Software Practices

Treat Terminal UI As Product Surface

BOUNDARY-TREAT-TERMINAL-UI-AS-PRODUCT-SURFACE

Boundary CorrectnessToolingTestingLocal Conventions
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Summary

Treat terminal layout, input, scroll behavior, color, viewport size, and platform differences as a user-facing contract when people rely on the interface. This makes regressions reviewable without requiring full visual testing for every tiny internal tool.

Rule

Treat terminal UI as a product surface with platform-specific contracts.

Why

Terminal UI is not just debug output. Layout, input handling, scroll behavior, color, small viewports, and platform differences form a user-facing contract that can regress like any GUI or API.

Helps

  • Makes terminal behavior reviewable and protects users from layout and interaction regressions.

Limits

Do not require full visual testing for tiny internal terminal tools. Treat terminal UI as product surface when users rely on it repeatedly or across platforms.

Agent Instruction

Treat terminal UI as a product surface with platform-specific contracts because terminal UI is not just
debug output.

Mechanisms

Supported by snapshot tests, viewport fixtures, manual screenshots, platform notes, keyboard-event tests, and rendered-output review.

References