybindings:
  send-message: Enter
  new-line: Shift+Enter
  clear-screen: Ctrl+L
  exit: Ctrl+C

9. Auto-save Interval

Configure how often sessions are saved:

session:
  auto-save-interval: 30s
  max-history: 1000

10. Streaming Control

Control how responses are streamed:

streaming:
  enabled: true
  chunk-size: 50
  delay-ms: 10

Troubleshooting

Issue: TUI doesn't start

Solution: Check your configuration:

rice config show

Ensure you have:

  • A valid API key configured
  • A valid provider configured
  • Network connectivity

Issue: Responses are slow

Solution: Check your network and provider:

# Test with a local model
rice chat --provider ollama

# Check API status
rice info

Issue: Text is cut off or misaligned

Solution: Resize your terminal window:

# Make terminal larger
# Or use a different terminal emulator

Issue: Copy/paste not working

Solution: Check your terminal's clipboard support:

# Try using your terminal's native copy/paste
# Or configure clipboard in .agent/config.yaml

Issue: Sessions not saving

Solution: Check file permissions:

ls -la ~/.ricecoder/sessions/
chmod 755 ~/.ricecoder/sessions/

Issue: Mode switching not working

Solution: Ensure you're using the correct syntax:

# Correct
/ask
/code
/vibe

# Incorrect
ask
code
vibe

Issue: Keyboard shortcuts not responding

Solution: Check your terminal's key handling:

# Some terminals don't support all key combinations
# Try a different terminal emulator
# Or reconfigure keybindings in .agent/config.yaml

Issue: Colors not displaying correctly

Solution: Check your terminal's color support:

# Enable 256-color support
export TERM=xterm-256color

# Or change theme
rice config set theme monokai

Configuration

TUI-Specific Settings

Configure TUI behavior in .agent/config.yaml:

tui:
  # Display settings
  theme: dracula
  font-size: 12
  line-height: 1.5
  
  # Behavior settings
  auto-scroll: true
  word-wrap: true
  syntax-highlight: true
  
  # Session settings
  auto-save: true
  auto-save-interval: 30s
  max-history: 1000
  
  # Streaming settings
  streaming: true
  chunk-size: 50
  delay-ms: 10

Keyboard Bindings

Customize keyboard shortcuts:

keybindings:
  send-message: Enter
  new-line: Shift+Enter
  clear-screen: Ctrl+L
  exit: Ctrl+C
  scroll-up: Page Up
  scroll-down: Page Down
  previous-message: Ctrl+P
  next-message: Ctrl+N
  search-history: Ctrl+R

Theme Customization

Create a custom theme:

themes:
  my-theme:
    background: "#1e1e1e"
    foreground: "#d4d4d4"
    primary: "#007acc"
    secondary: "#ce9178"
    error: "#f48771"
    success: "#6a9955"

Accessibility

Screen Reader Support

Enable screen reader support:

rice config set accessibility.screen-reader true

High Contrast Mode

Use high contrast theme:

rice config set theme high-contrast

Keyboard-Only Navigation

All features are accessible via keyboard. No mouse required.

Font Size

Adjust font size:

rice config set tui.font-size 14

Performance

Optimize for Large Conversations

For sessions with many messages:

session:
  max-history: 500  # Limit history
  auto-save-interval: 60s  # Save less frequently
  compress-old-messages: true  # Compress old messages

Reduce Memory Usage

tui:
  streaming:
    chunk-size: 25  # Smaller chunks
    delay-ms: 20    # Longer delay

Improve Responsiveness

tui:
  auto-scroll: false  # Disable auto-scroll
  syntax-highlight: false  # Disable highlighting

See Also

Last updated: December 3, 2025

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