Textual applications

Inspect the app, locked dependencies, entry point, TCSS, tests, and actual user workflow. Choose built-in widgets and composition before custom rendering. Keep application state separate from long-running work and make keyboard paths first- class. Do not require a dashboard, mode system, or command palette for every app.

Choose a structure

A small tool can keep one App; separate Screens when the user's context changes, ModalScreen for short interruptions, ContentSwitcher for local steps, and modes for genuinely independent top-level screen stacks. Use stable IDs and semantic classes for styling and tests, with narrow-terminal layouts before wider panes. Prefer DataTable, Tree/DirectoryTree, MarkdownViewer, TextArea, and built-in input widgets when their behaviour fits. Do not split a cohesive component merely to satisfy a line-count heuristic.