GitHub Repository

Interactive terminals for AI agents, built for what you can't --yes away. SSH+MFA, GRUB/U-Boot, debconf installers, SOL/serial consoles, fsck, cryptsetup, pdb/gdb, apt, certbot and even Vim in tmux-backed sessions. Agent-driven, human-assisted for secrets/MFA. Single-file Python. Agent Skill. CI with 680+ tests. BSD License.

81 starsPython

Term-CLI – interactive terminals for AI agents (for SSH/TUI/REPL flows)

Name: Term-CLI – interactive terminals for AI agents (for SSH/TUI/REPL flows)
Availability: InStock
Author: eliasoe

by eliasoe·Mar 4, 2026·9 points·2 comments

Visit Project View on HN

AI Analysis

●●●BangerWizardrySolve My ProblemShip It

Agents finally handle SSH/pdb/vim—680 tests, tmux-backed, single-file Python.

Strengths

•Tmux-backed session model lets agents orchestrate stateful workflows (wait-for-prompt, send-keys, capture) that previously blocked forever
•In-band file transfer over terminal stream is genuinely clever—moves files across SSH→Docker→Firejail without scp/volumes
•680+ tests and production-grade CI suggest this actually ships today, not vaporware

Weaknesses

•Requires tmux on target system, limiting use on stripped-down containers or Windows targets
•Unclear how agents learn to detect when human intervention needed vs. continuing autonomously

Post Description

Agents can run non-interactive commands, but they often fail once a workflow needs a real terminal (SSH sessions, installers, debuggers, REPLs, TUIs). I built term-cli so an agent can drive an interactive terminal session (keystrokes in, output out, wait for prompts). And it comes with agent skill for easy integration.

It supports in-band file transfer: the agent can move files through the terminal stream itself (same channel as the interactive session), which is useful when the agent doesn’t have scp/sftp, shared volumes, or direct filesystem access across boundaries.

Recent example: My Claude Opus was SSH'd into a server and ended up at a Firejail shell running inside a Docker container. It pushed a Python file in via term-cli, moving it across SSH → Docker → Firejail over the terminal channel, and explicitly commented how it was surprised this worked end-to-end.

And it comes with the companion tool term-assist, so agents can bring in their human to handle credentials and MFA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A70tZEVqSOQ