A terminal user interface for WhiteNoise, a secure group messenger built on MLS and Nostr.
+-[Chats]--------+-[Coffee Chat]-------------------------------+
| > Coffee Chat | [10:31] alice: Hey everyone |
| Work | [10:32] bob: What's up? |
| DM: eve | [10:33] alice: Let's discuss the release |
| | 👍 2 🎉 1 |
| | |
| +----------------------------------------------+
| | Type a message... |
+----------------+----------------------------------------------+
j/k Navigate Enter Open n New group g Group info q Quit
* alice npub1abc...xyz | 3 chats | 1 pending invite
wn-tui is a pure presentation layer over the WhiteNoise CLI. It spawns wn commands as subprocesses and parses their JSON output. You need both the daemon and the CLI client running.
Build from the feat/cli branch of whitenoise-rs:
git clone https://github.com/marmot-protocol/whitenoise.git
cd whitenoise
git checkout feat/cli
cargo build --releaseThis produces two binaries in target/release/:
wnd-- the WhiteNoise daemon. Runs the MLS/Nostr stack and listens on a Unix socket.wn-- the CLI client. Sends commands to the daemon over the socket.
Start the daemon before launching the TUI:
./target/release/wndMake sure wn is in your PATH, or place it alongside the wn-tui binary.
Rust 1.79+ (2021 edition). Install via rustup if needed.
cd wn-tui
cargo build --release
./target/release/wn-tuiOr during development:
cargo run
wn-tui never speaks to the daemon directly. Every interaction goes through the wn CLI with --json output:
+---------+ spawn/exec +--------+ Unix socket +---------+
| wn-tui | ----- stdout --- | wn CLI | ---------------- | wnd |
| (TUI) | --json | | JSON-line | (daemon)|
+---------+ +--------+ +---------+
- One-shot commands (
wn --json groups list,wn --json messages send ...): spawn, wait, parse JSON result. - Streaming commands (
wn --json messages subscribe ...,wn --json chats subscribe ...): spawn a long-lived child process, read JSON lines from stdout continuously, kill the child on navigation away.
This keeps the TUI as a thin presentation layer. No protocol types to duplicate, no socket lifecycle to manage. The CLI handles authentication, error formatting, and daemon communication.
Unidirectional data flow:
Terminal events --+
|
Stream updates ---+--> mpsc channel --> Event --> Action --> update(state) --> draw(state)
|
Tick timer -------+
Event-- raw inputs (key press, paste, tick, async action result)Action-- all possible state mutations (enum)App::update(action)-- the single place state changes, returns aVec<Effect>Effect-- side effects for the main loop to execute (spawn CLI commands, subscribe to streams)
State transitions are predictable and testable. The update() function is pure: given a state and an action, it produces a new state and effects.
Login --> Main (chat list + messages)
|---> Group Detail
|---> Profile
|---> Settings
+---> User Search
Screens are an enum, not trait objects. Exhaustive matching ensures every screen is handled. Esc always navigates back.
src/
main.rs Entry point, event loop, effect execution
app.rs App state, update() dispatcher, key handling
action.rs Action enum (state mutations) + Effect enum (side effects)
event.rs Event enum, terminal/tick event producers
tui.rs Terminal init/restore, panic hook
wn.rs CLI wrapper (spawn wn --json, parse responses, stream lines)
screen/
mod.rs Screen enum
login.rs Login / create identity
main_screen.rs Split panel: chat list + messages + composer
group_detail.rs Group info, members, admin actions
profile.rs View/edit profile
settings.rs Settings display
user_search.rs Streaming user search
widget/
mod.rs
chat_list.rs Sidebar chat list with unread badges
message_list.rs Scrollable messages with reactions, wrapping, multi-line
input.rs Unicode-safe text input with cursor, auto-growing height
status_bar.rs Connection status, account info, unread/invite counts
popup.rs Modal dialogs (confirm, input prompt)
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+C |
Quit |
Esc |
Back / unfocus |
? |
Help |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
j / k |
Navigate chats |
Enter |
Open chat |
n |
New group |
g |
Group info |
I |
View invites |
/ |
Search users |
p |
Profile |
S |
Settings |
` |
Toggle logs |
q |
Quit |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
j / k |
Scroll messages |
G |
Jump to bottom |
i / Enter |
Start composing |
Esc |
Back to chat list |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Enter |
Send message |
Esc |
Stop composing |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
j / k |
Navigate members |
a |
Search & add member |
A |
Add by pubkey/npub |
x |
Remove member |
R |
Rename group |
L |
Leave group |
Esc |
Back |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
n |
Edit name |
a |
Edit about |
j / k |
Navigate follows |
d |
Unfollow |
Esc |
Back |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Enter |
Search |
↑ / ↓ |
Navigate results |
Tab |
Follow / Unfollow |
Esc |
Back |
MIT License