--- title: Terminal UI description: Use eve locally or connect to a deployed agent from an interactive terminal UI. --- # Terminal UI `eve dev` starts a local development server and opens an interactive terminal UI. Use it to talk to your agent, approve tool calls, answer its questions, and configure local development. ```bash eve dev ``` The transcript remains in your terminal scrollback after you exit. Run `/help` in the UI to see the commands available in the current session. ## Commands | Command | Description | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `/model` | Configure the model and its provider. Pass a model ID to set it directly: `/model provider/model-id`. | | `/add` | Select and install channels, MCP connections, extensions, and observability integrations. Pass an item address to confirm and install it directly: `/add channel/slack`. | | `/deploy` | Deploy the agent to Vercel production. Links the directory first if needed. | | `/vc:install` | Install the Vercel CLI. | | `/vc:login` | Log in to Vercel or restore access to a remote deployment. | | `/info` | Show the resolved application, compiled artifacts, discovery diagnostics, and messaging routes. | | `/loglevel` | Choose which server and agent logs appear in the transcript. | | `/traces` | Open the local trace viewer. Pass a trace ID prefix to open a specific trace. | | `/reset` | Start a fresh session. | | `/cancel` | Cancel the current turn without discarding settled context. | | `/clear` | Clear the session's model-message history. `/new` is an alias. | | `/compact` | Compact the current session's context. | | `/exit` | Quit the UI. | | `/help` | List available commands. | `/model`, `/add`, `/deploy`, `/info`, and `/traces` are available when `eve dev` runs locally. They are unavailable when the UI connects to a server with `--url`. ## Set up a new agent After `eve init`, the terminal UI guides you through **Model**, **Channels**, **Integrations**, and **Review** before the first chat prompt. The progress rail keeps the four steps visible throughout onboarding. Model setup can install or upgrade the Vercel CLI, open Vercel login, and resume project linking without leaving the flow. Model and Vercel changes take effect when you complete Model, then onboarding continues to Channels. Channel and integration selections remain drafts until you finish Review. You can move back and forth between Channels, Integrations, and Review; use `/model` after onboarding to change the committed model configuration. ## Add an integration Bare `/add` opens the standalone planner on **Channels**. It does not include model configuration. The progress rail shows selection counts as you move between **Channels**, **Integrations**, and **Review**. Press `Space` or `Enter` to toggle the highlighted item. Press `Right Arrow` to preserve the current selections and continue, `Left Arrow` to preserve them and go back, or `Esc` to cancel. Installation requires `Enter` on **Install and set up** from Review. During installation, `Esc` cancels only the active item and continues with the remaining selections. The final summary reports installed, cancelled, and failed items separately. Pass an item address to `/add` to confirm and install that exact address without opening the planner: ```text /add channel/slack /add extension/agent-browser /add channel/linear /add @acme/analytics ``` The UI installs planner selections in order and offers deployment once after the batch when an installed item requires it. ## Work with the agent Type a message and press `Enter` to send it. When the agent asks a question or requests tool approval, respond in the prompt shown by the UI. Connection authorization can open a browser; keep local `eve dev` running until the browser returns to it. While a turn is running, `Enter` queues a follow-up message. Press `Esc` or `Ctrl+C` to cancel the turn; when messages are queued, this uses the oldest queued message as the next turn instead. If a direct cancellation requested with `/cancel` or `Ctrl+C` does not settle, press `Ctrl+C` to stop waiting. The UI then returns to the prompt and asks you to press `Ctrl+C` again to exit. At an idle prompt, press `Ctrl+C` twice to exit. | Key | Action | | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Enter` | Send the current message or answer. | | `Shift+Enter` | Insert a newline. Requires a terminal that reports modified keys. | | `Esc` | Cancel a running turn, or steer with the oldest queued message. | | `Ctrl+C` | Cancel or steer during a turn; stop a pending cancellation, then exit on the next press; press twice to exit when idle. | | `↑` / `↓` | Move through input lines or sent-message history. | | `Ctrl+L` | Cycle log display modes. | | `Ctrl+R` | Redraw the screen. | ## Logs and traces By default, the UI shows `stderr` logs. Use `/loglevel ` to change the display; bare `/loglevel` reports the current setting. `Ctrl+L` cycles the same modes. Every `eve dev` process writes diagnostic logs to `.eve/logs/`, regardless of the display mode. Read them with [`eve logs`](../reference/cli#eve-logs). Use `/traces` to inspect traces recorded during local development. See [Instrumentation](../observability/instrumentation#local-traces) for trace capture and retention settings. ## Display options Use `eve dev` flags to control tool calls, reasoning, subagents, connection authorization, response statistics, context usage, and logs: ```bash eve dev --tools full --reasoning collapsed --logs all ``` Use `--host` and `--port` to bind the local server, or `--no-ui` to run without the terminal UI. Set `EVE_TUI_RENDER_MARKDOWN=0` to show assistant and subagent responses without Markdown parsing or styling; `1` (the default) enables Markdown rendering. See the [`eve dev` CLI reference](../reference/cli#eve-dev) for the complete option list, accepted values, and defaults. ## Connect to a deployment Pass a URL to use the terminal UI with an existing eve server instead of starting one locally: ```bash eve dev https://your-app.vercel.app ``` The URL form is shorthand for `--url`. To send credentials or custom request headers, use a URL with HTTP Basic credentials or repeat `-H, --header`: ```bash eve dev https://user:pass@your-app.example.com eve dev https://your-app.example.com -H 'Authorization: Bearer your_token_here' ``` For a Vercel deployment that needs authentication, run `/vc:login` and follow the prompt. Remote sessions do not modify the local project's Vercel link or `.env.local`. ## What to read next * [Instrumentation](../observability/instrumentation): traces, OpenTelemetry, and diagnostics. * [CLI](../reference/cli): commands and flags. * [Agent Client Protocol (ACP)](../protocols/acp): drive the same agent from ACP clients such as Zed instead of the TUI. --- For a semantic overview of all documentation, see [/sitemap.md](/sitemap.md) For an index of all available documentation, see [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) For agent-facing discovery, including API and MCP surfaces, see [/agents.md](/agents.md)