Go Module Review: charmbracelet/huh

[github-actions[bot]]

🐹 Go Fan Report: charmbracelet/huh

Module Overview

Charmbracelet's Huh is a powerful library for building interactive terminal forms and prompts in Go. It provides a simple, elegant API for creating complex multi-step forms with built-in validation, accessibility support, and beautiful TUI rendering.

Repository: https://github.com/charmbracelet/huh
Version in use: v0.8.0 (latest stable)
Stars: 6,346 ⭐
Last Updated: 2025-12-21 (YESTERDAY! 🔥)

Current Usage in gh-aw

gh-aw uses huh for its interactive workflow creation wizard - an excellent use case!

Usage Statistics

• Files: 1 file (pkg/cli/interactive.go)
• Lines of Code: 540 lines
• Import Count: Single focused import

Key APIs Used

✅ Form Management: huh.NewForm() with sequential groups
✅ Input Fields: NewInput() with validation and autocomplete
✅ Text Fields: NewText() for multi-line workflow descriptions
✅ Select Lists: NewSelect() for single-choice options (trigger, engine, network)
✅ Multi-Select: NewMultiSelect() for tools and safe outputs selection
✅ Accessibility: WithAccessible() with environment detection

Implementation Quality

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)

What's Great:

• ✅ Proper accessibility mode detection (TERM=dumb, NO_COLOR)
• ✅ Custom validation with clear error messages
• ✅ Autocomplete suggestions for workflow names
• ✅ Height configuration for long lists
• ✅ Clean, well-organized code structure
• ✅ Prevention of usage in CI/test environments

Missing Opportunities:

• ⚠️ Not using v0.7.0+ dynamic forms features
• ⚠️ Not leveraging v0.7.0+ Spinner integration
• ⚠️ No group titles/descriptions (v0.7.0 feature)
• ⚠️ No file overwrite confirmation (could use Confirm field)

Research Findings

Repository Activity

🔥 EXTREMELY ACTIVE: Pushed yesterday (2025-12-21) with a minor wording fix in multiselect match
🎯 Maintained by: Charmbracelet (creators of Bubble Tea, Lipgloss, Gum, VHS, and more)
🏆 Quality: Production-ready, used by major CLI tools

Recent Updates

v0.8.0 (2025-10-14) - CURRENT VERSION ✅

Major Feature: Field.RunAccessible is now public

• Enables creating custom field types
• Deprecates Field.WithAccessible

Bug Fixes:

• ✅ Fixed missing id initialization in field_select constructor
• ✅ Fixed select title display when filter is active
• ✅ Fixed selected item visibility on viewport update
• ✅ Fixed Terminal.app rendering issues
• ✅ Minimized scrolling issues in some terminals

v0.7.0 (2025-04-16) - MAJOR QUALITY RELEASE

Game Changers for Bubble Tea Integration:

• 🆕 GetFocusedField() - Get currently focused field
• 🆕 Hovered() - Get which option cursor is pointing at
• 🆕 GetFiltering() - Check if user is filtering
• 🆕 Dynamic Forms: TitleFunc/OptionsFunc for reactive UIs
• 🆕 Group titles and descriptions
• 🆕 FilePicker cursor configuration
• 🆕 Button alignment control

Spinner Improvements:

• 🆕 ActionWithError for actions that might error
• ✅ Improved context cancellation and interrupt handling

Multi-line Support:

• ✅ Multi-line items in Select/MultiSelect with automatic wrapping

Accessibility Enhancements:

• ✅ Now respects WithInput/WithOutput
• ✅ Better prompt improvements

v0.6.0 (2024-09-06)

• 🆕 Automatic window focus/blur events for Input and Text

Best Practices from Maintainers

According to the README and issues:

1. Use ACCESSIBLE environment variable for accessibility detection
2. Leverage dynamic forms for context-dependent options
3. Use Key() on fields for easier value retrieval in Bubble Tea apps
4. Integrate huh/spinner for background operations
5. Use GetFocusedField() for contextual help in complex apps

Improvement Opportunities

🏃 Quick Wins (High Impact, Low Effort)

1. Add Confirm Field for File Overwrite

Current: Returns error if file exists without --force flag
Better: Interactive confirmation with Confirm field

if _, err := os.Stat(destFile); err == nil && !force {
    var overwrite bool
    huh.NewConfirm().
        Title(fmt.Sprintf("Workflow file '%s' already exists. Overwrite?", filepath.Base(destFile))).
        Affirmative("Yes, overwrite").
        Negative("No, cancel").
        Value(&overwrite).
        WithAccessible(isAccessibleMode()).
        Run()
    if !overwrite {
        return fmt.Errorf("workflow creation cancelled")
    }
}

Benefit: Better UX, eliminates need for --force flag

2. Extract Validation Functions

Current: Inline validation makes testing difficult
Better: Separate testable validation functions

// Create pkg/cli/validators.go
func ValidateWorkflowName(s string) error {
    if s == "" {
        return errors.New("workflow name cannot be empty")
    }
    if !workflowNameRegex.MatchString(s) {
        return errors.New("workflow name must contain only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and underscores")
    }
    return nil
}

// Then use in form:
huh.NewInput().
    Title("Workflow Name").
    Value(&name).
    Validate(ValidateWorkflowName)

Benefit: Testable, reusable, maintainable

3. Add Group Titles and Descriptions

Current: No visual separation between form sections
Better: Use v0.7.0 group titles/descriptions

huh.NewGroup(
    huh.NewInput().Title("Workflow Name"),
    huh.NewSelect[string]().Title("Trigger"),
).
Title("Basic Configuration").
Description("Let's start with the fundamentals of your workflow")

Benefit: Improved navigation and user understanding

✨ Feature Opportunities (High Impact, Medium Effort)

1. Implement Dynamic Forms

Use OptionsFunc to show relevant options based on previous selections:

huh.NewMultiSelect[string]().
    Title("Safe Outputs").
    OptionsFunc(func() []huh.Option[string] {
        // Customize based on trigger type
        if b.Trigger == "issues" || b.Trigger == "pull_request" {
            // Show comment/label options
            return issueOptions
        } else if strings.HasPrefix(b.Trigger, "schedule_") {
            // Show create-issue/discussion options
            return scheduleOptions
        }
        return allOptions
    }, &b.Trigger).
    Value(&selected)

Benefit: Contextual options reduce confusion, improve UX

2. Add huh/spinner Integration

Show compilation progress with the built-in spinner:

func (b *InteractiveWorkflowBuilder) compileWorkflow(verbose bool) error {
    err := spinner.New().
        Title("Compiling the generated workflow...").
        Action(func() {
            config := CompileConfig{...}
            _, err = CompileWorkflows(config)
        }).
        Run()
    return err
}

Benefit: Better feedback during long operations

3. Add FilePicker for Template Selection

Allow users to base workflows on existing templates:

huh.NewGroup(
    huh.NewNote().
        Title("Start from template or create from scratch?"),
    huh.NewFilePicker().
        Title("Select a template (optional)").
        DirAllowed(false).
        FileAllowed(true).
        CurrentDirectory("./templates/workflows").
        Value(&templatePath),
)

Benefit: Faster workflow creation, consistency

4. Split Form into Multiple Pages

Current: Single long form
Better: Multiple pages for better UX

// Page 1: Basic Info (name, trigger, engine)
huh.NewGroup(...),

// Page 2: Capabilities (tools, safe outputs)
huh.NewGroup(...),

// Page 3: Advanced (network, custom domains)
huh.NewGroup(...),

// Page 4: Intent (description/prompt)
huh.NewGroup(...),

Benefit: Less overwhelming, clear progress indication

📐 Best Practice Alignment

1. Enhance Accessibility Detection

Add ACCESSIBLE env var (per huh best practices):

func isAccessibleMode() bool {
    return os.Getenv("ACCESSIBLE") != "" ||
           os.Getenv("TERM") == "dumb" ||
           os.Getenv("NO_COLOR") != ""
}

2. Add Custom GitHub Theme

Create GitHub-branded theme:

ghTheme := huh.ThemeCharm()
ghTheme.Focused.Base = ghTheme.Focused.Base.BorderForeground(lipgloss.Color("39")) // GitHub blue
ghTheme.Focused.Title = ghTheme.Focused.Title.Foreground(lipgloss.Color("39"))
form.WithTheme(ghTheme)

3. Add Field IDs

Use Key() for easier value retrieval:

huh.NewInput().
    Key("workflow-name").
    Title("Workflow Name").
    Value(&name)

// Later retrieve with:
workflowName := form.GetString("workflow-name")

🔧 General Improvements

1. Enhanced Autocomplete: Provide trigger-specific workflow name suggestions
2. Progress Indication: Show "Step X of Y" in form titles
3. Test Coverage: Add integration tests using accessible mode
4. Form Validation Summary: Show all errors at once (Bubble Tea integration)

Recommendations

Priority 1: Implement Immediately ⚡

1. ✅ Add Confirm field for overwrite protection (5 minutes)
2. ✅ Extract validation functions (15 minutes)
3. ✅ Add group titles and descriptions (10 minutes)
4. ✅ Enhance accessibility detection with ACCESSIBLE env var (2 minutes)

Total Effort: ~30 minutes
Impact: Significantly improved UX and code quality

Priority 2: Next Iteration 🚀

1. Implement dynamic forms with OptionsFunc (1-2 hours)
2. Add huh/spinner for compilation progress (30 minutes)
3. Split form into multiple pages (1 hour)
4. Enhanced autocomplete with trigger-specific suggestions (30 minutes)

Total Effort: ~3-4 hours
Impact: Professional-grade interactive experience

Priority 3: Future Enhancements 💎

1. Add FilePicker for template selection (requires template infrastructure)
2. Create custom GitHub theme (30 minutes)
3. Bubble Tea integration with contextual help (GetFocusedField, Hovered)
4. Comprehensive test coverage for interactive flows

Next Steps

1. ✅ No Upgrade Needed: Already on latest v0.8.0
2. 🎯 Start with Quick Wins: Implement Priority 1 items in next PR
3. 📊 Gather Feedback: Monitor user feedback on interactive workflow creation
4. 🔮 Monitor v0.9.0: Watch for new features in upcoming releases
5. 📝 Add Tests: Create integration tests for interactive prompts

Conclusion

Current Status: ✅ Excellent implementation following core best practices
Upgrade Status: ✅ Already on latest version (v0.8.0)
Security: ✅ No known vulnerabilities
Maintenance: ✅ Extremely active (updated yesterday!)
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)

gh-aw's usage of huh is solid and production-ready. The interactive workflow builder is well-implemented with proper accessibility support and validation. However, there's significant untapped potential in v0.7.0+ features like dynamic forms, spinner integration, and group organization.

The recommended Priority 1 improvements are quick wins that will elevate the UX from good to great with minimal effort. Priority 2 features would make gh-aw's interactive experience best-in-class among CLI tools.

No urgent action required, but implementing the quick wins would be highly beneficial! 🚀

---

Module Summary: specs/mods/huh.md
Last Reviewed: 2025-12-22
Next Review: 2026-03-22 (or when v0.9.0 releases)

AI generated by Go Fan

[pelikhan]

/plan

[github-actions[bot]]

🎉 Yo ho ho! Plan Command found the treasure and completed successfully! ⚓💰

[github-actions[bot]]

Plan Complete ✅

Thank you for the comprehensive Go module review! I've created a tracking issue and 5 focused sub-issues to implement the Priority 1 "quick wins" from the analysis.

Created Issues

Parent Tracking Issue: Enhance interactive workflow builder with huh v0.7.0+ features

• Links back to this discussion
• Summarizes the overall improvement plan

Sub-Issues (all quick wins, ~1 hour total effort):

1. Add Confirm field for file overwrite (~5 min)
2. Extract validation functions for testability (~15 min)
3. Add group titles and descriptions for better UX (~10 min)
4. Enhance accessibility detection with ACCESSIBLE env var (~2 min)
5. Add spinner integration for compilation progress (~30 min)

Next Steps

Each sub-issue is actionable and can be assigned to GitHub Copilot agents. They're designed to be:

• Independent: Can be worked on in parallel
• Focused: Single responsibility per issue
• Clear: Specific files and approaches outlined
• Testable: Clear acceptance criteria

The improvements will elevate the interactive workflow builder from good to great with minimal effort! 🚀

AI generated by Plan Command for discussion #7214