InTerm

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for terminal applications and TUI development. InTerm provides programmatic access to terminal sessions, command execution, and terminal state capture - similar to how InSite works with browsers but for terminal applications.

Features

• Terminal Session Management: Create, manage, and control multiple terminal sessions
• Command Execution: Execute commands with timeout controls and output capture
• Interactive Input: Send input, special keys, and control sequences to running applications
• State Capture: Take screenshots and capture terminal content/state
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows
• TUI Development: Perfect for developing and testing terminal user interfaces

Installation

npm install
npm run build

Usage

As MCP Server

Add to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "interm": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/interm/bin/interm.js"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Session Management

• create_terminal_session - Create new terminal session
• list_terminal_sessions - List active sessions
• get_terminal_session - Get session details
• close_terminal_session - Close a session
• resize_terminal - Resize terminal dimensions

Command Execution

• execute_command - Execute commands with output capture
• send_input - Send text input to terminal
• send_keys - Send special keys (Ctrl+C, arrows, etc.)
• interrupt_command - Send interrupt signal

State Capture

• get_terminal_content - Get current terminal content
• screenshot_terminal - Take visual screenshot
• get_terminal_buffer - Get raw terminal buffer
• watch_terminal_output - Watch for output patterns

Examples

Basic Terminal Session

// Create a session
const session = await tools.create_terminal_session({
  cols: 80,
  rows: 24,
  shell: "bash"
});

// Execute a command
const result = await tools.execute_command({
  sessionId: session.id,
  command: "ls -la",
  timeout: 5000
});

// Get terminal content
const content = await tools.get_terminal_content({
  sessionId: session.id
});

Interactive TUI Development

// Start a TUI application
await tools.execute_command({
  sessionId: session.id,
  command: "htop",
  expectOutput: false
});

// Send navigation keys
await tools.send_keys({
  sessionId: session.id,
  keys: "arrow_down"
});

// Take screenshot
const screenshot = await tools.screenshot_terminal({
  sessionId: session.id,
  format: "png",
  theme: "dark"
});

Testing CLI Applications

// Run your CLI app
await tools.execute_command({
  sessionId: session.id,
  command: "./my-cli-app --interactive"
});

// Interact with prompts
await tools.send_input({
  sessionId: session.id,
  input: "yes\\n"
});

// Watch for specific output
const result = await tools.watch_terminal_output({
  sessionId: session.id,
  pattern: "Installation complete",
  timeout: 30000
});

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Run tests
npm test

# Lint code
npm run lint

Architecture

InTerm is built with:

• Node PTY: For terminal session management
• Sharp: For screenshot generation
• MCP SDK: For Model Context Protocol integration
• TypeScript: For type safety and development experience

Use Cases

• TUI Development: Build and test terminal user interfaces
• CLI Testing: Automate testing of command-line applications
• DevOps Automation: Script complex terminal interactions
• Documentation: Generate terminal screenshots for docs
• Education: Create interactive terminal tutorials
• Debugging: Capture terminal state for troubleshooting

License

MIT