Wifite2 Interactive TUI

October 25, 2025 · View on GitHub

Wifite2 now includes an optional Interactive Text User Interface (TUI) that provides real-time updates and a modern terminal experience.

Features

Scanner View

  • Live target updates - See networks appear in real-time as they're discovered
  • Color-coded information - Signal strength (green/yellow/red) and encryption types
  • Scan statistics - Track targets by encryption type, client count, and elapsed time
  • No scrolling - All information updates in place

Selector View

  • Interactive selection - Navigate and select targets with keyboard
  • Visual feedback - See your selections highlighted
  • Keyboard shortcuts - Quick selection with single keys
  • Scrolling support - Handle large target lists efficiently

Attack View

  • Real-time progress - Watch attack progress with live updates
  • Attack-specific metrics - See relevant stats for each attack type
    • WEP: IVs collected, crack attempts, replay status
    • WPA: Handshake status, clients, deauth packets
    • WPS: PIN attempts, pixie dust status, lockout detection
    • PMKID: Capture attempts and status
  • Scrollable logs - Review detailed attack logs
  • Progress bars - Visual progress indicators

Usage

Enable TUI Mode

# Auto-detect (uses TUI if terminal supports it)
sudo wifite

# Force TUI mode
sudo wifite --tui

# Force classic text mode
sudo wifite --no-tui

Keyboard Shortcuts

Scanner View

  • Ctrl+C - Stop scanning and select targets
  • ? - Show help

Selector View

  • ↑/↓ - Navigate up/down (Note: May be unreliable, use alternatives)
  • Space - Toggle target selection
  • Enter - Confirm selection and start attack
  • a - Select all targets
  • n - Deselect all targets
  • q - Quit
  • ? - Show help

Attack View

  • Ctrl+C - Skip current target
  • ? - Show help

Requirements

  • Python 3.6+
  • rich library (automatically installed with wifite2)
  • Terminal with minimum size: 80x24
  • Color support (optional but recommended)

Configuration

TUI settings can be configured in wifite/config.py:

use_tui = None  # None=auto, True=force TUI, False=force classic
tui_refresh_rate = 0.5  # Seconds between updates
tui_log_buffer_size = 1000  # Max log entries
tui_debug = False  # Enable debug logging

Troubleshooting

TUI Won't Start

Problem: TUI mode requested but falls back to classic mode

Solutions:

  • Check terminal size: echo $COLUMNS x $LINES (minimum 80x24)
  • Verify rich library: python3 -c "import rich; print(rich.__version__)"
  • Check TERM variable: echo $TERM (should not be 'dumb')
  • Try forcing TUI: sudo wifite --tui

Terminal Too Small

Problem: Error about terminal size

Solution: Resize your terminal window to at least 80 columns by 24 rows

Arrow Keys Not Working

Known Issue: Arrow key navigation in selector may be unreliable

Workarounds:

  • Use a to select all targets
  • Use n to deselect all
  • Use Space to toggle individual targets
  • Use classic mode: sudo wifite --no-tui

Display Issues

Problem: Garbled or incorrect display

Solutions:

  • Clear terminal: reset
  • Check for conflicting processes
  • Try classic mode: sudo wifite --no-tui
  • Update rich library: pip3 install --upgrade rich

Debug Mode

Enable TUI debug logging to troubleshoot issues:

# Set debug flag in config or via environment
sudo wifite --tui

# Check logs
tail -f /tmp/wifite_tui.log

Debug logs include:

  • TUI initialization events
  • Key press events
  • Rendering performance metrics
  • Error messages and exceptions

Fallback Behavior

The TUI automatically falls back to classic mode if:

  • Terminal doesn't support required features
  • Terminal size is too small
  • Rich library is not available
  • TUI initialization fails
  • User specifies --no-tui

Performance

The TUI is optimized for performance:

  • Update throttling (50ms minimum between updates)
  • Memory cleanup (limits log buffer to 1000 entries)
  • Efficient rendering (only updates changed content)
  • Minimal CPU usage during idle periods

Known Limitations

  1. Arrow key navigation - May require holding keys or multiple presses
  2. SSH sessions - May have reduced functionality over SSH
  3. Screen/tmux - Some features may not work in multiplexers
  4. Minimum terminal size - Requires 80x24 minimum

Classic Mode

Classic mode remains fully supported and is the default for:

  • Terminals that don't support TUI
  • Piped output or non-interactive sessions
  • User preference (--no-tui)

All features work identically in both modes, only the presentation differs.

Contributing

To improve the TUI:

  1. Report issues with terminal type, size, and error messages
  2. Test on different terminal emulators
  3. Suggest UI improvements
  4. Submit pull requests

Credits

  • TUI implementation uses the rich library
  • Original wifite2 by derv82
  • Maintained by kimocoder