WPF-inspired TUI for .NET, built native AOT-first.

Getting Started

Create your first TerminalNinja app in a few minutes.

1. Create a console app targeting net10.0.
2. Add a project reference to TerminalNinja.
3. Define your UI in XAML and load it with TerminalXaml.Load.

using TerminalNinja.App;
using TerminalNinja.Controls;
using TerminalNinja.Xaml;

using var app = new Application(new ApplicationOptions
{
    TargetFps = 60,
    EnableMouseTracking = true,
    EnableTabNavigation = true
});

app.ThemeName = "GruvboxDark";

var window = TerminalXaml.Load<Window>(XamlLayouts.MainLayout, viewModel);
window.Show();
app.Run();

<Window xmlns='http://schemas.terminalninja.dev/xaml'
        Title='My App' Width='80' Height='24'>
  <StackPanel Orientation='Vertical'>
    <TextBlock Text='Welcome to TerminalNinja' />
    <Button Text='Click Me' Command='{Binding ClickCommand}' />
  </StackPanel>
</Window>

WPF Concepts in the Terminal

TerminalNinja keeps WPF mental models so desktop developers can move fast.

Samples

Explore working examples that demonstrate every major feature.

Theming

TerminalNinja ships with three built-in themes that apply implicit styles and color resources across all controls. Set the theme on the Application instance:

app.ThemeName = "Dark";      // VS Code-inspired dark
app.ThemeName = "Dracula";   // Dracula color scheme
app.ThemeName = "GruvboxDark"; // Gruvbox dark palette

Themes define 58 color resource keys and implicit styles for all built-in controls. Load custom themes from file or XAML string:

app.LoadThemeFromFile("MyTheme.xaml");
app.LoadThemeFromXaml(customXaml);

Try switching themes in the playground.

XAML Hot Reload

TerminalNinja automatically enables XAML hot reload when a debugger is attached. Edit any .xaml file and save — the UI updates instantly without restarting. ViewModels and application state are preserved.

// Automatic — just run with debugger attached
// Or enable manually:
app.EnableHotReload("path/to/project");

Hot reload works by watching .xaml files with FileSystemWatcher, re-parsing on change via TerminalXaml.LoadFromStream, and swapping the control tree. Source-generated registries (control factories, property accessors) are unaffected — only the view is reloaded. XAML parse errors are caught gracefully, not crashes.