Building a TUI is easy now
hatchet.run
February 13, 2026
7 min read
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
62/100
Summary
Claude Code is a terminal-based coding agent that gained significant attention for its potential impact on development workflows. Hatchet considered building a new product line around terminal-based coding agents after a positive initial experience with Claude Code.
Key Takeaways
- Claude Code, a terminal-based coding agent, significantly accelerated the development of a TUI application for Hatchet, allowing it to be built and shipped in just a few days.
- The Charm stack, which includes libraries like Bubble Tea and Lip Gloss, provides a robust framework for TUI development, making it easier to create cohesive and interactive terminal applications.
- Users reported that the Hatchet TUI felt more performant and easier to use compared to the web UI, highlighting the advantages of text-first, information-dense interfaces.
- Claude Code proved to be effective in driving the development and testing of terminal-based tools, enhancing the overall development process.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- LLMs can significantly enhance tooling efficiency, allowing for quick implementation on lower-spec computers, which is crucial for resource-constrained environments.
- The ability to achieve substantial CPU performance boosts and RAM reductions through efficient data structures highlights the potential for TUIs to optimize resource usage.
Concerns
- TUIs that attempt to mimic GUIs often compromise accessibility and usability, forcing users into a rigid interaction model that limits flexibility.
- The use of complex CSS in a terminal user interface context can detract from performance, undermining the intended benefits of TUIs.
