Terminal UI Guide
The KubeGraf terminal UI provides a fast, keyboard-driven interface for managing Kubernetes clusters.
Inspired by vim, it's designed for engineers who prefer staying in the terminal.
Launching the TUI
kubegraf
The TUI automatically connects to your current kubectl context.
Key Capabilities
⚡ Keyboard-Driven
Vim-inspired navigation with j/k movement, gg/G jumps, and modal editing. All operations can be performed without touching the mouse.
🔍 Real-Time Updates
Watch mode automatically refreshes resource states. See pod status changes, deployment rollouts, and events as they happen.
📊 Multi-Resource Views
Switch between pods, deployments, services, nodes, and more using tab navigation or number keys 1-9.
🚀 Quick Actions
View logs, shell into containers, describe resources, edit YAML, and port-forward—all with single keypresses.
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
Navigation & Movement
| Key | Action |
|---|
| j / ↓ | Move down |
| k / ↑ | Move up |
| g | Go to top |
| G | Go to bottom |
| Ctrl+d | Page down |
| Ctrl+u | Page up |
Resource Actions
| Key | Action |
|---|
| Enter | View details / YAML |
| l | View logs |
| s | Shell into container |
| d | Describe resource |
| e | Edit (opens $EDITOR) |
| y | Copy YAML |
Tab & Resource Switching
| Key | Resource |
|---|
| Tab | Next tab |
| Shift+Tab | Previous tab |
| 1 | Pods |
| 2 | Deployments |
| 3 | Services |
| 4 | Ingresses |
| 5-9 | ConfigMaps, Secrets, Nodes... |
Search & Filtering
| Key | Action |
|---|
| / | Start search/filter |
| Esc | Clear filter |
| n | Change namespace |
| c | Change context/cluster |
| r | Refresh |
| ? | Show help |
| q | Quit |
Workload Operations
| Key | Action |
|---|
| R | Restart (rollout restart) |
| S | Scale replicas |
| p | Port forward |
| Delete | Delete (with confirmation) |
Log Viewer Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|
| f | Toggle follow mode |
| w | Toggle line wrap |
| t | Toggle timestamps |
| / | Search in logs |
| n / N | Next/Prev match |
Pro tip: Press ? at any time to see context-sensitive keybindings for the current view.
Why Use the Terminal UI?
🖥️
Remote-Friendly
Works perfectly over SSH even on slow connections. Terminal-based means minimal bandwidth.
⚡
Fast & Efficient
Keyboard shortcuts are faster than mouse clicks. Power users can navigate clusters instantly.
🔧
Scriptable
Integrates with tmux, screen, and other terminal multiplexers for advanced workflows.
Customization
You can customize keybindings in the configuration file. See Configuration for details.