Use the TUI
The OpenRAG Terminal User Interface (TUI) provides a simplified and guided experience for configuring, managing, and monitoring your OpenRAG deployment directly from the terminal.
If you install OpenRAG with uv or uvx, you use the TUI to manage your OpenRAG deployment.
The TUI guides you through the initial setup, automatically manages your OpenRAG .env and docker-compose files, and provides convenient access to service management controls.
In contrast, when you deploy OpenRAG with self-managed services, you must manually configure OpenRAG by preparing a .env file, and then use Docker or Podman commands to deploy and manage your OpenRAG services.
Access the TUI
If you installed OpenRAG with uv, access the TUI with uv run openrag.
If you installed OpenRAG with uvx, access the TUI with uvx openrag.
You can navigate the TUI with your mouse or keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts for additional menus are printed at the bottom of the TUI screen.
Manage services with the TUI
A Docker or Podman VM must be running before you start OpenRAG.
For example, on macOS with Podman, open the Podman Desktop app before you start OpenRAG.
In the TUI, click Start OpenRAG to start the OpenRAG services.
Use the TUI's Status page to access controls and information for your OpenRAG services.
For more information, see Manage OpenRAG services.
Toggle GPU/CPU mode
You can toggle between GPU and CPU mode from within the TUI if your system has compatible GPU hardware and drivers installed.
In the TUI, click Status, and then click Switch to GPU Mode or Switch to CPU Mode.
This change requires restarting all OpenRAG services because each mode has its own docker-compose file.
GPU acceleration isn't required for most use cases. OpenRAG's CPU-only deployment doesn't prevent you from using GPU acceleration in external services, such as Ollama servers.
GPU acceleration is required only for specific use cases, typically involving customization of the ingestion flows or ingestion logic. For example, writing alternate ingest logic in OpenRAG that uses GPUs directly in the container, or customizing the ingestion flows to use Langflow's Docling component with GPU acceleration instead of OpenRAG's Docling Serve service.
Exit the OpenRAG TUI
To exit the OpenRAG TUI, press q on the TUI main page.
Exiting the TUI doesn't stop your OpenRAG services. Your OpenRAG services continue to run until they are stopped from within the TUI or by another process that inadvertently stops them.
To restart the TUI, see Access the TUI.