Terminal User Interface (TUI)

The interactive terminal interface for ABOV3 with auto-completion, syntax highlighting, and real-time streaming responses.

🚀 Key Features

Zero Configuration - Automatically starts and manages embedded server
Beautiful Interface - Syntax highlighting and formatted output
Keyboard Shortcuts - Vim-like keybindings for power users
Multi-line Editing - Full text editor capabilities
Session Management - Continue conversations across sessions
Real-time Streaming - See responses as they're generated

Starting the TUI

# Linux
./abov3-tui-linux-x64

# macOS Intel
./abov3-tui-darwin-x64

# macOS Apple Silicon
./abov3-tui-darwin-arm64

# Windows
.\abov3-tui-windows-x64.exe

The TUI automatically:

Finds an available port
Starts the embedded ABOV3 server
Connects to the server
Cleans up when you exit

Slash Commands

Type these commands in the chat input to access features quickly:

Configuration Commands

/config

Open the configuration menu

/config show

Display current configuration settings

/config doctor

Run system health check and diagnostics

/config validate

Validate your configuration file

/config provider:list

List all configured AI providers

/config provider:add

Add a new AI provider

/config provider:edit

Edit, enable, or disable providers

/config mcp:list

List Model Context Protocol servers

/config mcp:add

Add a new MCP server

/config mcp:edit

Edit or manage MCP servers

Session Management

/new

Start a new chat session

/sessions

View and switch between sessions

/clear

Clear the current conversation

Other Commands

/help

Show all available commands and shortcuts

/models

List all available AI models

/agents

Manage AI agents (Build, Plan, General)

/copy

Copy the last response to clipboard

/exit or /quit

Exit the TUI (also cleans up server)

Keyboard Shortcuts

ABOV3 TUI uses a leader key system (default: ctrl+x) for commands:

Category	Shortcut	Action
Application	<leader>h	Show help dialog
	ctrl+c or <leader>q	Exit the application
	<leader>e	Open external editor
Sessions	<leader>n	Create new session
	<leader>l	List all sessions
	<leader>g	Show session timeline
	<leader>s	Share current session
	ctrl+right	Next child session
	ctrl+left	Previous child session
Models & Agents	<leader>m	List available models
	f2	Cycle to next recent model
	<leader>a	List agents
	tab / shift+tab	Switch between agents
Navigation	pgup / pgdown	Scroll messages by page
	ctrl+alt+u / ctrl+alt+d	Scroll by half page
	ctrl+g	Go to first message
	ctrl+alt+g	Go to last message
	<leader>y	Copy message
	<leader>u	Undo last message
	<leader>r	Redo message
	<leader>c	Compact the session
	esc	Interrupt current session
Input	enter	Submit prompt
	shift+enter or ctrl+j	Insert newline
	ctrl+v	Paste from clipboard
	ctrl+c	Clear input field
View	<leader>t	List available themes
	<leader>d	Toggle tool details
	<leader>b	Toggle thinking blocks

💡 Leader Key

The leader key is ctrl+x by default. Press it, then press the second key. For example, <leader>h means press ctrl+x then h.

Interface Features

Chat Interface

Syntax Highlighting - Code blocks are automatically highlighted
Markdown Rendering - Proper formatting for lists, headers, etc.
Streaming Responses - See AI responses as they're generated
Multi-line Input - Use Shift+Enter for multi-line prompts
Copy Code - Easy code block copying

Model Selection

Quick switch with /models command
Recent models accessible with F2
Shows token usage and costs
Automatic Ollama model detection

Session Management

Automatic session persistence
Continue previous conversations
Branch conversations (child sessions)
Export sessions as JSON
Share sessions with others

Tips and Tricks

🎯 Quick Model Switching

Use F2 to quickly cycle through your recently used models without opening the model selector.

📝 Multi-line Input

For complex prompts, use Shift+Enter to add new lines. This is perfect for pasting code snippets or writing detailed instructions.

🔄 Agent Switching

Quickly switch between Build and Plan agents using Tab. Build agent is optimized for code generation, while Plan agent excels at architecture and design.

💾 Session Branching

Create child sessions with Ctrl+Right to explore different approaches without losing your main conversation thread.

⚡ Custom Commands

Create your own slash commands by adding them to ~/.config/abov3/command/. They'll appear automatically in the TUI.

Configuration

The TUI respects all settings in your ABOV3 configuration:

# Main config file
~/.config/abov3/abov3.json

# Custom keybindings example:
{
  "keybinds": {
    "leader": "ctrl+a",     // Change leader key
    "app_exit": "ctrl+q",   // Custom exit shortcut
    "session_new": "alt+n"  // Custom new session
  }
}

Troubleshooting

TUI won't start

Ensure the binary has execute permissions: chmod +x abov3-tui-linux-x64
Check if port is available (TUI auto-finds free ports)
Run with debug logging: LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG ./abov3-tui-linux-x64

Models not showing

Check provider authentication: /config provider:list
For Ollama, ensure it's running: ollama serve
Verify API keys in configuration

Keyboard shortcuts not working

Some terminal emulators may intercept certain key combinations
Try customizing keybindings in config
Use slash commands as alternatives