Academy → Using HermesOfficial documentation · clear explanation

TUI

TUI

Beginner to advanced17 minutes3 questions2026-08-09
The idea in one minute

Start with meaning, then move to detail.

This lesson explains TUI as part of using Hermes and understanding its behavior. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.

If you are new

If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?

For hands-on use

For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.

For specialists

For advanced readers, inspect Launch, Why the TUI, Collapsible banner sections, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.

What do you need first?

Start with installation if you have not run Hermes yet.

What will you know?

A clear outcome before you read.

  • Understand TUI without assumed prior knowledge.
  • Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
  • Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Lesson terms

Short definitions before the details.

Session & memory
A session holds conversation context, while memory keeps selected facts that should persist.
Official page description

Launch the modern terminal UI for Hermes — mouse-friendly, rich overlays, and non-blocking input.

Topic map

What does the source say, and in what order?

  1. 01
    Launch

    Start here to understand the core idea or structure.

  2. 02
    Why the TUI

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  3. 03
    Collapsible banner sections

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  4. 04
    Requirements

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  5. 05
    External prebuild

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  6. 06
    Keybindings

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  7. 07
    Slash commands

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  8. 08
    Live session switcher

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  9. 09
    LaTeX math rendering

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  10. 10
    Light-terminal detection

    Finish here to verify the result and special cases.

Examples from the official page

Copy only after you understand the effect.

# Launch the TUI hermes --tui # Resume the latest TUI session (falls back to the latest classic session) hermes --tui -c hermes --tui --continue hermes --tui --resume latest # Resume a specific session by ID or title hermes --tui -r 20260409_000000_aa11bb hermes --tui --resume "my t0p session" # Resume the latest session for a specific project directory hermes --tui --resume latest --in ./my-project # Run source directly — skips the prebuild step (for TUI contributors) hermes --tui --dev
export HERMES_TUI=1 hermes # now uses the TUI hermes chat # same
display: interface: tui # "cli" (default) or "tui"
Try it now

Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.

Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.

Knowledge check

Three decisions before completion.

1. What is the source of truth when “TUI” changes?
2. What is the best way to apply this lesson?
3. What should happen before a step can modify files or an external account?