Using the TUI

The TUI is the recommended way to use Octez Manager. It provides an intuitive interface for installing services, monitoring their status, and managing your infrastructure — no memorizing commands required.

This guide walks through common workflows using Shadownet as an example.

Tip: Press ? at any time to see available actions for the current screen.

Remote access: For browser-based access, see Web Interface.

Getting Started

Launch the TUI:

# User mode (services run as your user)
octez-manager

# System mode (dedicated service users, production)
sudo octez-manager

Note: User mode and system mode are independent. Instances created in one mode are not visible in the other.

What You Can Do

The TUI provides access to all Octez Manager features:

Feature	Description	Key
Install services	Deploy nodes, bakers, accusers, DAL nodes, Signatory, octez-index	Enter on “Add new”
Monitor status	Real-time service status, sync progress, delegate activity	-
View logs	Live log streaming with search and filtering	Enter on instance then select logs
Control services	Start, stop, restart, and remove instances	Enter
Wallets	View balances, transfer, stake, delegate, manage keys	Tab 2
Manage binaries	Download and manage Octez versions	Tab 3
Diagnostics	System metrics, service states, background queue	Tab 4
Topology	Visual map of service dependencies	Tab 5
Experimental	Sandbox environments, Rewards engine	Tab 7
Themes	Switch between 13 built-in color themes	Ctrl+T
Import services	Bring external services under management	Enter on unmanaged

Installing Your First Node

From the main screen, select [ Install new instance ] and choose Node.

The installation wizard guides you through:

1. Instance name — A unique identifier (e.g., shadownet)
2. Network — Select shadownet for testing
3. History mode — rolling is recommended for most users
4. Binary selection — Choose from managed versions, registered directories, or custom path
5. RPC/Net addresses — Keep defaults unless you need specific ports
6. Bootstrap method — Snapshot downloads pre-built state (faster)

Once installed, the node appears on your dashboard and begins syncing.

The Main Dashboard

The dashboard shows all your instances organized by type:

• Nodes — L1 blockchain nodes
• Bakers — Block producers and attesters
• Accusers — Double-baking detectors
• DAL Nodes — Data Availability Layer nodes
• Signatory — Remote signer service
• octez-index — TzKT-compatible indexer
• Unmanaged Instances — External services detected on your system

Each instance displays:

• Status indicator
• Instance name and network
• Real-time metrics

Select any instance with arrow keys and press Enter to see details, or use the action keys shown at the bottom of the screen. Press g to toggle grouping mode.

Upgrade Notification

When a new version of octez-manager is available, an [ Upgrade octez-manager → vX.X ] button appears at the top of the dashboard. Select it and press Enter to upgrade.

Adding a Baker

After your node is synced, you can add a baker. Select [ Install new instance ] → Baker.

The wizard will:

1. Ask which node to connect to (select your Shadownet node)
2. Auto-suggest a name like baker-shadownet
3. Prompt for delegate addresses (your baker keys)
4. Configure liquidity baking vote and DAL settings

Updating Service Versions

To change the Octez version used by a service:

1. Select the instance and press Enter
2. Choose Update Version from the menu
3. Select a new version from the list (managed versions, registered directories, or custom path)

Managing Binaries

Press 3 from the main dashboard to open the Binaries page.

From here you can:

• Download official Octez releases from GitLab
• Register custom build directories (e.g., dev builds)
• Remove specific versions
• Prune all unused versions (shows disk space to be freed)

Downloaded binaries are stored in:

• User mode: ~/.local/share/octez-manager/binaries/
• System mode: /var/lib/octez-manager/binaries/

When installing or editing services, you can select from your managed versions in the binary selection step.

Viewing Logs

Select an instance and press Enter, then choose the logs option:

• Logs stream in real-time (follow mode)
• Press / to search for specific text
• Press t to switch between journald and daily log files
• Press w to toggle line wrapping

Service Control

From the dashboard, you can control any service:

• Start/Stop — Toggle the service state
• Restart — Stop and start the service
• Remove — Uninstall the service (keeps data by default)

The TUI shows dependent services and handles them automatically. For example, stopping a node will prompt about dependent bakers.

Unmanaged Instances

Octez Manager automatically detects Octez services running on your system that weren’t installed by octez-manager:

• Systemd services (e.g., manually configured octez-node units)
• Standalone processes (Docker containers, tmux sessions, manual launches)

These appear in the Unmanaged Instances section at the bottom of the dashboard with real-time metrics.

For systemd services, you can:

• View status and metrics
• Start, Stop, Restart
• View logs
• Import to Managed — Convert to a managed instance

For standalone processes, you can:

• View status and metrics (read-only)

Importing External Services

To bring an unmanaged systemd service under octez-manager’s control:

1. Select the unmanaged instance
2. Press Enter to open the action menu
3. Choose Import to Managed
4. Follow the import wizard

The wizard will:

• Detect the service configuration automatically
• Let you choose an instance name
• Offer Takeover (disable original) or Clone (keep original running)
• Preview changes before applying

After import, the service appears in your managed instances with full control.

Installing a Complete Shadownet Setup

Here’s a typical workflow for a complete Shadownet baking setup:

1. Download Octez binaries (optional but recommended)

   • Press 3 to open Binaries page
   • Download the version you want to use

2. Install a node

   • Network: shadownet
   • History mode: rolling
   • Binary: Select your downloaded version
   • Bootstrap: Snapshot

3. Wait for sync — The dashboard shows sync progress

4. Install a DAL node (optional, for DAL attestations)

   • Connect to your Shadownet node

5. Install a baker

   • Connect to your Shadownet node
   • Add your delegate address(es)
   • Optionally connect to your DAL node

6. Install an accuser (recommended)

   • Monitors for double-baking

Diagnostics

Press 4 from the main dashboard to open the Diagnostics page.

This page shows system-level information useful for troubleshooting:

• Service states — Overview of all managed services and their current status
• Background queue — Sparkline showing background task queue depth over time
• System metrics — CPU and memory usage trends
• Metrics server — Address of the Prometheus metrics endpoint (if enabled)

The diagnostics page is read-only and refreshes automatically.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ? on any page to see the available keyboard shortcuts for the current context.

Wallets

Press 2 to open the Wallets page.

The split-panel layout shows wallet directories on the left and key details on the right:

• View balances — Background refresh every 30 seconds
• Transfer tez — Send to any address via a local or public node
• Stake/Unstake — Manage staking directly from the wallet
• Delegate — Set or change delegation
• Import keys — Create new keys or import watch-only addresses
• Search and sort — Press / to search, s to cycle sort modes

Wallet directories from all installed services (nodes, bakers, accusers) are discovered automatically.

Topology

Press 5 to open the Topology page.

A visual map of service dependency relationships rendered on a canvas. Nodes appear as bordered boxes with status indicators, connected by dependency lines. The layout adapts for narrow terminals (vertical stack) and wide terminals (side-by-side).

Themes

Press Ctrl+T to open the theme picker. Themes apply instantly as you navigate — press Enter to confirm or Esc to restore the original. 13 built-in themes are available including dark, light, catppuccin, dracula, nord, gruvbox, tokyonight, and oled. Your preference persists across sessions.

RPC Browser

Press r from the Instances page to open the RPC Browser — an interactive explorer for Tezos node RPC endpoints.

Features:

• Navigate the RPC endpoint tree with arrow keys
• Quick access shortcuts (1-5) for common endpoints like /version and /chains/main/blocks/head
• JSON syntax highlighting for responses
• Response time and size metrics
• Switch between node instances with Tab
• Stream live data from monitor endpoints

See RPC Browser Guide for details.