TUI Developer Workflow

Keystone embraces a TUI-first development philosophy. Terminal User Interface tools provide a consistent, efficient environment that works identically whether you're on a local machine or connected to a remote server.

Why TUI-First?

Consistency: The same tools work the same way everywhere—your laptop, a server, a VM, a container.

Efficiency: Keyboard-driven workflows are faster once mastered. No context switching between mouse and keyboard.

Low Bandwidth: TUI applications transmit text, not pixels. Work effectively over slow connections.

Resumable Sessions: With terminal multiplexers, your entire workspace persists. Disconnect and reconnect without losing state.

Reproducibility: Declaratively configure your environment with Nix. New machine? Same setup in minutes.

Core Tools

Shell

Zsh with a minimal, fast prompt. Nix provides the shell and any tools you need:

programs.zsh = {
  enable = true;
  autosuggestion.enable = true;
  syntaxHighlighting.enable = true;
};

Editor: Helix

Helix is a modern, modal editor with batteries included—LSP, tree-sitter, and multiple cursors work out of the box:

hx .

Key features:

• Built-in LSP support (no plugin configuration)
• Tree-sitter for syntax highlighting and text objects
• Multiple cursors and selections
• Vim-like modal editing with improved ergonomics

Terminal Multiplexer: Zellij

Zellij manages terminal sessions, panes, and tabs. It's a modern alternative to tmux with better defaults:

# Start new session
zellij

# Named session for a project
zellij -s myproject

# Attach to existing session
zellij attach myproject

# List sessions
zellij list-sessions

Key concepts:

• Sessions: Persist your workspace (survives disconnection)
• Tabs: Organize by context (code, logs, servers)
• Panes: Split views within a tab
• Floating panes: Quick temporary terminals

Basic navigation:

• Ctrl+p then arrow keys: Switch panes
• Ctrl+t then arrow keys: Switch tabs
• Ctrl+p then n: New pane
• Ctrl+o then d: Detach session

Version Control

Git with lazygit for a TUI interface:

# Interactive git operations
lazygit

# Or the classic CLI
git status
git diff
git add -p

File Management

yazi provides fast, keyboard-driven file browsing:

yazi

Navigate with vim keys, preview files, bulk operations—all without leaving the terminal.

Search Tools

fzf: Fuzzy finder for files, commands, history:

# Find files
fzf

# Search command history
Ctrl+r

# Find and open file
nvim $(fzf)

ripgrep and fd: Fast search for content and files:

# Search file contents
rg "pattern"

# Find files by name
fd "pattern"

Monitoring

btop for system monitoring:

btop

Thin Client Development

The TUI workflow truly shines when combined with remote development. Instead of running everything locally, connect to a powerful workstation or server and work from any device.

Your laptop becomes a thin client—a window into a persistent development environment running elsewhere. Close the laptop, open it on a different network, and resume exactly where you left off.

This approach is detailed in the Thin Client Development Guide, covering:

• Mosh for persistent SSH connections
• SSH port forwarding for remote services
• Zellij session resumption workflow

NixOS Integration

All tools can be declared in your NixOS or Home Manager configuration:

{ pkgs, ... }: {
  home.packages = with pkgs; [
    zellij
    helix
    lazygit
    yazi
    fzf
    ripgrep
    fd
    btop
  ];

  programs.zsh.enable = true;
  programs.fzf.enable = true;
  programs.zellij.enable = true;
}

New machine? Apply your config and you're ready to work.

Getting Started

1. Install the core tools via Nix
2. Learn the basics of Helix (hx --tutor)
3. Start using Zellij for session management
4. Gradually adopt additional tools as needed

The investment in learning these tools pays dividends in productivity and flexibility.