Tutorial 6: TUI — A Better Terminal Experience

Imagine you’re driving a car with a clean dashboard instead of a messy pile of knobs and wires. That’s exactly what the TUI does for Hermes — it gives you a polished, modern control panel for the same powerful engine underneath.

Tutorial 6: TUI — A Better Terminal Experience

If you’ve been using the Classic CLI, you know it works — but it can feel like reading a plain text file. The TUI (Terminal User Interface) is like upgrading from a paper map to a GPS: same roads, but with a clearer view, smoother navigation, and less clutter.

The best part? It’s not a different tool. It’s the same Hermes agent, the same sessions, and the same slash commands — just wrapped in a friendlier, more responsive interface. In fact, the official docs call it the recommended way to run Hermes interactively. Let’s walk through it step by step.

Step 1: Launch the TUI

Getting started is as simple as typing one command in your terminal:

hermes

That’s it. No extra flags, no setup. If you have Hermes installed, this command opens the TUI instead of the old CLI. You’ll immediately notice the difference: a clean layout, a prompt area at the bottom, and a scrollable conversation history above.

Key point: You don’t need to learn new commands. Everything you already know from the CLI works here.

Step 2: Understand the Layout

Think of the TUI as a well-organized desk. Here’s what you’ll see:

Main panel – shows your chat history, just like a messaging app.
Input bar – at the bottom, where you type your messages or slash commands.
Status line – gives you hints (like whether the agent is thinking or idle).

You can scroll through past messages with your arrow keys or Page Up/Down. No more squinting at a wall of text — everything is neatly separated and readable.

Step 3: Use the Same Slash Commands

Remember those handy slash commands from the CLI? They all work here too. For example:

/new

Starts a fresh session, just like before. Or:

/help

Shows available commands right inside the TUI. You don’t have to memorize anything new — muscle memory carries over perfectly.

Step 4: Enjoy the Extra Responsiveness

The TUI feels snappier because it updates the screen in real-time. When the agent streams a response, you see it appear word by word, instead of waiting for the whole block. This makes long conversations feel more natural and less “black box.”

Also, if you’re working on multiple tasks, you can switch between sessions more easily. The TUI keeps everything in one place, so you’re not juggling separate terminal tabs.

Step 5: When to Use TUI vs. Classic CLI

Use the TUI for everyday interactive work — chatting, debugging, exploring ideas. It’s the default choice.
Use the Classic CLI only if you’re scripting or automating tasks where a simple text output is all you need.

The docs are clear: for human interaction, the TUI wins.

Quick Recap

Launch with hermes (no extra setup).
Same agent, same sessions, same slash commands.
Cleaner layout, real-time streaming, easier scrolling.
Recommended for all interactive use.

Summary

The TUI isn’t a new tool — it’s a better view of the same tool. If you’ve been hesitant because you’re used to the old CLI, don’t worry. You’ll feel at home in minutes, and you’ll probably never want to go back.

Next up: In Tutorial 7, we’ll dive into sessions and memory — how Hermes remembers context across chats, and how you can manage multiple conversations like a pro. Stay tuned!