Prototype OpenClaw TUI

Use this skill to isolate one OpenClaw terminal surface, render it with the real OpenClaw TUI stack, and compare two to six design variants in tmux.

Rules

• Read the root and scoped AGENTS.md files before editing.
• Keep the prototype beside the target and name it *.prototype.ts.
• When iterating on an existing surface, include its current implementation as the first baseline variant with the same fixture data. Only omit the baseline when the user explicitly asks for a greenfield comparison.
• Use the real OpenClaw renderer, theme, copy, and component where practical.
• Replace scanning, models, network calls, installs, config writes, SQLite, and other durable effects with deterministic in-memory fixtures.
• Do not run the full OpenClaw application when the isolated surface is enough.
• Treat prototype code as throwaway. Do not promote it directly to production.
• Preserve unrelated and pre-existing worktree changes.

Choose the renderer

• Wizard, onboarding, configuration, doctor, selection, or progress surface: use createClackPrompter() from src/wizard/clack-prompter.ts.
• Agent shell, chat, overlay, editor, selector, or src/tui/** component: use @earendil-works/pi-tui and the existing OpenClaw component.

Do not invent a shared Clack/Pi abstraction. They are separate prototype recipes joined only by the tmux comparison loop.

Workflow