Clrun

---
name: clrun
description: Run and control interactive CLI sessions. Handles TUI prompts (select lists, checkboxes, confirms), persistent shell state, and long-running processes. Use when you need to execute terminal commands, respond to interactive prompts, navigate scaffolding wizards like create-vue or create-vite, or manage dev servers.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: cybertheory
  version: "1.0.1"
compatibility: Requires Node.js >= 18 and clrun installed (npm install -g clrun or npx clrun).
---

# clrun — The Interactive CLI for AI Agents

Use `clrun` whenever you need to run commands that require interactive input,
TUI navigation, long-running processes, or deterministic execution control.
No more `--yes` flags or command retries.

## When to Use clrun

- **Interactive scaffolders** — create-vue, create-vite, create-astro, npm init
- **TUI tools** with select lists, checkboxes, and confirm dialogs
- **Long-running processes** — dev servers, test suites, docker builds
- **Stateful sessions** — setting env vars, then querying them later
- **Any command that prompts** for user input

## Quick Reference

| Action | Command |
|--------|---------|
| Run a command | `clrun <command>` |
| Send text + Enter | `clrun <id> "text"` |
| Send keystrokes | `clrun key <id> down enter` |
| Toggle checkbox | `clrun key <id> space` |
| Accept default | `clrun key <id> enter` |
| View latest output | `clrun tail <id>` or `clrun <id>` |
| Check all sessions | `clrun status` |
| Kill a session | `clrun kill <id>` |
| Interrupt (Ctrl+C) | `clrun key <id> ctrl-c` |

## Two Input Modes

### Text Input (`clrun <id> "text"`)

Sends text followed by Enter. Use for:
- Typing text into prompts (project names, descriptions, etc.)
- Sending shell commands to the running session
- Responding to simple yes/no or readline-style prompts

```bash
clrun <id> "my-project-name"    # Type text and press Enter
clrun <id> ""                    # Just press Enter (accept default for readline)
```

### Keystroke Input (`clrun key <id> <keys...>`)

Sends raw keystrokes. Use for:
- Navigating select lists (`up`, `down`, `enter`)
- Toggling checkboxes (`space`)
- Accepting TUI defaults (`enter`)
- Switching Yes/No (`left`, `right`)
- Interrupting processes (`ctrl-c`)

```bash
clrun key <id> down down enter           # Select 3rd item in a list
clrun key <id> space down space enter    # Toggle checkboxes 1 and 2, confirm
clrun key <id> enter                      # Accept default / confirm
```

**Available keys:**
`up`, `down`, `left`, `right`, `enter`, `tab`, `escape`, `space`,
`backspace`, `delete`, `home`, `end`, `pageup`, `pagedown`,
`ctrl-c`, `ctrl-d`, `ctrl-z`, `ctrl-l`, `ctrl-a`, `ctrl-e`, `y`, `n`

## Identifying Prompt Types

When you `tail` a session and see a prompt, identify its type:

| You see | Type | Action |
|---------|------|--------|
| `◆  Project name: │  default` | Text input | `clrun <id> "name"` or `clrun key <id> enter` |
| `● Option1  ○ Option2  ○ Option3` | Single-select | `clrun key <id> down... enter` |
| `◻ Option1  ◻ Option2  ◻ Option3` | Multi-select | `clrun key <id> space down... enter` |
| `● Yes / ○ No` | Confirm | `clrun key <id> enter` or `clrun key <id> right enter` |
| `(y/n)`, `[Y/n]` | Simple confirm | `clrun <id> "y"` or `clrun <id> "n"` |
| `package name: (default)` | Readline | `clrun <id> "value"` or `clrun <id> ""` |

## Select List Navigation

The **first item** is always highlighted by default. Each `down` moves one position.
To select the Nth item: send N-1 `down` presses, then `enter`.

```
◆  Select a framework:
│  ● Vanilla       ← position 1 (0 downs)
│  ○ Vue           ← position 2 (1 down)
│  ○ React         ← position 3 (2 downs)
│  ○ Svelte        ← position 4 (3 downs)
```

```bash
clrun key <id> down down enter   # Selects React (2 downs from top)
```

## Multi-Select Pattern

Plan your moves as a sequence of `space` (toggle) and `down` (skip) from top to bottom, ending with `enter`:

```bash
# Select TypeScript (1st), skip JSX (2nd), select Router (3rd), confirm:
clrun key <id> space down down space enter
```

## Lifecycle Pattern

```
1. START    →  clrun <command>                    → get terminal_id
2. OBSERVE  →  clrun tail <id>                    → read output, identify prompt
3. INTERACT →  clrun <id> "text" / clrun key <id> → send input
4. REPEAT   →  go to 2 until done
5. VERIFY   →  clrun status                       → check exit codes
6. CLEANUP  →  clrun kill <id>                    → if needed
```

## Reading Responses

All responses are YAML. Key fields:

- **`terminal_id`** — store this, you need it for everything
- **`output`** — cleaned terminal output (ANSI stripped, prompts filtered)
- **`status`** — `running`, `suspended`, `exited`, `killed`, `detached`
- **`hints`** — the exact commands you can run next (copy-pasteable)
- **`warnings`** — issues with your input or detected output artifacts
- **`restored`** — `true` if the session was auto-restored from suspension

## Shell Variable Quoting

Use **single quotes** to prevent shell expansion:

```bash
clrun <id> 'echo $MY_VAR'          # Correct — variable reaches the session
clrun <id> "echo $MY_VAR"          # Wrong — your shell expands it first
```

## Suspended Sessions

Sessions suspend after 5 minutes of inactivity. Just send input normally — they
auto-restore transparently. No need to check status first.

## Important Rules

1. **Parse YAML** — all responses are structured YAML
2. **Read the hints** — they tell you exactly what to do next
3. **Use `key` for TUI prompts** — never type escape sequences as text
4. **Use text input for readline prompts** — `clrun <id> "text"`
5. **Single-quote `$` variables** — prevents premature shell expansion
6. **Accept defaults with `key enter`** — not with empty text for TUI prompts
7. **Count items from top** for select lists — N-1 `down` presses for item N

See [references/tui-patterns.md](references/tui-patterns.md) for real-world walkthroughs.