[GH-ISSUE #18] [Proposal] Real-Time Terminal User Interface (TUI) #3

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opened 2026-02-27 10:21:42 +03:00 by kerem · 1 comment

kerem commented

2026-02-27 10:21:42 +03:00

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Originally created by @krzemienski on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator/issues/18

Feature Proposal: Real-Time Terminal User Interface

The Problem

When running Ralph on long tasks, you're staring at scrolling terminal output with no real sense of:

What iteration are we on?
How much budget has been spent?
What is Ralph actually doing right now?
Should I intervene?

Proposed Solution

A live terminal interface (TUI) that shows real-time progress while Ralph works.

Mockup

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  RALPH ORCHESTRATOR                            [Iteration 7/100] ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                  ║
║  📋 Task: Implementing validation feature                       ║
║  ⏱️  Runtime: 12m 34s                                            ║
║  💰 Cost: $2.47 / $100.00                                        ║
║  🧠 Context: 45% (90k / 200k tokens)                             ║
║                                                                  ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  Current Activity:                                               ║
║  ├── Reading src/ralph_orchestrator/orchestrator.py              ║
║  ├── Editing validation/base.py                                  ║
║  └── Writing tests/test_validation.py                            ║
║                                                                  ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  Recent Checkpoints:                                             ║
║  [iter 6] ✓ Added ValidationGate base class                      ║
║  [iter 4] ✓ Created validation config schema                     ║
║  [iter 2] ✓ Initial project analysis complete                    ║
║                                                                  ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  [P]ause  [R]esume  [S]top  [D]etails  [Q]uit                   ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Key Features

Progress tracking: Iteration count, runtime, cost, context usage
Activity feed: What files/tools Ralph is currently using
Checkpoint history: Key milestones and git checkpoints
Interactive controls: Pause, resume, stop, or dig into details
Non-blocking: Works alongside Ralph's execution, not replacing it

Technical Approach

Likely using Rich or Textual for the TUI:

# Possible integration point
orchestrator = RalphOrchestrator(...)
with TUIMonitor(orchestrator) as tui:
    orchestrator.run()

Implementation via Self-Improvement

This would be built using Ralph's self-improvement system:

Write a prompt describing the TUI feature
Run python scripts/self_improve.py -P prompts/TUI_PROMPT.md
Ralph builds the TUI into itself

Community Input Requested

Layout: What information is most important to see at a glance?
Controls: What actions should be available mid-execution?
Styling: Prefer Rich's approach or full Textual app?
Integration: Should TUI be default or opt-in with --tui?

There's something deeply satisfying about watching AI work in real-time. Like those cooking shows where you see every step, except the chef is an LLM and the kitchen is your codebase.

Comment below with your thoughts on what a good Ralph TUI should show!

Originally created by @krzemienski on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator/issues/18 ## Feature Proposal: Real-Time Terminal User Interface ### The Problem When running Ralph on long tasks, you're staring at scrolling terminal output with no real sense of: - What iteration are we on? - How much budget has been spent? - What is Ralph actually doing right now? - Should I intervene? ### Proposed Solution A **live terminal interface** (TUI) that shows real-time progress while Ralph works. ### Mockup ``` ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ RALPH ORCHESTRATOR [Iteration 7/100] ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ ║ ║ 📋 Task: Implementing validation feature ║ ║ ⏱️ Runtime: 12m 34s ║ ║ 💰 Cost: $2.47 / $100.00 ║ ║ 🧠 Context: 45% (90k / 200k tokens) ║ ║ ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ Current Activity: ║ ║ ├── Reading src/ralph_orchestrator/orchestrator.py ║ ║ ├── Editing validation/base.py ║ ║ └── Writing tests/test_validation.py ║ ║ ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ Recent Checkpoints: ║ ║ [iter 6] ✓ Added ValidationGate base class ║ ║ [iter 4] ✓ Created validation config schema ║ ║ [iter 2] ✓ Initial project analysis complete ║ ║ ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ [P]ause [R]esume [S]top [D]etails [Q]uit ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ``` ### Key Features - **Progress tracking**: Iteration count, runtime, cost, context usage - **Activity feed**: What files/tools Ralph is currently using - **Checkpoint history**: Key milestones and git checkpoints - **Interactive controls**: Pause, resume, stop, or dig into details - **Non-blocking**: Works alongside Ralph's execution, not replacing it ### Technical Approach Likely using [Rich](https://github.com/Textualize/rich) or [Textual](https://github.com/Textualize/textual) for the TUI: ```python # Possible integration point orchestrator = RalphOrchestrator(...) with TUIMonitor(orchestrator) as tui: orchestrator.run() ``` ### Implementation via Self-Improvement This would be built using Ralph's self-improvement system: 1. Write a prompt describing the TUI feature 2. Run `python scripts/self_improve.py -P prompts/TUI_PROMPT.md` 3. Ralph builds the TUI into itself ### Community Input Requested - **Layout**: What information is most important to see at a glance? - **Controls**: What actions should be available mid-execution? - **Styling**: Prefer Rich's approach or full Textual app? - **Integration**: Should TUI be default or opt-in with `--tui`? --- *There's something deeply satisfying about watching AI work in real-time. Like those cooking shows where you see every step, except the chef is an LLM and the kitchen is your codebase.* *Comment below with your thoughts on what a good Ralph TUI should show!*

kerem closed this issue

2026-02-27 10:21:43 +03:00

kerem commented

2026-02-27 10:21:44 +03:00

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Owner

@krzemienski commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026):

Moving this proposal to the fork for now - focusing on validation gates first.

@krzemienski commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026): Moving this proposal to the fork for now - focusing on validation gates first.

kerem referenced this issue

2026-02-27 10:22:08 +03:00

[PR #3] [CLOSED] feat: add output formatter module with smart content detection #80