MatrixTUI.

Multi-account encrypted Matrix client that runs in your terminal. E2E encryption, inline images, responsive layout — no Electron required.

Rust Ratatui Matrix SDK Tokio E2EE SQLite

mtui — marshall@archlinux

Click terminal then press ? for keybinds — Tab, arrows, Enter, s, Esc

Demo only, not final product

why it works

Marketing Slop.

∞

Accounts at Once

Log into every homeserver you want. One terminal, all your Matrix identities, zero tab juggling.

Electron Required

Pure terminal. SSH in, run mtui, start chatting. Works on anything with a shell — even Termux on your phone. Rewrite it in Rust.

E2E

Encrypted by Default

Olm/Megolm encryption, SAS emoji verification, recovery key import. Messages decrypted in memory, never cached to disk.

Responsive Layouts

Three-column, two-column, and single-column modes. The UI adapts to your terminal width automatically.

Themes Built In

Default, Dracula, Gruvbox, Nord, Monokai, Solarized. Switch live in settings — every element recolors instantly.

Lines of Rust

Six modules, one event channel, zero frameworks. Inline images, reactions, replies, verification — every feature earned its complexity.

how it works

Nerd Out.

Multi-account architecture — each Account owns its own matrix-sdk::Client and background sync loop, all feeding events into a single tokio channel.
Event-driven loop — crossterm polls keyboard, resize, and bracketed-paste events at 100ms intervals. Matrix sync events bridge through separate tokio tasks into the same AppEvent enum.
Responsive renderer — draw_three_column(), draw_two_column(), draw_single_column() auto-select on terminal resize. All 12 overlay types reflow independently.
Image pipeline — ratatui-image probes the terminal for Sixel, Kitty, or halfblock support. Images download async, decode off-thread, and render inline with zero layout jank.
Encryption flow — matrix-sdk handles Olm/Megolm key exchange. Per-account SQLite stores persist E2EE keys and cross-signing state. Recovery key imports trigger automatic room key backup download.
Zero-framework UI — no component tree, no widget library. Raw ratatui::Frame draws with computed coordinates. State lives in one App struct. Overlays are match arms on an enum.

Your terminal. Your keys. Rewritten in Rust.

View Source

lessons learned

The takeaway.

Matrix clients are overwhelmingly Electron-based — heavy, resource-hungry, and impossible to use over SSH. Most terminal alternatives only cover the basics and punt on encryption, media, and multi-account.

MatrixTUI proves a terminal client can handle the full Matrix feature set: multi-account, E2E encryption, inline images, SAS verification, reactions, replies — all in under 7,000 lines of Rust with zero frameworks. The architecture is intentionally flat because chat clients don't need component trees. One struct, one event channel, one render loop.