Stop Making TUIs: Use AI Agents to Build Native GUIs Instead
Security researcher Thomas Ptacek and developer Simon Willison argue that developers should stop building text-based user interfaces (TUIs) for personal tools. Instead, they should leverage AI coding agents to easily generate native graphical user interfaces (GUIs) at virtually no cost. Traditionally, developers preferred CLIs or TUIs for small tools due to the high complexity of building native GUIs. AI coding agents lower this barrier, allowing developers to quickly create richer, more intuitive native applications without needing to master complex GUI frameworks. Willison highlights his own success using "vibe coding" to build macOS taskbar apps with SwiftUI, which he still uses daily. Ptacek suggests that transforming throwaway command-line tools into native apps can fundamentally change how developers think about their personal software.
## BACKGROUND
A Text-based User Interface (TUI) is a terminal-based interface that uses text, menus, and keyboard navigation instead of a full graphical window. "Vibe coding" is a slang term describing the practice of building software by simply describing what you want to an AI in natural language, letting the AI generate the executable code.