Window

The instant GUI is the v1 hero. GUI4CLI writes a temp folder (index.html, app.js, payload) and spawns windowd.

What you see

A two-column window (~960×620): fields on the left, command preview and live output on the right.

• Tab through fields
• Ctrl/Cmd+Enter to Run
• Stdout and stderr stream while the process is alive
• Exit code and duration when it finishes
• Cancel kills the child tree (Windows: taskkill /T /F)

Last-run values load from ~/.gui4cli/lastrun/.

First launch

windowd downloads the NW.js runtime (~200 MB) the first time. After that, the window opens from cache.

If the window flashes and closes:

1. Run from a normal terminal, not Cursor's JavaScript Debug Terminal. Inspector env (NODE_OPTIONS, VSCODE_INSPECTOR_OPTIONS) inherited by NW.js will shut the window down. GUI4CLI strips those for the child; a leftover --require bootloader still bites sometimes.
2. Generated apps disable Vite HMR. The first HMR reload fires windowd's beforeunload close signal.
3. If windowd exits within 5 seconds with code 0, GUI4CLI opens once more and says so.

Status

The window reports ready / running / streaming / done / failed. It does not sit on a frozen form while the script runs.

What the window is not

It is not a browser tab, not Neutralino/Tauri, and not a packaged .exe. Those are later.