Atomic can create TUI components. Ask it to build one for your use case.

TUI Components

Extensions and custom tools can render custom TUI components for interactive user interfaces. This page covers the component system and available building blocks. Source: TUI components are provided by Atomic’s installed @earendil-works/pi-tui runtime dependency (node_modules/@earendil-works/pi-tui/dist/).

Component Interface

All components implement:

interface Component {
  render(width: number): string[];
  handleInput?(data: string): void;
  wantsKeyRelease?: boolean;
  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.
`wantsKeyRelease?`	If true, component receives key release events (Kitty protocol). Default: false.
`invalidate()`	Clear cached render state. Called on theme changes.

The TUI appends a full SGR reset and OSC 8 reset at the end of each rendered line. Styles do not carry across lines. If you emit multi-line text with styling, reapply styles per line or use wrapTextWithAnsi() so styles are preserved for each wrapped line.

Focusable Interface (IME Support)

Components that display a text cursor and need IME (Input Method Editor) support should implement the Focusable interface:

import { CURSOR_MARKER, type Component, type Focusable } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

class MyInput implements Component, Focusable {
  focused: boolean = false;  // Set by TUI when focus changes
  
  render(width: number): string[] {
    const marker = this.focused ? CURSOR_MARKER : "";
    // Emit marker right before the fake cursor
    return [`> ${beforeCursor}${marker}\x1b[7m${atCursor}\x1b[27m${afterCursor}`];
  }
}

When a Focusable component has focus, TUI:

Sets focused = true on the component
Scans rendered output for CURSOR_MARKER (a zero-width APC escape sequence)
Positions the hardware terminal cursor at that location
Shows the hardware cursor only when showHardwareCursor is enabled

The cursor remains hidden by default. This keeps the fake cursor rendering, while still positioning the hardware cursor for terminals that track IME candidate windows with hidden cursors. Some terminals require a visible hardware cursor for IME positioning; enable it with showHardwareCursor, setShowHardwareCursor(true), or ATOMIC_HARDWARE_CURSOR=1. The Editor and Input built-in components already implement this interface.

Container Components with Embedded Inputs

When a container component (dialog, selector, etc.) contains an Input or Editor child, the container must implement Focusable and propagate the focus state to the child. Otherwise, the hardware cursor won’t be positioned correctly for IME input.

import { Container, type Focusable, Input } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

class SearchDialog extends Container implements Focusable {
  private searchInput: Input;

  // Focusable implementation - propagate to child input for IME cursor positioning
  private _focused = false;
  get focused(): boolean {
    return this._focused;
  }
  set focused(value: boolean) {
    this._focused = value;
    this.searchInput.focused = value;
  }

  constructor() {
    super();
    this.searchInput = new Input();
    this.addChild(this.searchInput);
  }
}

Without this propagation, typing with an IME (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) will show the candidate window in the wrong position on screen.

Using Components

Use ctx.ui.custom() with a component factory. The factory receives done(result), and ctx.ui.custom() resolves with that result when the component finishes:

pi.on("session_start", async (_event, ctx) => {
  const result = await ctx.ui.custom((tui, theme, keybindings, done) => {
    return new MyComponent(done);
  });
  ctx.ui.notify(`Selected: ${result}`, "info");
});

Pass { signal } to ctx.ui.custom() when the UI belongs to an abortable operation. If the signal aborts, Atomic dismisses the custom UI and rejects the returned promise with the signal reason. For overlays, use options.onHandle to receive an overlay handle for programmatic visibility control. In Atomic’s default interactive mode, the component instance remains in the isolated engine child. The terminal host caches rendered lines and forwards input asynchronously, so render() and handleInput() must not depend on direct access to host process objects. The remote bridge preserves pi-tui’s key-release contract: release events are filtered unless the child component sets wantsKeyRelease = true, matching a directly mounted component. Return values passed to done() must be JSON-safe.

Host terminal modes from an isolated component

Because the component runs in the engine child — whose stdout is the JSONL transport, not a TTY — writing raw terminal escape sequences to process.stdout from render()/handleInput() is a no-op and never reaches the real host terminal. For the two host-terminal modes an overlay commonly needs, the factory tui.terminal exposes typed, allowlisted setters that the host applies to the real TTY over the engine protocol:

await ctx.ui.custom((tui, theme, keybindings, done) => {
  tui.terminal.setMouseScrollTracking?.(true); // enable SGR mouse-scroll reporting on the host TTY
  tui.terminal.setAutowrap?.(false);           // disable autowrap (DECAWM) — Windows terminals only
  return new MyOverlay({ onClose: done });
}, { overlay: true });

These are the only terminal controls exposed; arbitrary child bytes are never forwarded to the terminal. The host resets any mode a component enabled when the overlay hides, closes, is disposed, or when the engine child crashes/restarts, so a stranded child can never leave the terminal in mouse-reporting or autowrap-off mode. On non-isolated hosts and test seams the setters are absent, and callers should fall back to writing escape sequences to their own process.stdout.

Host-native session picker

Remote-rendered components pay one host⇄child round trip per keypress under engine isolation. For session-style list pickers, the ctx.ui.hostSessionPicker(request) capability avoids that entirely: the terminal host mounts the real built-in SessionSelectorComponent and feeds it JSON-safe rows, so arrow-key navigation and search stay host-local and survive extension event-loop stalls. Only semantic events cross the host⇄extension boundary: the extension pushes row updates and errors (and may close() the picker); the host reports selection, cancel, and confirmed Ctrl+D deletes. Every interactive host implements the same API — non-isolated mode mounts the selector directly in-process (no IPC at all), isolated mode routes it over the engine session-picker protocol channel — so callers never branch on the mode. The member is absent only on non-interactive surfaces (headless RPC, print); fail with an actionable error there instead of degrading to a hand-rolled picker.

const picker = ctx.ui.hostSessionPicker?.({
  sessions: rows, // HostSessionPickerRow[]: SessionInfo with createdAt/modifiedAt epoch millis
  showRenameHint: false,
  onDelete: async (path) => {
    // Deletion is extension-owned: the host keeps the row until you reply.
    const outcome = await remove(path);
    if (outcome.ok) picker!.update(rowsWithout(path));
    else picker!.error(outcome.message);
  },
});
if (!picker) throw new Error("This command requires an interactive session picker");
picker.update(await loadMoreRows()); // merge late rows into the open picker
const path = await picker.result;    // selected row's path, or undefined on cancel

The bundled workflows extension’s /workflow resume picker is built exclusively on this channel.

Host-native input form

Use ctx.ui.hostInputForm(request) for structured inline forms whose keyboard handling must remain responsive under interactive-engine isolation. The terminal host mounts and focuses the real form in the bottom editor slot (overlay: false); Tab/Shift+Tab, arrows, text editing, configured keybindings, Enter, Escape, and Ctrl+C are handled entirely in the host process. In isolated mode only the JSON-safe open request and the final submit/cancel event cross the engine boundary. Non-isolated mode mounts the same component directly.

const values = await ctx.ui.hostInputForm?.({
  title: "Release",
  fields: [
    { name: "version", type: "string", required: true, initialValue: "" },
    { name: "channel", type: "select", choices: ["stable", "beta"], initialValue: "stable" },
  ],
});
if (values === undefined) return; // Escape, Ctrl+C, teardown, or close

Field types are string, text, number, integer, boolean, and select. Initial and returned values are raw strings; the caller owns domain coercion. Every current interactive Atomic host exposes the optional capability, while headless RPC and print surfaces omit it. Keep a legacy fallback only when compatibility with older hosts is required. The bundled /workflow <name> input picker uses this channel and retains its older custom-editor/ctx.ui.custom() paths only as compatibility fallbacks.

Overlays

Overlays render components on top of existing content without clearing the screen. Pass { overlay: true } to ctx.ui.custom():

const result = await ctx.ui.custom<string | null>(
  (tui, theme, keybindings, done) => new MyDialog({ onClose: done }),
  { overlay: true }
);

For positioning and sizing, use overlayOptions:

const result = await ctx.ui.custom<string | null>(
  (tui, theme, keybindings, done) => new SidePanel({ onClose: done }),
  {
    overlay: true,
    overlayOptions: {
      // Size: number or percentage string
      width: "50%",          // 50% of terminal width
      minWidth: 40,          // minimum 40 columns
      maxHeight: "80%",      // max 80% of terminal height

      // Position: anchor-based (default: "center")
      anchor: "right-center", // 9 positions: center, top-left, top-center, etc.
      offsetX: -2,            // offset from anchor
      offsetY: 0,

      // Or percentage/absolute positioning
      row: "25%",            // 25% from top
      col: 10,               // column 10

      // Margins
      margin: 2,             // all sides, or { top, right, bottom, left }

      // Responsive: hide on narrow terminals
      visible: (termWidth, termHeight) => termWidth >= 80,
    },
    // Get handle for programmatic focus and visibility control
    onHandle: (handle) => {
      // handle.focus() - focus this overlay and bring it to the visual front
      // handle.unfocus() - release input to normal fallback
      // handle.unfocus({ target }) - release input to a specific component or null
      // handle.setHidden(true/false) - toggle visibility
      // handle.hide() - permanently remove
    },
  }
);

Overlay Focus

A focused visible overlay keeps input ownership across temporary non-overlay UI. If an overlay opens another ctx.ui.custom() component without { overlay: true }, that replacement UI receives input while it is active; when it closes, the focused overlay can reclaim input. Use handle.unfocus() when a visible overlay should stop owning input and let TUI fall back to another visible capturing overlay or the previous focus target. Use handle.unfocus({ target }) when a specific component should receive input while the overlay stays visible. Passing { target: null } intentionally leaves no focused component until focus is set again.

Overlay Lifecycle

Overlay components are disposed when closed. Don’t reuse references - create fresh instances:

// Wrong - stale reference
let menu: MenuComponent;
await ctx.ui.custom((_, __, ___, done) => {
  menu = new MenuComponent(done);
  return menu;
}, { overlay: true });
setActiveComponent(menu);  // Disposed

// Correct - re-call to re-show
const showMenu = () => ctx.ui.custom((_, __, ___, done) => 
  new MenuComponent(done), { overlay: true });

await showMenu();  // First show
await showMenu();  // "Back" = just call again

See overlay-qa-tests.ts for comprehensive examples covering anchors, margins, stacking, responsive visibility, and animation.

Built-in Components

Import from @earendil-works/pi-tui:

import { Text, Box, Container, Spacer, Markdown } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

Text

Multi-line text with word wrapping.

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.

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.

const container = new Container();
container.addChild(component1);
container.addChild(component2);
container.removeChild(component1);

Spacer

Empty vertical space.

const spacer = new Spacer(2);  // 2 empty lines

Markdown

Renders markdown with syntax highlighting.

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, Warp).

const image = new Image(
  base64Data,   // base64-encoded image
  "image/png",  // MIME type
  theme,        // ImageTheme
  { maxWidthCells: 80, maxHeightCells: 24 }
);

Keyboard Input

Use matchesKey() for key detection:

import { matchesKey, Key } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

handleInput(data: string) {
  if (matchesKey(data, Key.up)) {
    this.selectedIndex--;
  } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.enter)) {
    this.onSelect?.(this.selectedIndex);
  } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.escape)) {
    this.onCancel?.();
  } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.ctrl("c"))) {
    // CTRL+C
  }
}

Key identifiers (use Key.* for autocomplete, or string literals):

Basic keys: Key.enter, Key.escape, Key.tab, Key.space, Key.backspace, Key.delete, Key.home, Key.end
Arrow keys: Key.up, Key.down, Key.left, Key.right
With modifiers: Key.ctrl("c"), Key.shift("tab"), Key.alt("left"), Key.ctrlShift("p")
String format also works: "enter", "ctrl+c", "shift+tab", "ctrl+shift+p"

Line Width

Critical: Each line from render() must not exceed the width parameter.

import { visibleWidth, truncateToWidth } from "@earendil-works/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

import {
  matchesKey, Key,
  truncateToWidth, visibleWidth
} from "@earendil-works/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 (matchesKey(data, Key.up) && this.selected > 0) {
      this.selected--;
      this.invalidate();
    } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.down) && this.selected < this.items.length - 1) {
      this.selected++;
      this.invalidate();
    } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.enter)) {
      this.onSelect?.(this.items[this.selected]);
    } else if (matchesKey(data, Key.escape)) {
      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 an extension:

pi.registerCommand("pick", {
  description: "Pick an item",
  handler: async (args, ctx) => {
    const items = ["Option A", "Option B", "Option C"];
    const selector = new MySelector(items);
    
    const selected = await ctx.ui.custom<string | undefined>((_tui, _theme, _keybindings, done) => {
      selector.onSelect = (item) => done(item);
      selector.onCancel = () => done(undefined);
      return selector;
    });

    if (selected) {
      ctx.ui.notify(`Selected: ${selected}`, "info");
    }
  }
});

Theming

Components accept theme objects for styling. In renderCall/renderResult, use the theme parameter:

renderResult(result, options, theme, context) {
  // Use theme.fg() for foreground colors
  return new Text(theme.fg("success", "Done!"), 0, 0);
  
  // Use theme.bg() for background colors
  const styled = theme.bg("toolPendingBg", theme.fg("accent", "text"));
}

Foreground colors (theme.fg(color, text)):

Category	Colors
General	`text`, `accent`, `muted`, `dim`
Status	`success`, `error`, `warning`
Borders	`border`, `borderAccent`, `borderMuted`
Messages	`userMessageText`, `customMessageText`, `customMessageLabel`
Tools	`toolTitle`, `toolOutput`
Diffs	`toolDiffAdded`, `toolDiffRemoved`, `toolDiffContext`
Markdown	`mdHeading`, `mdLink`, `mdLinkUrl`, `mdCode`, `mdCodeBlock`, `mdCodeBlockBorder`, `mdQuote`, `mdQuoteBorder`, `mdHr`, `mdListBullet`
Syntax	`syntaxComment`, `syntaxKeyword`, `syntaxFunction`, `syntaxVariable`, `syntaxString`, `syntaxNumber`, `syntaxType`, `syntaxOperator`, `syntaxPunctuation`
Thinking	`thinkingOff`, `thinkingMinimal`, `thinkingLow`, `thinkingMedium`, `thinkingHigh`, `thinkingXhigh`
Modes	`bashMode`

Background colors (theme.bg(color, text)): selectedBg, userMessageBg, customMessageBg, toolPendingBg, toolSuccessBg, toolErrorBg For Markdown, use getMarkdownTheme():

import { getMarkdownTheme } from "@bastani/atomic";
import { Markdown } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

renderResult(result, options, theme, context) {
  const mdTheme = getMarkdownTheme();
  return new Markdown(result.details.markdown, 0, 0, mdTheme);
}

For custom components, define your own theme interface:

interface MyTheme {
  selected: (s: string) => string;
  normal: (s: string) => string;
}

Debug logging

Set ATOMIC_TUI_WRITE_LOG to capture the raw ANSI stream written to stdout.

ATOMIC_TUI_WRITE_LOG=/tmp/tui-ansi.log atomic

Atomic vendors TUI components through the installed @earendil-works/pi-tui dependency.

Performance

Cache rendered output when possible:

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 ctx.ui.requestRender() from the extension context or tui.requestRender() from a ctx.ui.custom() factory to trigger re-render.

Invalidation and Theme Changes

When the theme changes, the TUI calls invalidate() on all components to clear their caches. Components must properly implement invalidate() to ensure theme changes take effect.

The Problem

If a component pre-bakes theme colors into strings (via theme.fg(), theme.bg(), etc.) and caches them, the cached strings contain ANSI escape codes from the old theme. Simply clearing the render cache isn’t enough if the component stores the themed content separately. Wrong approach (theme colors won’t update):

class BadComponent extends Container {
  private content: Text;

  constructor(message: string, theme: Theme) {
    super();
    // Pre-baked theme colors stored in Text component
    this.content = new Text(theme.fg("accent", message), 1, 0);
    this.addChild(this.content);
  }
  // No invalidate override - parent's invalidate only clears
  // child render caches, not the pre-baked content
}

The Solution

Components that build content with theme colors must rebuild that content when invalidate() is called:

class GoodComponent extends Container {
  private message: string;
  private content: Text;

  constructor(message: string) {
    super();
    this.message = message;
    this.content = new Text("", 1, 0);
    this.addChild(this.content);
    this.updateDisplay();
  }

  private updateDisplay(): void {
    // Rebuild content with current theme
    this.content.setText(theme.fg("accent", this.message));
  }

  override invalidate(): void {
    super.invalidate();  // Clear child caches
    this.updateDisplay(); // Rebuild with new theme
  }
}

Pattern: Rebuild on Invalidate

For components with complex content:

class ComplexComponent extends Container {
  private data: SomeData;

  constructor(data: SomeData) {
    super();
    this.data = data;
    this.rebuild();
  }

  private rebuild(): void {
    this.clear();  // Remove all children

    // Build UI with current theme
    this.addChild(new Text(theme.fg("accent", theme.bold("Title")), 1, 0));
    this.addChild(new Spacer(1));

    for (const item of this.data.items) {
      const color = item.active ? "success" : "muted";
      this.addChild(new Text(theme.fg(color, item.label), 1, 0));
    }
  }

  override invalidate(): void {
    super.invalidate();
    this.rebuild();
  }
}

When This Matters

This pattern is needed when:

Pre-baking theme colors - Using theme.fg() or theme.bg() to create styled strings stored in child components
Syntax highlighting - Using highlightCode() which applies theme-based syntax colors
Complex layouts - Building child component trees that embed theme colors

This pattern is NOT needed when:

Using theme callbacks - Passing functions like (text) => theme.fg("accent", text) that are called during render
Simple containers - Just grouping other components without adding themed content
Stateless render - Computing themed output fresh in every render() call (no caching)

Common Patterns

These patterns cover the most common UI needs in extensions. Copy these patterns instead of building from scratch.

Pattern 1: Selection Dialog (SelectList)

For letting users pick from a list of options. Use SelectList from @earendil-works/pi-tui with DynamicBorder for framing.

import type { ExtensionAPI } from "@bastani/atomic";
import { DynamicBorder } from "@bastani/atomic";
import { Container, type SelectItem, SelectList, Text } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

pi.registerCommand("pick", {
  handler: async (_args, ctx) => {
    const items: SelectItem[] = [
      { value: "opt1", label: "Option 1", description: "First option" },
      { value: "opt2", label: "Option 2", description: "Second option" },
      { value: "opt3", label: "Option 3" },  // description is optional
    ];

    const result = await ctx.ui.custom<string | null>((tui, theme, _kb, done) => {
      const container = new Container();

      // Top border
      container.addChild(new DynamicBorder((s: string) => theme.fg("accent", s)));

      // Title
      container.addChild(new Text(theme.fg("accent", theme.bold("Pick an Option")), 1, 0));

      // SelectList with theme
      const selectList = new SelectList(items, Math.min(items.length, 10), {
        selectedPrefix: (t) => theme.fg("accent", t),
        selectedText: (t) => theme.fg("accent", t),
        description: (t) => theme.fg("muted", t),
        scrollInfo: (t) => theme.fg("dim", t),
        noMatch: (t) => theme.fg("warning", t),
      });
      selectList.onSelect = (item) => done(item.value);
      selectList.onCancel = () => done(null);
      container.addChild(selectList);

      // Help text
      container.addChild(new Text(theme.fg("dim", "↑↓ Navigate • Enter Select • Escape Cancel"), 1, 0));

      // Bottom border
      container.addChild(new DynamicBorder((s: string) => theme.fg("accent", s)));

      return {
        render: (w) => container.render(w),
        invalidate: () => container.invalidate(),
        handleInput: (data) => { selectList.handleInput(data); tui.requestRender(); },
      };
    });

    if (result) {
      ctx.ui.notify(`Selected: ${result}`, "info");
    }
  },
});

Examples: preset.ts, tools.ts

Pattern 2: Async Operation with Cancel (BorderedLoader)

For operations that take time and should be cancellable. BorderedLoader shows a spinner and handles escape to cancel.

import { BorderedLoader } from "@bastani/atomic";

pi.registerCommand("fetch", {
  handler: async (_args, ctx) => {
    const result = await ctx.ui.custom<string | null>((tui, theme, _kb, done) => {
      const loader = new BorderedLoader(tui, theme, "Fetching data...");
      loader.onAbort = () => done(null);

      // Do async work
      fetchData(loader.signal)
        .then((data) => done(data))
        .catch(() => done(null));

      return loader;
    });

    if (result === null) {
      ctx.ui.notify("Cancelled", "info");
    } else {
      ctx.ui.setEditorText(result);
    }
  },
});

Examples: qna.ts, handoff.ts

Pattern 3: Settings/Toggles (SettingsList)

For toggling multiple settings. Use SettingsList from @earendil-works/pi-tui with getSettingsListTheme().

import { getSettingsListTheme } from "@bastani/atomic";
import { Container, type SettingItem, SettingsList, Text } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

pi.registerCommand("settings", {
  handler: async (_args, ctx) => {
    const items: SettingItem[] = [
      { id: "verbose", label: "Verbose mode", currentValue: "off", values: ["on", "off"] },
      { id: "color", label: "Color output", currentValue: "on", values: ["on", "off"] },
    ];

    await ctx.ui.custom((_tui, theme, _kb, done) => {
      const container = new Container();
      container.addChild(new Text(theme.fg("accent", theme.bold("Settings")), 1, 1));

      const settingsList = new SettingsList(
        items,
        Math.min(items.length + 2, 15),
        getSettingsListTheme(),
        (id, newValue) => {
          // Handle value change
          ctx.ui.notify(`${id} = ${newValue}`, "info");
        },
        () => done(undefined),  // On close
        { enableSearch: true }, // Optional: enable fuzzy search by label
      );
      container.addChild(settingsList);

      return {
        render: (w) => container.render(w),
        invalidate: () => container.invalidate(),
        handleInput: (data) => settingsList.handleInput?.(data),
      };
    });
  },
});

Examples: tools.ts

Pattern 4: Persistent Status Indicator

Show status in the footer that persists across renders. Good for mode indicators.

// Set status (shown in footer)
ctx.ui.setStatus("my-ext", ctx.ui.theme.fg("accent", "● active"));

// Clear status
ctx.ui.setStatus("my-ext", undefined);

Examples: status-line.ts, plan-mode/index.ts, preset.ts

Pattern 4b: Working Indicator Customization

Customize the inline working indicator shown while Atomic is streaming a response.

// Static indicator
ctx.ui.setWorkingIndicator({ frames: [ctx.ui.theme.fg("accent", "●")] });

// Custom animated indicator
ctx.ui.setWorkingIndicator({
  frames: [
    ctx.ui.theme.fg("dim", "·"),
    ctx.ui.theme.fg("muted", "•"),
    ctx.ui.theme.fg("accent", "●"),
    ctx.ui.theme.fg("muted", "•"),
  ],
  intervalMs: 120,
});

// Hide the indicator entirely
ctx.ui.setWorkingIndicator({ frames: [] });

// Restore Atomic's default spinner
ctx.ui.setWorkingIndicator();

This only affects the normal streaming working indicator. Compaction and retry loaders keep their built-in styling. During successful post-tool autocompaction, Atomic temporarily replaces the working indicator with the compaction loader and restores the working indicator before the same stream continues; no additional user input is required. Custom frames are rendered verbatim, so extensions must add their own colors when needed. Examples: working-indicator.ts

Pattern 5: Widgets Above/Below Editor

Show persistent content above or below the input editor. Good for todo lists, progress.

// Simple string array (above editor by default)
ctx.ui.setWidget("my-widget", ["Line 1", "Line 2"]);

// Render below the editor
ctx.ui.setWidget("my-widget", ["Line 1", "Line 2"], { placement: "belowEditor" });

// Or with theme
ctx.ui.setWidget("my-widget", (_tui, theme) => {
  const lines = items.map((item, i) =>
    item.done
      ? theme.fg("success", "✓ ") + theme.fg("muted", item.text)
      : theme.fg("dim", "○ ") + item.text
  );
  return {
    render: () => lines,
    invalidate: () => {},
  };
});

// Clear
ctx.ui.setWidget("my-widget", undefined);

Examples: plan-mode/index.ts Replace the footer. footerData exposes data not otherwise accessible to extensions.

ctx.ui.setFooter((tui, theme, footerData) => ({
  invalidate() {},
  render(width: number): string[] {
    // footerData.getGitBranch(): string | null
    // footerData.getExtensionStatuses(): ReadonlyMap<string, string>
    return [`${ctx.model?.id} (${footerData.getGitBranch() || "no git"})`];
  },
  dispose: footerData.onBranchChange(() => tui.requestRender()), // reactive
}));

ctx.ui.setFooter(undefined); // restore default

Token stats available via ctx.sessionManager.getBranch() and ctx.model. Examples: custom-footer.ts

Pattern 7: Custom Editor (vim mode, etc.)

Replace the main input editor with a custom implementation. Useful for modal editing (vim), different keybindings (emacs), or specialized input handling.

import { CustomEditor, type ExtensionAPI } from "@bastani/atomic";
import { matchesKey, truncateToWidth } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";

type Mode = "normal" | "insert";

class VimEditor extends CustomEditor {
  private mode: Mode = "insert";

  handleInput(data: string): void {
    // Escape: switch to normal mode, or pass through for app handling
    if (matchesKey(data, "escape")) {
      if (this.mode === "insert") {
        this.mode = "normal";
        return;
      }
      // In normal mode, escape aborts agent (handled by CustomEditor)
      super.handleInput(data);
      return;
    }

    // Insert mode: pass everything to CustomEditor
    if (this.mode === "insert") {
      super.handleInput(data);
      return;
    }

    // Normal mode: vim-style navigation
    switch (data) {
      case "i": this.mode = "insert"; return;
      case "h": super.handleInput("\x1b[D"); return; // Left
      case "j": super.handleInput("\x1b[B"); return; // Down
      case "k": super.handleInput("\x1b[A"); return; // Up
      case "l": super.handleInput("\x1b[C"); return; // Right
    }
    // Pass unhandled keys to super (ctrl+c, etc.), but filter printable chars
    if (data.length === 1 && data.charCodeAt(0) >= 32) return;
    super.handleInput(data);
  }

  render(width: number): string[] {
    const lines = super.render(width);
    // Add mode indicator to bottom border (use truncateToWidth for ANSI-safe truncation)
    if (lines.length > 0) {
      const label = this.mode === "normal" ? " NORMAL " : " INSERT ";
      const lastLine = lines[lines.length - 1]!;
      // Pass "" as ellipsis to avoid adding "..." when truncating
      lines[lines.length - 1] = truncateToWidth(lastLine, width - label.length, "") + label;
    }
    return lines;
  }
}

export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI) {
  pi.on("session_start", (_event, ctx) => {
    // Factory receives the TUI, theme, and keybindings from the app
    ctx.ui.setEditorComponent((tui, theme, keybindings) =>
      new VimEditor(tui, theme, keybindings)
    );
  });
}

Key points:

Extend CustomEditor (not base Editor) to get app keybindings (escape to abort, ctrl+d to exit, model switching, etc.)
Call super.handleInput(data) for keys you don’t handle
Factory pattern: setEditorComponent receives a factory function that gets tui, theme, and keybindings
Pass undefined to restore the default editor: ctx.ui.setEditorComponent(undefined)

Examples: modal-editor.ts

Key Rules

Always use theme from callback - Don’t import theme directly. Use theme from the ctx.ui.custom((tui, theme, keybindings, done) => ...) callback.
Always type DynamicBorder color param - Write (s: string) => theme.fg("accent", s), not (s) => theme.fg("accent", s).
Call tui.requestRender() after state changes - In handleInput, call tui.requestRender() after updating state.
Return the three-method object - Custom components need { render, invalidate, handleInput }.
Use existing components - SelectList, SettingsList, BorderedLoader cover 90% of cases. Don’t rebuild them.

Examples

Selection UI: examples/extensions/preset.ts - SelectList with DynamicBorder framing
Async with cancel: examples/extensions/qna.ts - BorderedLoader for LLM calls
Settings toggles: examples/extensions/tools.ts - SettingsList for tool enable/disable
Status indicators: examples/extensions/plan-mode/index.ts - setStatus and setWidget
Working indicator: examples/extensions/working-indicator.ts - setWorkingIndicator
Custom footer: examples/extensions/custom-footer.ts - setFooter with stats
Custom editor: examples/extensions/modal-editor.ts - Vim-like modal editing
Snake game: examples/extensions/snake.ts - Full game with keyboard input, game loop
Custom tool rendering: examples/extensions/todo.ts - renderCall and renderResult

​TUI Components

​Component Interface

​Focusable Interface (IME Support)

​Container Components with Embedded Inputs

​Using Components

​Host terminal modes from an isolated component

​Host-native session picker

​Host-native input form

​Overlays

​Overlay Focus

​Overlay Lifecycle

​Built-in Components

​Text

​Box

​Container

​Spacer

​Markdown

​Image

​Keyboard Input

​Line Width

​Creating Custom Components

​Theming

​Debug logging

​Performance

​Invalidation and Theme Changes

​The Problem

​The Solution

​Pattern: Rebuild on Invalidate

​When This Matters

​Common Patterns

​Pattern 1: Selection Dialog (SelectList)

​Pattern 2: Async Operation with Cancel (BorderedLoader)

​Pattern 3: Settings/Toggles (SettingsList)

​Pattern 4: Persistent Status Indicator

​Pattern 4b: Working Indicator Customization

​Pattern 5: Widgets Above/Below Editor

​Pattern 6: Custom Footer

​Pattern 7: Custom Editor (vim mode, etc.)

​Key Rules

​Examples