The TUI Interface

AZUREAL presents a ratatui-based terminal user interface organized around panes, a worktree tab row, and a status bar. The interface has two primary layouts – Normal Mode for day-to-day development and Git Mode (Shift+G) for repository operations – plus a collection of overlay panels that appear on demand.

Normal Mode

┌─ [★ main] │ [○ feat-a] │ [● feat-b] ┐
├──────────┬───────────────┬───────────┤
│FileTree  │    Viewer     │           │
│  (15%)   │    (50%)      │Session(35%)│
├──────────┴───────────────┤           │
│  Input / Terminal        │           │
├──────────────────────────┴───────────┤
│             Status Bar               │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

The Worktree Tab Row sits at the top, giving a persistent overview of every active and archived worktree. Below it, three panes divide the workspace: FileTree on the left (15% width), the Viewer in the center (50%), and the Session pane on the right (35%, spanning the full height from tab row to status bar). The Input/Terminal area sits beneath FileTree and Viewer, sharing their combined width. The Status Bar occupies the final row.

Git Mode

╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ [main] [feat-a] [feat-b] (tab bar) ║
╠══════════╦═══════════════╦═════════╣
║ Actions  ║   Viewer      ║Commits  ║
║──────────║               ║         ║
║ Files    ║               ║         ║
╠══════════╩═══════════════╩═════════╣
║ GIT: wt (Tab/⇧Tab:cycle | Enter)  ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝

Pressing Shift+G replaces the normal layout with a dedicated git panel. The left column splits into an Actions section and a Changed Files section, the center remains the Viewer (showing diffs), and the right column displays a Commit history. A minimal status bar at the bottom replaces the normal one.

Visual Identity

All accent colors throughout the interface use the AZURE constant (#3399FF), tying the color palette to the “Azureal” name. Active tabs, borders, badges, and highlighted elements all share this single brand color.

OS Terminal Title

The host terminal’s title bar updates dynamically to reflect your context:

No project loaded: AZUREAL
Project active: AZUREAL @ <project> : <branch>

The title updates automatically on startup, session switch, and project switch, and resets to empty on exit.

Splash Screen

On launch, a 2x-scale block-character “AZUREAL” logo renders in AZURE while git discovery, session parsing, and file I/O run in the background. A minimum 3-second display ensures the branding registers even on fast machines. The splash is replaced by the full interface once the event loop starts.

What This Chapter Covers

Layout & Panes – detailed breakdown of every pane, its dimensions, and its purpose.
Focus & Navigation – how keyboard focus cycles between panes and how overlays interact with focus.
Mouse Support – click, scroll, and double-click behavior across every pane.
Text Selection & Copy – drag-to-select, clipboard copy, and how selection interacts with pane content.

Keyboard shortcuts