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terminaltui create

Build a new TUI project from scratch using an interactive questionnaire. No coding required — describe what you want, and an AI assistant builds it.

Overview

terminaltui create

The create command asks you 10 questions about your project, then assembles a tailored AI prompt. You paste that prompt into Claude Code (or any AI coding assistant), and it generates a complete site.config.ts with all the content, styling, and interactivity.

No LLM runs during the questionnaire — it's pure string interpolation. The AI only comes in when you paste the generated prompt.

How It Works

  1. Run terminaltui create
  2. Answer 10 questions about your project
  3. The command creates a new directory with:
    • TERMINALTUI_SKILL.md — full framework API reference
    • TERMINALTUI_CREATE_PROMPT.md — your tailored build prompt
    • package.json — pre-configured with terminaltui dependency
  4. Open Claude Code in that directory
  5. Paste the instructions from TERMINALTUI_CREATE_PROMPT.md
  6. AI generates site.config.ts — run terminaltui dev to preview

The 10 Questions

# Question What it controls Example answer
1 Project name Directory name, npx command, banner text tokyo-ramen
2 Description Content, tone, and purpose of the site A ramen restaurant in downtown Tokyo. Cozy atmosphere, 20 seats, open since 1987.
3 Pages Site structure and navigation Menu, About, Location, Reviews
4 Content Real text, or "skip" to let AI generate Menu items with prices, or skip
5 Theme Color scheme and visual mood gruvbox (warm), cyberpunk (neon), or auto
6 Visual style Banner font, density, overall feel bold, minimal, retro, playful, professional
7 ASCII art Decorative scenes and art coffee-cup, mountains or auto or none
8 Interactive features Forms, search, dynamic content reservation form, search menu
9 Animations Boot sequence and page transitions full, subtle, or none
10 Extra instructions Anything else Include a weekly special section

init vs create vs convert

Command When to use What happens
terminaltui init [template] You want a template to edit manually Scaffolds a project with placeholder content
terminaltui create You want to describe something new Generates an AI prompt tailored to your answers
terminaltui convert You have an existing website Drops conversion docs for AI to read your site

Use create when: you don't have an existing website, you want AI to generate all the content and config, and you want to describe what you want in plain language.

Use init when: you prefer to write the config yourself from a starting template.

Use convert when: you already have a website (HTML, React, Vue, etc.) and want a TUI version of it.

Tips for Better Results

  • Be specific in the description. "A sushi restaurant" is okay. "A high-end omakase restaurant in Manhattan, 12 seats, prix fixe menu, opened 2019, Japanese minimalist aesthetic" is much better.
  • List all your pages. The more pages you specify, the more complete the generated site will be.
  • Paste real content. If you have actual menu items, team bios, or product descriptions, paste them in question 4. The AI will use your real content instead of generating placeholder text.
  • Pick a theme that matches your vibe. Each theme has a mood — gruvbox is warm and earthy (great for restaurants), cyberpunk is neon and edgy (great for tech), nord is clean and professional.
  • Use "auto" when unsure. For theme, ASCII art, and style, "auto" lets the AI choose based on your description.

Example Walkthrough

Here's a full session creating a restaurant site:

$ terminaltui create

  ╭─────────────────────────────────────╮
  │  terminaltui create                 │
  │  Interactive Project Builder        │
  ╰─────────────────────────────────────╯

? Project name: tokyo-ramen

? Describe your project:
  A cozy ramen restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo.
  Family-owned since 1987. Known for rich tonkotsu
  broth and handmade noodles. 20 seats, always a line.

? List your pages (one per line, blank line to finish):
  Menu
  Our Story
  Location & Hours
  Reviews

? Paste your content (or type "skip"):
  skip

? Choose a theme: gruvbox

? Visual style: bold

? ASCII art: auto

? Interactive features: none

? Animations: subtle

? Extra instructions:
  Include a "Daily Special" section on the menu page.
  The vibe should feel warm and inviting.

  Creating tokyo-ramen/ ...
  ╭──────────────────────────────────────────╮
  │                                          │
  │  Project created: tokyo-ramen/           │
  │                                          │
  │  Next steps:                             │
  │  1. cd tokyo-ramen                       │
  │  2. Open Claude Code                     │
  │  3. Paste the prompt from                │
  │     TERMINALTUI_CREATE_PROMPT.md         │
  │                                          │
  ╰──────────────────────────────────────────╯

The generated TERMINALTUI_CREATE_PROMPT.md contains a detailed prompt that tells the AI exactly what to build, including your answers, the framework API reference, and specific instructions for the theme, style, and features you chose.