Using the Terminal UI (TUI)

Tutorial Overview

Code2prompt features a fully interactive Terminal User Interface (TUI). This guide walks you through launching the TUI and mastering its five core tabs.

Launching the TUI

To open the interactive interface, simply append the --tui flag to your command alongside your project path:

code2prompt path/to/your/codebase --tui

1. Selection Tab (File Tree)

The Selection tab is where you curate the exact context you want to send to the LLM. It displays a hierarchical view of your project, respecting your .gitignore and .c2pconfig rules.

Navigation: Use ↑ / ↓ to move the cursor, and ← / → to expand or collapse directories.
Selection: Press Space to select or deselect a file or an entire directory.
Search Mode: Press s or / to enter Search Mode.
You can type text or use wildcards (*, ?) to instantly filter the tree.
Press Enter or Esc to exit Search Mode and return to normal navigation.

2. Settings Tab

Need to tweak how the output is formatted before generating? The Settings tab gives you visual checkboxes and dropdowns for your active session.

3. Statistics Tab

Before you spend money sending a massive prompt to an LLM, use the Statistics tab to understand your token budget.

Use ← / → to switch between three powerful views:

4. Template Tab

The Template tab is where the magic happens. It features a responsive multi-column layout to help you craft the perfect Handlebars template.

When you are in the Template tab, you can instantly snap your focus between three sub-panels using keyboard shortcuts:

5. Output Tab

Once you’ve selected your files, tweaked your settings, and chosen your template, press Enter to generate the final output.

The Output tab displays the final prompt exactly as it will be sent to the LLM.

Scroll: Use ↑ / ↓, PgUp, or PgDn to review the generated text.
Copy: Press c to instantly copy the entire prompt to your system clipboard.
Save: Press s to save the prompt directly to a local Markdown file (e.g., prompt_20260613_204753.md).

If you realize you missed a file, simply press 1 to jump back to the Selection tab, check the file, and press Enter to regenerate the output in real-time.