Add tui.md and improve TUI documentation

- New tui.md covers component system for hooks and custom tools
- Update hooks.md intro with 'Key capabilities' highlighting UI
- Update custom-tools.md intro with 'Key capabilities' highlighting UI
- Reference tui.md from both docs
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Mario Zechner 2025-12-31 13:05:59 +01:00
parent 29e0ed9cd1
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Custom tools are additional tools that the LLM can call directly, just like the built-in `read`, `write`, `edit`, and `bash` tools. They are TypeScript modules that define callable functions with parameters, return values, and optional TUI rendering. Custom tools are additional tools that the LLM can call directly, just like the built-in `read`, `write`, `edit`, and `bash` tools. They are TypeScript modules that define callable functions with parameters, return values, and optional TUI rendering.
**Key capabilities:**
- **User interaction** - Prompt users via `pi.ui` (select, confirm, input dialogs)
- **Custom rendering** - Control how tool calls and results appear via `renderCall`/`renderResult`
- **TUI components** - Render custom components with `pi.ui.custom()` (see [tui.md](tui.md))
- **State management** - Persist state in tool result `details` for proper branching support
- **Streaming results** - Send partial updates via `onUpdate` callback
**Example use cases:** **Example use cases:**
- Ask the user questions with selectable options - Interactive dialogs (questions with selectable options)
- Maintain state across calls (todo lists, connection pools) - Stateful tools (todo lists, connection pools)
- Custom TUI rendering (progress indicators, structured output) - Rich output rendering (progress indicators, structured views)
- Integrate external services with proper error handling - External service integrations with confirmation flows
- Tools that need user confirmation before proceeding
**When to use custom tools vs. alternatives:** **When to use custom tools vs. alternatives:**
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## Custom Rendering ## Custom Rendering
Custom tools can provide `renderCall` and `renderResult` methods to control how they appear in the TUI. Both are optional. Custom tools can provide `renderCall` and `renderResult` methods to control how they appear in the TUI. Both are optional. See [tui.md](tui.md) for the full component API.
### How It Works ### How It Works

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- Call `handle.requestRender()` to trigger re-render - Call `handle.requestRender()` to trigger re-render
- Call `handle.close()` when done to restore normal UI - Call `handle.close()` when done to restore normal UI
See [examples/hooks/snake.ts](../examples/hooks/snake.ts) for a complete example with game loop, keyboard handling, and state persistence. See [examples/hooks/snake.ts](../examples/hooks/snake.ts) for a complete example with game loop, keyboard handling, and state persistence. See [tui.md](tui.md) for the full component API.
### ctx.hasUI ### ctx.hasUI

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# TUI Components
Hooks and custom tools can render custom TUI components for interactive user interfaces. This page covers the component system and available building blocks.
**Source:** [`@mariozechner/pi-tui`](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono/tree/main/packages/tui)
## Component Interface
All components implement:
```typescript
interface Component {
render(width: number): string[];
handleInput?(data: string): void;
invalidate?(): void;
}
```
| Method | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `render(width)` | Return array of strings (one per line). Each line **must not exceed `width`**. |
| `handleInput?(data)` | Receive keyboard input when component has focus. |
| `invalidate?()` | Clear cached render state. |
## Using Components
**In hooks** via `ctx.ui.custom()`:
```typescript
pi.on("session_start", async (_event, ctx) => {
const handle = ctx.ui.custom(myComponent);
// handle.requestRender() - trigger re-render
// handle.close() - restore normal UI
});
```
**In custom tools** via `pi.ui.custom()`:
```typescript
async execute(toolCallId, params, onUpdate, ctx, signal) {
const handle = pi.ui.custom(myComponent);
// ...
handle.close();
}
```
## Built-in Components
Import from `@mariozechner/pi-tui`:
```typescript
import { Text, Box, Container, Spacer, Markdown } from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
```
### Text
Multi-line text with word wrapping.
```typescript
const text = new Text(
"Hello World", // content
1, // paddingX (default: 1)
1, // paddingY (default: 1)
(s) => bgGray(s) // optional background function
);
text.setText("Updated");
```
### Box
Container with padding and background color.
```typescript
const box = new Box(
1, // paddingX
1, // paddingY
(s) => bgGray(s) // background function
);
box.addChild(new Text("Content", 0, 0));
box.setBgFn((s) => bgBlue(s));
```
### Container
Groups child components vertically.
```typescript
const container = new Container();
container.addChild(component1);
container.addChild(component2);
container.removeChild(component1);
```
### Spacer
Empty vertical space.
```typescript
const spacer = new Spacer(2); // 2 empty lines
```
### Markdown
Renders markdown with syntax highlighting.
```typescript
const md = new Markdown(
"# Title\n\nSome **bold** text",
1, // paddingX
1, // paddingY
theme // MarkdownTheme (see below)
);
md.setText("Updated markdown");
```
### Image
Renders images in supported terminals (Kitty, iTerm2, Ghostty, WezTerm).
```typescript
const image = new Image(
base64Data, // base64-encoded image
"image/png", // MIME type
theme, // ImageTheme
{ maxWidthCells: 80, maxHeightCells: 24 }
);
```
## Keyboard Input
Use key detection helpers:
```typescript
import {
isEnter, isEscape, isTab,
isArrowUp, isArrowDown, isArrowLeft, isArrowRight,
isCtrlC, isCtrlO, isBackspace, isDelete,
// ... and more
} from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
handleInput(data: string) {
if (isArrowUp(data)) {
this.selectedIndex--;
} else if (isEnter(data)) {
this.onSelect?.(this.selectedIndex);
} else if (isEscape(data)) {
this.onCancel?.();
}
}
```
## Line Width
**Critical:** Each line from `render()` must not exceed the `width` parameter.
```typescript
import { visibleWidth, truncateToWidth } from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
render(width: number): string[] {
// Truncate long lines
return [truncateToWidth(this.text, width)];
}
```
Utilities:
- `visibleWidth(str)` - Get display width (ignores ANSI codes)
- `truncateToWidth(str, width, ellipsis?)` - Truncate with optional ellipsis
- `wrapTextWithAnsi(str, width)` - Word wrap preserving ANSI codes
## Creating Custom Components
Example: Interactive selector
```typescript
import {
isEnter, isEscape, isArrowUp, isArrowDown,
truncateToWidth, visibleWidth
} from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
class MySelector {
private items: string[];
private selected = 0;
private cachedWidth?: number;
private cachedLines?: string[];
public onSelect?: (item: string) => void;
public onCancel?: () => void;
constructor(items: string[]) {
this.items = items;
}
handleInput(data: string): void {
if (isArrowUp(data) && this.selected > 0) {
this.selected--;
this.invalidate();
} else if (isArrowDown(data) && this.selected < this.items.length - 1) {
this.selected++;
this.invalidate();
} else if (isEnter(data)) {
this.onSelect?.(this.items[this.selected]);
} else if (isEscape(data)) {
this.onCancel?.();
}
}
render(width: number): string[] {
if (this.cachedLines && this.cachedWidth === width) {
return this.cachedLines;
}
this.cachedLines = this.items.map((item, i) => {
const prefix = i === this.selected ? "> " : " ";
return truncateToWidth(prefix + item, width);
});
this.cachedWidth = width;
return this.cachedLines;
}
invalidate(): void {
this.cachedWidth = undefined;
this.cachedLines = undefined;
}
}
```
Usage in a hook:
```typescript
pi.registerCommand("pick", {
description: "Pick an item",
handler: async (args, ctx) => {
const items = ["Option A", "Option B", "Option C"];
const selector = new MySelector(items);
let handle: { close: () => void; requestRender: () => void };
await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
selector.onSelect = (item) => {
ctx.ui.notify(`Selected: ${item}`, "info");
handle.close();
resolve();
};
selector.onCancel = () => {
handle.close();
resolve();
};
handle = ctx.ui.custom(selector);
});
}
});
```
## Theming
Components accept theme objects for styling. Use ANSI color functions (e.g., from `chalk` or pi's theme):
```typescript
// In hooks, use the theme from renderResult/renderCall
renderResult(result, options, theme) {
return new Text(theme.fg("success", "Done!"), 0, 0);
}
// For custom components, define your own theme interface
interface MyTheme {
selected: (s: string) => string;
normal: (s: string) => string;
}
```
### MarkdownTheme
```typescript
interface MarkdownTheme {
heading: (text: string) => string;
link: (text: string) => string;
linkUrl: (text: string) => string;
code: (text: string) => string;
codeBlock: (text: string) => string;
codeBlockBorder: (text: string) => string;
quote: (text: string) => string;
quoteBorder: (text: string) => string;
hr: (text: string) => string;
listBullet: (text: string) => string;
bold: (text: string) => string;
italic: (text: string) => string;
strikethrough: (text: string) => string;
underline: (text: string) => string;
highlightCode?: (code: string, lang?: string) => string[];
}
```
## Performance
Cache rendered output when possible:
```typescript
class CachedComponent {
private cachedWidth?: number;
private cachedLines?: string[];
render(width: number): string[] {
if (this.cachedLines && this.cachedWidth === width) {
return this.cachedLines;
}
// ... compute lines ...
this.cachedWidth = width;
this.cachedLines = lines;
return lines;
}
invalidate(): void {
this.cachedWidth = undefined;
this.cachedLines = undefined;
}
}
```
Call `invalidate()` when state changes, then `handle.requestRender()` to trigger re-render.
## Examples
- **Snake game**: [examples/hooks/snake.ts](../examples/hooks/snake.ts) - Full game with keyboard input, game loop, state persistence
- **Custom tool rendering**: [examples/custom-tools/todo/](../examples/custom-tools/todo/) - Custom `renderCall` and `renderResult`