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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-03-12 09:00:44 -05:00

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TUI Testing with mcp-tui-driver

Overview

mcp-tui-driver is an MCP server that provides Playwright-like automation for TUI applications. It enables Claude Code to launch, view, interact with, and test terminal UI apps through structured MCP tools.

Installation

cargo install --git https://github.com/michaellee8/mcp-tui-driver

Binary installs to: ~/.cargo/bin/mcp-tui-driver

MCP Config

Configured globally in ~/.claude.json under the top-level mcpServers key:

"tui-driver": {
  "command": "/home/cal/.cargo/bin/mcp-tui-driver",
  "args": []
}

Note: ~/.claude/.mcp.json is NOT read by Claude Code. Global MCP servers go in ~/.claude.json.

Updating

cargo install --git https://github.com/michaellee8/mcp-tui-driver --force

Tool Reference (23 tools)

Session Management

Tool	Description
`tui_launch`	Start a new TUI app session (command, args, cols, rows)
`tui_close`	Terminate a session and its process
`tui_list_sessions`	List all active sessions
`tui_get_session`	Get session details and status
`tui_resize`	Change terminal dimensions

Viewing

Tool	Description
`tui_text`	Get plain text from the terminal screen
`tui_snapshot`	Accessibility-style snapshot with element references (like Playwright locators)
`tui_screenshot`	Capture terminal as PNG image

Keyboard Input

Tool	Description
`tui_press_key`	Press a single key or key combo (e.g., `Ctrl+c`, `Enter`)
`tui_press_keys`	Press multiple keys sequentially
`tui_send_text`	Send raw text string to the terminal

Mouse Input

Tool	Description
`tui_click`	Click a snapshot element by reference
`tui_click_at`	Click at specific terminal coordinates (row, col)
`tui_double_click`	Double-click an element
`tui_right_click`	Right-click an element

Waiting

Tool	Description
`tui_wait_for_text`	Block until specific text appears on screen
`tui_wait_for_idle`	Block until screen stops changing

Scripting

Tool	Description
`tui_get_code_interface`	Get TypeScript API definitions for scripting
`tui_run_code`	Execute JavaScript automation scripts

Debug

Tool	Description
`tui_get_input`	Get raw input buffer with escape sequences
`tui_get_output`	Get raw PTY output
`tui_get_scrollback`	Get lines scrolled off-screen
`tui_send_signal`	Send signals (SIGINT, SIGTERM, etc.)

Typical Testing Workflow

Launch the TUI app under test:

tui_launch → command: "python", args: ["-m", "myapp"], cols: 120, rows: 40

Wait for it to render:

tui_wait_for_text → text: "Welcome" or tui_wait_for_idle

Inspect the screen:

tui_snapshot → returns accessibility tree with element refs
tui_screenshot → returns PNG for visual verification

Interact with the app:

tui_press_key → key: "Tab" (navigate)
tui_send_text → text: "search query" (type into fields)
tui_press_key → key: "Enter" (confirm)
tui_click → ref: "button-submit" (click element from snapshot)

Assert expected state:

tui_text → verify expected text content
tui_snapshot → verify element structure

Cleanup:
```
tui_close → terminate the session
```

Key Concepts

Accessibility Snapshots

tui_snapshot returns a structured view of the terminal with labeled element references. These refs can be used with tui_click, tui_double_click, and tui_right_click — similar to Playwright's getByRole() locators but for terminal elements.

Multi-Session Support

Multiple TUI sessions can run concurrently. Each tui_launch returns a session ID used by all other tools. This enables:

Testing multiple instances side by side
Launching a helper process alongside the app under test
Comparing output between different configurations

Asciicast Recording

Sessions record output in asciicast v3 format (.cast files) compatible with asciinema play. Useful for reviewing test sessions after the fact.

JavaScript Scripting

For complex automation sequences, tui_run_code accepts JavaScript with access to the full TUI automation API. Use tui_get_code_interface to get the TypeScript definitions.

Alternatives Considered

mcpterm (https://github.com/dwrtz/mcpterm): Go-based PoC with only 2 tools (run, runScreen). Single session, no mouse support, no screenshots, no accessibility snapshots. Too minimal for systematic TUI testing.

Dependencies

Rust toolchain (cargo)
Uses: wezterm-term, portable-pty, boa_engine (JS), rmcp, image

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