pty-wrap

Run interactive programs with simple command-based I/O.

The Problem

Interactive programs require back-and-forth communication that's hard to automate:

• Password prompts
• Interactive installers ("Continue? [y/n]")
• REPLs (Python, Node, etc.)

The Solution

pty-wrap runs programs in a PTY and provides simple subcommands for interaction:

pty-wrap start -- python3 double_number.py   # Start, get session ID
pty-wrap read <session>                      # Read output (auto-cleans if exited)
pty-wrap send <session> "answer"             # Send input (safe, with timeout)
pty-wrap status <session>                    # Check if running/exited
pty-wrap stop <session>                      # Force stop and clean up
pty-wrap list                                # Show all sessions

Just install it and tell your favourite coding agent to use it - it should figure it out fine.

Installation

uv tool install git+https://github.com/ahoydave/pty-wrap

Quick Start

# Start an interactive program like our example
$ pty-wrap start -- python3 double_number.py
session: abc12345

# Read what it printed
$ pty-wrap read abc12345
What is 42 doubled?

# Send your answer
$ pty-wrap send abc12345 "84"
ok

# Read the response (auto-cleans up since process exited)
$ pty-wrap read abc12345
What is 42 doubled?
84
Correct!

[pty-wrap: process exited]

Why PTY Instead of Pipes?

Feature	Pipe	PTY
Input echo	No	Yes
isatty() returns	False	True
Colored output	Usually disabled	Works
Signal chars (Ctrl+C)	No	Yes

Many programs check isatty() and disable interactive features when connected to pipes. With a PTY, they behave exactly as if a human were using a terminal.

Platform Support

• macOS: ✅ Fully supported
• Linux: ✅ Fully supported
• Windows: ❌ Not supported (no PTY)

License

MIT