# tui-validate

This skill screenshots a terminal UI with freeze and judges it against criteria using an LLM. Useful after TUI changes, when you need to catch broken layout.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 3186
- Author: mikeyobrien
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator/tree/HEAD/.claude/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-15
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/tui-validate

## What it does

The skill takes terminal output and checks it against a set of criteria. The source can be a file with ANSI output, a command, a live `tmux` session, or raw text in a buffer. `freeze` from Charmbracelet captures the screenshot, then an LLM evaluates it: layout, presence of required elements, visual hierarchy. No character-by-character string matching, so small formatting shifts won't fail the check.

Built-in criteria cover `ralph-header`, `ralph-footer`, `ralph-full` and the generic `tui-basic`. You can also pass your own description of what should be on screen. `judge_mode` picks the approach: `semantic` reads meaning and structure, `strict` also requires exact content presence, `visual` works on a PNG and looks at the image itself. Screenshot format comes from `output_format` — `svg`, `png` or `text`.

You need `freeze` installed first: `brew install charmbracelet/tap/freeze`. Capturing a live interface also needs `tmux`. Without `freeze` there is no screenshot, so run `freeze --version` before the first attempt.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill tui-validate -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/tui-validate/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill tui-validate -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill tui-validate -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator tui-validate
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill tui-validate -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --path .claude/skills/tui-validate
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill tui-validate -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator/tree/HEAD/.claude/skills/tui-validate/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- screenshot a terminal UI after code changes
- check that the TUI header and footer render in place
- catch broken characters and rendering artifacts
- compare a live tmux app against the expected look
- capture a screen for docs and validate it at the same time

## Example prompts
- /tui-validate file:test_output.txt criteria:ralph-header
- /tui-validate tmux:ralph-session criteria:ralph-full save_screenshot:true
- /tui-validate command:"myapp --help" criteria:tui-basic output_format:png

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: b9a19af5ca1ab29e.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE b9a19af5ca1ab29e
````text
---
name: tui-validate
description: Validates Terminal User Interface (TUI) output using freeze for screenshot capture and LLM-as-judge for semantic validation. Supports both visual (PNG/SVG) and text-based validation modes.
type: anthropic-skill
version: "1.0"
metadata:
  internal: true
---

# TUI Validate

## Overview

This skill validates Terminal User Interface (TUI) applications by capturing their output and using LLM-as-judge for semantic validation. It leverages [freeze](https://github.com/charmbracelet/freeze) from Charmbracelet for high-fidelity terminal screenshots and provides structured validation criteria.

**Philosophy**: Rather than brittle string matching, this skill uses semantic understanding to validate that TUI output "looks right" - checking layout, content presence, and visual hierarchy without breaking on minor formatting changes.

## When to Use

- Validating TUI rendering after changes
- Checking that UI components display correctly
- Visual regression testing for terminal applications
- Verifying TUI state after specific interactions
- Creating documentation screenshots with validation

## Prerequisites

**Required:**
- `freeze` CLI tool installed (`brew install charmbracelet/tap/freeze`)
- `tmux` for interactive TUI capture (optional, for live applications)

**Verification:**
```bash
# Check freeze is installed
freeze --version

# Check tmux is installed (for interactive capture)
tmux -V
```

## Parameters

- **target** (required): What to validate. One of:
  - `file:<path>` - ANSI output file to validate
  - `command:<cmd>` - Command to execute and capture
  - `tmux:<session>` - Live tmux session to capture
  - `buffer:<text>` - Raw text/ANSI to validate

- **criteria** (required): Validation criteria. Can be:
  - A predefined criteria name (see Built-in Criteria)
  - A custom criteria string describing what to check

- **output_format** (optional, default: "svg"): Screenshot format
  - `svg` - Vector format, best for documentation
  - `png` - Raster format, best for visual diff
  - `text` - Text-only extraction, fastest

- **save_screenshot** (optional, default: false): Whether to save the screenshot
  - If true, saves to `{target_name}.{format}` in current directory

- **judge_mode** (optional, default: "semantic"): Validation approach
  - `semantic` - LLM judges based on meaning and layout
  - `strict` - Also checks exact content presence
  - `visual` - Requires PNG, checks visual appearance

## Built-in Criteria

### `ralph-header`
Validates Ralph TUI header component:
- Iteration counter in `[iter N]` or `[iter N/M]` format
- Elapsed time in `MM:SS` format
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE b9a19af5ca1ab29e

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