Build AI chat apps for the terminal

Beautiful, production-ready AI chat for the terminal. Powered by the same runtime as assistant-ui, with rich markdown rendering and cross-platform code sharing.

assistant-ui ink
assistant-ui Terminal Chat
Type a message and press Enter to send. Ctrl+C to exit.
> Type a message...

Why assistant-ui for the Terminal?

Everything you need to build a world-class AI chat experience in the terminal — without starting from scratch.

Built for Ink

First-class Ink support. Use React's component model to build beautiful terminal UIs with full ANSI color and layout support.

Markdown in the Terminal

Rich markdown rendering with syntax highlighting, tables, and links — all rendered as ANSI output via @assistant-ui/react-ink-markdown.

Battle-Tested Runtime

Powered by the same engine and runtime system behind assistant-ui.com, refined over two years of production use.

Tool Call Support

Register tools with execute functions and terminal-native UI renderers. Built-in ToolFallback component with expandable output and spinners.

Share Your Runtime Code

Already using assistant-ui on the web or mobile? Reuse the same runtime, tools, and adapters in your terminal app.

Composable Primitives

Unstyled, composable primitives — Thread, Composer, Message, and more — designed for terminal UIs from the ground up.

Already using assistant-ui?

Your existing runtime setup, tool definitions, and model adapters work with the React Ink package. Share the same code between your web, mobile, and terminal apps — only the UI layer changes.

See the migration guide

Start building today