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Multitui
Multitui is a macOS “app factory” that generates individual, sandboxed native apps for TUI (Text User Interface) programs. It allows you to wrap tools like Claude Code, Lazygit, or Vim into dedicated applications with their own dock icons and restricted filesystem access.
Key Features
- Dedicated macOS .app bundles: Wraps any TUI command into a standalone, double-clickable application.
- Native macOS Sandbox integration: Uses macOS
sandbox-execwith a visual UI to define granular allow/deny rules for filesystem access. - First-class system integration: Apps get their own Dock icons, Spotlight visibility, and window management (Cmd+Tab separately).
- Context-aware app types:
- Folder-based: Open a specific project in a dedicated TUI window.
- File-based: Drag-and-drop file support.
- Menubar widgets: Turn terminal output into always-visible menu bar status.
- Isolated environments: Each app maintains its own shell history and command snippets, preventing pollution of your main terminal history.
- Visual differentiation: Custom styling (colors, backgrounds) per app to visually distinguish production from development environments.
- Native performance: Built in Swift with zero npm/Electron dependencies, ensuring lightweight execution.
How It Works
Users download Multitui and create “Blueprints” for their desired TUI programs (e.g., claude, nvim, htop). They specify the execution command, select an app type (Utility, Doc-based, etc.), and configure sandboxing rules (e.g., “Allow read-only access to ~/Projects” but “Deny write to ~/Documents“). Multitui then compiles a native .app bundle. When launched, the app runs the TUI tool in a window that integrates with Finder services and Global Hotkeys. Users can monitor sandbox violations in real-time logs to fine-tune security permissions.
Use Cases
- AI Agent Safety: Running autonomous coding agents (Claude Code, specialized AI CLIs) with strict filesystem limits to prevent accidental deletions or unauthorized reads.
- Workflow Separation: keeping
lazygitopen as a dedicated window separate from your code editor and server logs. - Production Safety: Creating a “Production DB” terminal app with a bright red background and strict read-only sandbox rules.
- System Monitoring: Turning
htoporbtopinto a always-on-top desktop widget. - Project Management: creating specific app instances for different client projects with isolated histories.
Pros and Cons
- Pros: Free for personal use indefinitely (even after beta); Lightweight native performance (Swift-based); Fine-grained security control for untrusted AI tools; Reduces “terminal tab overload”; highly customizable styling per tool.
- Cons: macOS only (no support for Windows/Linux); Commercial/Team pricing is currently undisclosed (Free in Beta); Requires understanding of CLI commands to configure effectively; Sandboxing can break some complex tools if rules are too strict; Niche appeal for users happy with standard terminal multiplexers.
Pricing
- Personal Use: Free indefinitely (includes core features and sandboxing).
- Commercial/Team: Pricing not yet publicly disclosed (currently Free access during Beta).
How Does It Compare?
Multitui sits in a unique spot between standard terminals and heavy virtualization tools. Here is how it compares:
- Standard Terminals (iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty): These are “General Purpose” tools designed to run everything in one window with tabs. Multitui is for “Single Purpose” apps. Instead of finding your Git tab among 20 others in iTerm, you Cmd+Tab to your dedicated “Lazygit” app.
- Docker Containers: Docker offers strong isolation but is resource-heavy and lacks native GUI integration. You can’t easily drag a file from Finder into a Docker container TUI. Multitui provides lightweight macOS-native sandboxing that feels like a normal app, with far less overhead than a container.
- Platypus / Automator: These are legacy tools for wrapping scripts. Multitui is a modern, Swift-native evolution designed specifically for interactive TUIs and Sandboxing, whereas older wrappers often struggle with interactive terminal sessions and lack security controls.
- Electron Wrappers: Many “dedicated” terminal apps are built on Electron (Chromium), using gigabytes of RAM. Multitui apps use the native system libraries, using a fraction of the memory.
Final Thoughts
Multitui addresses a growing problem in the AI era: Trust. As we run more autonomous agents like Claude Code directly in our terminals, giving them unchecked sudo or root access is dangerous. Multitui provides a brilliant “middle ground” solution—giving these powerful tools a native home on your Mac while putting them in a digital straitjacket via sandboxing. For developers who love the terminal but hate the clutter of 50 open tabs, or for those paranoid about what that new AI script is actually reading on their disk, Multitui is a must-have utility.