How to Find Your Next TUI Tool on Terminal Trove

Updated

Start at Terminal Trove's "Find your next TUI tool" section, then narrow the list by category or language, and use the featured and newly added tools as a shortlist. This works if you already know roughly what kind of terminal tool you want (for example, a Git client, a database browser, or a text editor) or if you just want a curated starting point. Terminal Trove describes itself as a showcase of CLI, TUI, and other developer tools, so it is a discovery site rather than a package manager — you still install tools from their own sources.

Start from the main entry point

The homepage presents the "Find your next TUI tool at Terminal Trove" prompt with an Explore All Tools option, plus a "…or a random one?" choice. Use Explore All Tools when you want the full catalog; use the random option only when you have no preference and want a surprise pick.

The same page also surfaces two curated lists that are useful for a shortlist:

  • Terminal Tool of The Week — a single highlighted tool, currently eprofiler-tui, described as a terminal-based flamegraph viewer for OTLP and gRPC profiling data.
  • Browse Newly Added Tools — a rolling list of recent additions, which is where you see what is fresh rather than what is popular.

Browse by category to match your task

If you know the job you need done, the category list is the fastest filter. Terminal Trove groups tools under these headings:

Category Use it when you need…
TUI A full-screen interactive terminal app
CLI A command-line utility you run and script
AI / LLM Terminal-native AI or local model tooling
GIT Version control from the terminal
Monitoring Watching systems, metrics, or profiles
Networking Network inspection and diagnostics
Security Security-focused terminal tooling
DevOps Operational and deployment helpers
Docker Container management
Kubernetes Cluster management
Database Querying and inspecting databases
Text Editors Editing files in the terminal

Pick the category closest to your task first. If two categories seem to fit (for example, a profiling viewer could sit under Monitoring or TUI), check both — the site does not guarantee a tool appears in only one place.

Browse by language to match your stack

The language list lets you filter by implementation language: Rust, Python, C, Haskell, Golang, JS, C++, and Shell. This matters if you care about how a tool is built — for instance, if you prefer to install from a single static binary, or if you want to read and patch the source yourself. Use language filtering as a second pass after choosing a category, not as the first step, unless language compatibility is your hard requirement.

Use the newly added list for ideas

The "Browse Newly Added Tools" list is the best place to find something you have not seen before. Recent entries shown on the site include:

  • edamame — a terminal Markdown editor that stays rendered while you edit.
  • eprofiler-tui — a terminal flamegraph viewer for OTLP and gRPC profiling data.
  • llamastash — a zero-overhead, terminal-native local-LLM manager.
  • mitos — a minimal, batteries-included, modal text editor.
  • yq — a lightweight, portable command-line processor for YAML, JSON, INI, and XML.
  • rulc — an easy-to-use terminal graphing calculator with a REPL.

Scan this list for a tool whose one-line description matches a task you already do. The description is the main signal on the site, so treat it as a lead to verify rather than a full review.

A practical shortlist workflow

  1. Define the task — e.g., "I want to inspect profiling data without leaving the terminal."
  2. Open the matching category — Monitoring or TUI in that example.
  3. Skim descriptions — note two or three candidates, such as eprofiler-tui.
  4. Cross-check the language filter if build or install method matters to you.
  5. Check the newly added list for alternatives you may have missed.
  6. Verify before installing — confirm the tool's own repository or docs for install steps, platform support, and requirements. Terminal Trove's listing does not replace that check.

Common sticking points

  • The site is a directory, not a download page. Expect to leave Terminal Trove to install anything; the listing gives you the name and a short description.
  • Descriptions are brief. A one-liner like "zero-overhead, terminal-native local-LLM manager" tells you the intent but not the setup cost — check the project itself.
  • Category overlap is normal. If your first category looks thin, try an adjacent one before concluding nothing fits.
  • Featured does not mean best for you. "Terminal Tool of The Week" is a spotlight, not a ranking against your needs.