Skip to main content

​
Overview

TUI (Terminal User Interface) mode is Glow’s interactive file browser that lets you discover, search, and read markdown files directly in your terminal. It provides a beautiful, keyboard-driven interface for navigating your documentation.

​
Launching TUI Mode

TUI mode is activated when you run Glow without specifying a file to render: 
# Launch in current directory
glow

# Launch in a specific directory
glow ~/my-docs

# Launch with directory path
glow /path/to/markdown/files
When launched, Glow will scan the directory for markdown files and display them in an interactive list.

​
File Discovery

Glow’s TUI mode features intelligent file discovery:

​
Git Repository Awareness

When scanning for markdown files, Glow uses the gitcha package to:
  • Detect if you’re in a Git repository
  • Automatically respect .gitignore rules
  • Only show files that aren’t ignored by Git
This ensures that build artifacts, dependencies in node_modules, and other ignored files won’t clutter your markdown browser.

​
Showing Hidden Files

By default, Glow respects .gitignore and hides system files. To show all files including hidden and ignored ones: 
glow --all
# or
glow -a
You can also set this in your configuration file: 
all: true
The --all flag switches between gitcha.FindFilesExcept() (respects .gitignore) and gitcha.FindAllFilesExcept() (shows everything) for file discovery.

​
File List Navigation

j, ↓         Move down
k, ↑         Move up
enter        Open selected file
h, l, ←, →   Navigate pages (when multiple pages)

​
Document Viewer Navigation

When viewing a markdown file in TUI mode: 
j, ↓         Scroll down one line
k, ↑         Scroll up one line
d            Scroll down half page
u            Scroll up half page
f, pgdn      Page down
b, pgup      Page up

​
Searching and Filtering

Press / to activate the filter:
  1. Start Filtering: Press / to show the search input
  2. Type Your Query: Glow uses fuzzy search to filter files as you type
  3. Navigate Results: Use ↑/↓ or ctrl+j/ctrl+k to browse matches
  4. Select File: Press enter to open the selected file
  5. Clear Filter: Press esc to cancel or clear the filter
The filter searches across file names and paths, making it easy to find documents quickly.

​
Mouse Support

Enable mouse support to scroll and interact with the TUI using your mouse: 
glow --mouse
# or
glow -m
Or enable it in your config: 
mouse: true
The --mouse flag is hidden in the help output but fully functional. When enabled, Glow calls tea.WithMouseCellMotion() to enable mouse wheel scrolling in the viewport.

​
Line Numbers

Show line numbers when viewing markdown files: 
glow --line-numbers
# or
glow -l
This is especially useful when reading code-heavy documentation or when you need to reference specific lines.

​
File Watching

When viewing a file in TUI mode, Glow automatically watches for changes using fsnotify. If the file is modified externally, Glow will reload and re-render it automatically.

​
Example Workflow

Here’s a typical workflow using TUI mode: 
# Navigate to your documentation directory
cd ~/projects/my-app

# Launch Glow in TUI mode
glow

# The interface shows:
# 1. Glow logo and status bar at top
# 2. List of markdown files found in the directory
# 3. Pagination at bottom (if many files)
# 4. Help hints at the very bottom

# Press '/' to search
# Type "api" to filter for API documentation
# Use arrow keys to select the right file
# Press 'enter' to open and read

# While reading:
# - Press 'e' to edit in your $EDITOR
# - Press 'c' to copy the full contents
# - Press 'esc' to return to the file list

​
Integration with Git

Since Glow is Git-aware, it works seamlessly in repositories: 
# In a cloned repository
cd my-cloned-repo
glow

# Only committed and tracked markdown files appear
# Files in .gitignore are automatically hidden
# Draft files can be shown with --all
This makes Glow perfect for browsing documentation in open-source projects.

CLI Mode

Learn about rendering markdown directly to stdout

Configuration

Customize TUI behavior with configuration options

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us