pub async fn run() {
print!(
r#"tu ("terminal-use") -- headless virtual terminal for AI agents
Spawn terminal apps, read the screen, send keystrokes, drive the mouse.
No GUI needed. Default terminal size: 120x40 (TERM=xterm-256color).
Almost every command takes `--name <s>` to pick a session (default: "default").
COMMANDS:
run <cmd> [args...] Spawn a process in a new virtual terminal
--size <CxR> Terminal size (default: 120x40)
--scrollback <n> Scrollback lines (default: 1000)
--env KEY=VAL Extra env vars (repeatable)
--cwd <path> Working directory
--term <TERM> TERM value (default: xterm-256color)
--shell Wrap in $SHELL -c "..."
kill Kill process and remove session
list List active sessions
status Session info: pid, alive/exited, exit code, size
screenshot Capture the terminal screen as text
--png Render as a PNG image instead of text
--output <file> Output file path (default: auto temp file)
--stdout Write PNG bytes to stdout (with --png)
--font <path> Optional TTF font file (bundled: JetBrains Mono)
--font-size <px> Font size in pixels (default: 14, with --png)
--no-cursor Suppress the magenta △ overlay (with --png)
cursor Print cursor position as row,col
scrollback Print scrollback buffer
--lines <n> How many lines (default: all)
type <text> Type literal text
press <key>... Send keystrokes (space-separated)
paste <text> Bracketed paste
mouse click <col> <row> Click at column,row (0-based, like cursor)
--button left|right|middle Default: left
--mods Ctrl,Shift,Alt Modifier combo (comma-separated)
--clicks N Multi-click (2 = double, 3 = triple)
--on-text <TEXT> Click center of first text match instead
--on-regex <RE> Click center of first regex match
--match-index N Disambiguate when multiple matches (0-based)
--force Send even if app has not enabled mouse mode
mouse down|up <col> <row> Press / release one half of a click
mouse move <col> <row> Move cursor to col,row
mouse drag <c1> <r1> <c2> <r2> Drag from (c1,r1) to (c2,r2)
mouse scroll up|down|left|right [<col> <row>] [--amount N]
mouse state Print mouse status (or "disabled")
resize <CxR> Resize terminal (e.g. 160x50)
wait Wait for a condition
--stable <ms> Screen unchanged for N ms
--text <regex> Regex matches screen content
--timeout <ms> Max wait (default: 5000)
monitor Live read-only view of a session (← → to switch)
daemon start|stop|status Manage background daemon
self update [--check] Update tu to the latest version
MOUSE CURSOR DISPLAY:
tu's virtual mouse cursor renders as a magenta △ (filled magenta cell when
a button is held) in `tu monitor` and in `tu screenshot --png`. Text
screenshots keep the body untouched and append `△ tu mouse cursor at
(col,row)` as a trailer below the grid. `tu mouse state` is the
machine-readable source.
MOUSE TARGETING:
Coords are 0-based and bounded by the current size; out-of-bounds errors out.
--on-text / --on-regex search the visible screen left-to-right, top-to-bottom
and click the center cell of the chosen match.
Combine with --clicks for one-shot multi-click on a label:
tu mouse click --on-text "Buy upgrade" --clicks 2
Run `tu mouse state` first to check the app accepts mouse input. If it
doesn't, the click errors out — pass --force to send the bytes anyway.
KEYS:
Letters/symbols a, Z, !, @ Modifiers Ctrl+C, Alt+F, Shift+Tab
Navigation Up Down Left Right Ctrl combos Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+D
Home End PageUp Function F1-F12
PageDown
Editing Enter Tab Space Multi-key press Down Down Down Enter
Escape Backspace
Delete Insert
OUTPUT:
Default output is human-readable. Add --json for machine-readable JSON.
When stdout is not a TTY, --json is auto-selected.
EXAMPLES:
tu run htop Start htop
tu screenshot Read the screen as text
tu screenshot --png PNG to temp file, prints path
tu screenshot --png -o shot.png PNG to explicit path
tu screenshot --png --stdout > s.png PNG bytes to stdout
tu press F2 Open htop setup
tu press Escape : w q Enter Save and quit vim
tu type "hello world" Type text into the terminal
tu wait --text "Complete" --timeout 10000
tu mouse state Show mouse status + cursor + held buttons
tu mouse click 50 20 Left-click at (col=50, row=20)
tu mouse click --on-text "OK" Click the OK button by label
tu mouse click --on-text "Buy" --clicks 2 Double-click on "Buy"
tu mouse click 10 5 --mods Ctrl Ctrl+Click at (10,5)
tu mouse drag 10 10 50 20 Drag from (10,10) to (50,20)
tu mouse scroll down --amount 5 Scroll wheel down 5 ticks
tu monitor Watch the session live
tu kill End session
"#
);
}