Multitui is a macOS application that functions as an app factory specifically designed for Terminal User Interface (TUI) programs. Its primary purpose is to transform command-line tools into beautiful native macOS applications while providing optional filesystem protection through sandboxing technology. This allows users to run tools like AI coding assistants and other TUIs safely without compromising their development environment.

The product offers several key features including filesystem protection using macOS's built-in sandbox-exec with fine-grained control over file access permissions. It creates first-class macOS apps with dock icons, Spotlight integration, and proper window management. Multitui provides comprehensive Finder integration with toolbar buttons, context menus, and file handler registration. Each app maintains isolated shell history and snippets, supports custom styling for contextual awareness, and offers multiple app styles including Window, HUD, Menu Bar, and Document modes.

Multitui works by generating individual .app bundles for each TUI program you want to use. The system uses macOS's sandbox-exec technology to create a controlled environment where you can specify exactly what files and directories each application can access. When something gets blocked by the sandbox, Multitui provides a live deny log that shows exactly what happened and allows you to add allow rules with a single click.

The main benefits include protecting your development environment from potentially harmful code while maintaining your existing workflow. Use cases include safely running AI coding assistants like Claude Code and Codex, managing Git repositories with lazygit, editing files with nano or treemd, monitoring system resources with htop, and working with databases using harlequin. The sandbox protection is particularly valuable for running untrusted AI agents and code generation tools.

Multitui is built for macOS power users, developers, and anyone who works extensively with command-line tools but wants better integration with the macOS ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with existing macOS workflows and works with popular terminal apps like iTerm2, Ghostty, Alacritty, and Terminal.app. The application supports SSH integration for running remote TUIs, Touch ID biometric authentication, global keyboard shortcuts, per-app themes, custom app icons, and works with Little Snitch for network access control.