TUI Mode
The TUI is the default when you run mcp-tui without a subcommand. It opens to a connection screen with three tabs: Saved, Discovery, and Manual.
Connect
Section titled “Connect”
- Saved — last successful connections, ready to re-launch.
- Discovery — auto-finds Claude Desktop, VS Code MCP, and native MCP-TUI configs on disk.
- Manual — type a
--cmd-style command directly, or fill in transport/URL.
Tab cycles tabs; ↑/↓ selects within a list; Enter connects.
Browse
Section titled “Browse”
After connecting, the main screen has four tabs:
| Tab | Source | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | tools/list | Enter opens the input form |
| Resources | resources/list | Enter reads and renders content |
| Prompts | prompts/list | Enter retrieves the prompt template |
| Events | server notifications | live feed of notifications; Enter opens a detail pane |
Tab / Shift+Tab (or ←/→) moves between tabs. ↑/↓ (or j/k) selects
within a tab. Number keys 1–9 quick-select an item.
The Events tab streams every server-to-client notification — logging, progress, list-changed, resource updates, cancellations — as it arrives.
Execute a tool
Section titled “Execute a tool”The input form is generated from the tool’s JSON Schema. Required fields are marked. Type coercion runs automatically — numbers, booleans, and JSON literals are parsed from text.
Result panels are scrollable. Ctrl+↑/↓, PgUp/PgDn, Home/End, and v (view fields) all work.
Server-initiated screens
Section titled “Server-initiated screens”Some MCP servers call back into the client. The TUI renders each request as a dedicated interactive screen:
- Sampling — when a server issues
sampling/createMessage, a screen shows the requested messages and lets you compose or approve a reply. - Elicitation — an
elicitation/createrequest renders as a form built from the requested schema; you fill it in, or decline/cancel. - Roots — press
Rto open the roots editor. Changes propagate to the server via aroots/list_changednotification. See Client features.
Useful keys
Section titled “Useful keys”| Key | Action |
|---|---|
c | Copy CLI command equivalent of the last action |
Ctrl+C | Copy current result |
r | Refresh the current tab |
R | Open the roots editor |
d | Disconnect and return to the connection screen |
e | Show schema-error details for the selected tool |
Ctrl+E | Export session recording (.json trace + .sh CLI replay script) |
Ctrl+D / Ctrl+L / F12 | Open the debug screen |
b / Alt+← | Back |
q / Esc / Ctrl+C | Quit |
See the keyboard reference for the full list.