Framework System TUI
Framework System TUI (framework-tool-tui) is a terminal-based dashboard for monitoring and controlling Framework laptop hardware, developed by community member Mykhailo Nedokushev (GitHub: grouzen). Built in Rust with the ratatui TUI framework, it provides a snappy interactive interface for battery management, privacy toggles, brightness controls, USB PD port monitoring, and more — all from the terminal1.
The tool communicates with hardware through Framework's official framework_lib crate, which wraps the Chromium Embedded Controller (EC) interface12.
Features
Hardware Monitoring & Control
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Battery charge percentage & status | Supported |
| Charge limit control (0–100%) | Supported |
| Privacy toggles (microphone & camera) | Supported |
| Keyboard backlight brightness | Supported |
| Fingerprint reader LED brightness | Supported |
| USB PD port monitoring (4 ports) | Supported |
| Fan RPM readout | Supported |
| BIOS/SMBIOS info (version, vendor, date) | Supported |
| Input Deck Mode selector (FW16) | Planned |
| Thermal info (CPU/GPU temps) | Planned |
Battery & Charging
Displays charge percentage, charger voltage/current, design capacity, last full charge capacity, cycle count, capacity loss percentage, capacity loss per cycle, and charging status. The charge limit can be adjusted interactively to extend battery lifespan1.
Privacy
Hardware-level microphone and camera kill switches are exposed as toggleable controls, using the EC's privacy info API1.
USB PD Ports
Shows per-port status for all four expansion card slots (left-back, left-front, right-back, right-front) including power role (Source/Sink/Disconnected), dual-role capability, charging type (PD/Type-C/BC1.2), voltage, current limits, and max power1.
Themes
16 built-in color themes are included1:
| Default | Framework | Alucard | Catppuccin Frappé |
| Catppuccin Latte | Catppuccin Macchiato | Catppuccin Mocha | Dracula |
| Game Boy | GitHub Dark | GitHub Light | Gruvbox Dark |
| Gruvbox Light | Monochrome Dark | Monochrome Light | Monokai Pro |
Configuration
Configuration is stored as TOML at $XDG_DATA_HOME/framework-tool-tui/config.toml (default ~/.local/share/framework-tool-tui/config.toml). Supported settings include theme selection and polling tick interval in milliseconds1.
Installation
Arch Linux (AUR)
Available in the AUR and the archlinuxcn repository13:
yay -S framework-tool-tui
sudo pacman -S framework-tool-tui
NixOS
Available in official NixOS packages1:
nix-shell -p framework-tool-tui
Homebrew (Linux)
Available via the Homebrew formula14:
brew install framework-tool-tui
Gentoo Linux
Available in the official Gentoo repository1:
sudo emerge -av app-laptop/framework-tool-tui
FreeBSD
Available in FreeBSD ports15:
pkg install framework-tool-tui
From Source
git clone https://github.com/grouzen/framework-tool-tui.git
cd framework-tool-tui
cargo build --release
cargo install framework-tool-tui
Pre-built Binaries
Pre-compiled binaries for Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD are available on the GitHub releases page1.
Usage
Root privileges are required to access hardware controls1:
sudo framework-tool-tui
Technical Details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Language | Rust (2021 edition) |
| License | MIT |
| TUI framework | ratatui v0.29 |
| Async runtime | tokio v1.50 |
| Hardware interface | framework_lib v0.6.5 (Chromium EC) |
| Config format | TOML |
| Contributors | 8+ (grouzen, JohnAZoidberg, tripplehelix, andypiper, autra, colindean, Integral-Tech, bsdlme, dependabot[bot]) |
| Latest release | v0.8.5 (August 2026)7 |
| Total releases | 25+ |
Related Projects
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Framework Deck | GUI desktop companion with telemetry, fan control, and LED matrix editor |
| fw-fanctrl | Custom fan speed controller for Framework laptops |
| YAFI | Cross-platform GTK4/Adwaita GUI for Framework EC |
| Framework Hub | C# control center for Framework laptops |