CLI GUI
Browse, configure, and run any RegScale CLI command from an interactive terminal interface.
Beta Feature
The interactive GUI is currently in beta and was introduced in RegScale CLI 6.43. Every CLI command remains fully supported from the command line — the GUI is an optional convenience layer on top of them. Please report any issues to RegScale support.
Overview
The RegScale Command Line Interface (CLI) ships with an interactive terminal GUI that lets you browse, configure, and run any CLI command without memorizing command names or flags. It is built on Textual and runs entirely inside your terminal — there is nothing extra to install.
The GUI is useful when you are exploring what the CLI can do, building a command you intend to script later, or running an occasional sync by hand. For scheduled and automated work, continue to use the standard commands described in Orchestration and Scheduling.
Launching the GUI
# Launch the interactive GUI (either alias works)
regscale gui
regscale tui
Both are also installed as standalone entry points, so you can launch the interface directly:
regscale-gui
regscale-tui
Requires an interactive terminal
The GUI requires an interactive terminal (TTY). It is not intended for CRON jobs or CI pipelines — use the regular CLI commands in those environments.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Searchable command tree | Every CLI command, grouped by category and filtered as you type, with pinned Favorites and a Recent section |
| Dynamic forms | Required parameters are shown first with optional parameters collapsed out of the way |
| Record pickers | Autocomplete pickers that look up live RegScale records — Security Plans, Users, Components, Catalogs, Assessments, Issues, and Assets |
| Typed inputs | Dropdowns for choice and module parameters, switches for flags, file and directory browsers for paths, and masked inputs for secrets |
| Inline validation | Integers, numbers, dates, and required fields are validated before the command runs |
| Live console | Running a command switches to a streaming, color-rendered log view with error highlighting, elapsed time, and cancel support |
| Run history | Past runs persist across sessions; re-run or copy any previous command in one click |
| CLI preview | The exact shell command is shown as you fill out the form and can be copied to the clipboard for scripting |
The CLI preview is the fastest way to build a command for automation: fill out the form in the GUI, copy the generated command, and paste it into your scheduler or script.
Key Bindings
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+P | Open the command palette (fuzzy-search everything) |
Ctrl+F | Search the command tree |
Ctrl+R | Run the selected command |
Ctrl+L | Switch to the console view |
Ctrl+H | Show run history |
Ctrl+B | Add or remove the selected command from Favorites |
Ctrl+K | Open instance and authentication settings |
F1 | Show full help for the selected command |
q | Quit |
Authentication
The GUI reads the same configuration as the rest of the CLI, so if you have already run regscale init and regscale login, it will connect to your instance on launch. See CLI Configuration File for details on init.yaml.
Press Ctrl+K at any time to view or change the instance domain and sign in without leaving the GUI. The record pickers require a valid session — if the autocomplete lists come back empty, check your login state there first.
Stored Files
The GUI caches the introspected command catalog and your personal state under ~/.regscale/:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
tui_command_cache.json | The introspected command catalog, so the full tree appears instantly on launch |
tui_state.json | Recent commands and favorites |
tui_history.json | Run history |
On the very first launch the cache is built in the background while the interface is already usable; subsequent launches are immediate. The cache is keyed to the CLI version, so it refreshes automatically after an upgrade.
To reset the GUI to a clean state, delete these files. To store them somewhere other than ~/.regscale/, set the REGSCALE_TUI_STATE_DIR environment variable:
export REGSCALE_TUI_STATE_DIR=/path/to/state
These files may reference instance details, so the CLI creates the state directory as owner-readable only.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Resolution |
|---|---|
| The command exits immediately or reports no TTY | The GUI needs an interactive terminal. Run it directly in a terminal rather than through a pipe, CRON job, or CI runner |
| The command tree is empty on first launch | The catalog is still being introspected in the background. It appears within a few seconds |
| Record pickers return no results | Confirm your domain and credentials with Ctrl+K, or run regscale login from the command line |
| The tree is missing a recently added command | Delete ~/.regscale/tui_command_cache.json and relaunch to rebuild the catalog |
regscale gui and regscale tui are intentionally not runnable from inside the GUI, so they do not appear in the command tree.
Updated about 7 hours ago