Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations by Copilot · Pull Request #14357 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:09:32Z

Huh forms library was underutilized (only confirmation dialogs). Manual bufio.Scanner input left secrets visible on screen, lacked validation, and had inconsistent UX.

Changes

New Console Helpers (`pkg/console/`)

Input functions:

PromptInput() - text input with validation
PromptSecretInput() - password-masked input using EchoMode(huh.EchoModePassword)
PromptInputWithValidation() - custom validation support

Selection functions:

PromptSelect() - single-select menu
PromptMultiSelect() - multi-select with configurable limit

Form builder:

RunForm() - compose multi-field forms (input/password/confirm/select)
Validates configuration before TTY checks for better error messages

Refactored Commands

pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go:

Replaced manual bufio.ReadString() loop with console.PromptSecretInput()
Adds password masking in interactive TTY mode
Falls back to io.ReadAll() for piped/non-TTY input (backward compatible)

Example Usage

// Secret input with masking
secret, err := console.PromptSecretInput(
    "Enter API key",
    "Will be encrypted and stored",
)

// Multi-select menu
workflows, err := console.PromptMultiSelect(
    "Select workflows to compile",
    "Space to select, Enter to confirm",
    options,
    10, // limit visible items
)

// Complex forms
fields := []console.FormField{
    {Type: "input", Title: "Name", Value: &name},
    {Type: "password", Title: "Key", Value: &key},
    {Type: "select", Title: "Engine", Value: &engine, Options: opts},
}
err := console.RunForm(fields)

Technical Details

TTY detection via tty.IsStderrTerminal() + os.Stdin.Stat()
All forms respect IsAccessibleMode() (ACCESSIBLE, NO_COLOR, TERM=dumb)
Modern Huh API: EchoMode(huh.EchoModePassword) not deprecated Password()
Zero breaking changes: piped input, flags, and env vars unchanged

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>[Code Quality] Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations</issue_title>
<issue_description>## Description

The Huh forms library is currently underutilized - only confirmation dialogs are implemented. Expanding Huh usage to other interactive CLI operations (secret input, workflow selection, configuration forms) will improve user experience and reduce input errors.

Current Problem

From the Terminal Stylist Report (Jan 31, 2026):

Current Huh usage: Only pkg/console/confirm.go (confirmation dialogs)
Missing opportunities: Input fields, multi-select menus, form validation
Current approach: Manual fmt.Scanf and text-based prompts
Impact: Less polished UX, prone to input validation errors

Current State

// Only confirmation dialogs use Huh
func ConfirmAction(title, affirmative, negative string) (bool, error) {
    var confirmed bool
    confirmForm := huh.NewForm(
        huh.NewGroup(
            huh.NewConfirm().
                Title(title).
                Affirmative(affirmative).
                Negative(negative).
                Value(&confirmed),
        ),
    ).WithAccessible(IsAccessibleMode())
    // ...
}

Suggested Changes

Priority 1: Secret Input (High Impact)

Replace fmt.Scanf in pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go:

// BEFORE
fmt.Print("Enter secret value: ")
scanner := bufio.NewScanner(os.Stdin)
scanner.Scan()
secretValue := scanner.Text()

// AFTER
var secretValue string
huh.NewForm(
    huh.NewGroup(
        huh.NewInput().
            Title("Enter secret value").
            Password(true).  // Masks input
            Validate(func(s string) error {
                if len(s) == 0 {
                    return fmt.Errorf("secret value required")
                }
                return nil
            }).
            Value(&secretValue),
    ),
).WithAccessible(IsAccessibleMode()).Run()

Benefits:

Password masking (security)
Built-in validation
Better error messages
Accessible mode support

Priority 2: Workflow Multi-Select (Medium Impact)

Add workflow selection for compilation:

var selectedWorkflows []string
options := make([]huh.Option[string], len(workflows))
for i, wf := range workflows {
    options[i] = huh.NewOption(wf.Title, wf.Path)
}

huh.NewForm(
    huh.NewGroup(
        huh.NewMultiSelect[string]().
            Title("Select workflows to compile").
            Description("Use space to select, enter to confirm").
            Options(options...).
            Limit(10).  // Show 10 at a time
            Value(&selectedWorkflows),
    ),
).WithAccessible(IsAccessibleMode()).Run()

Use cases:

gh aw compile --interactive (select multiple workflows)
gh aw validate --interactive (select workflows to validate)
gh aw run --interactive (select workflow to run)

Priority 3: Configuration Forms (Lower Impact)

Interactive workflow scaffolding:

type WorkflowConfig struct {
    Name    string
    Engine  string
    Verbose bool
}

var config WorkflowConfig

huh.NewForm(
    huh.NewGroup(
        huh.NewInput().
            Title("Workflow name").
            Validate(validateWorkflowName).
            Value(&config.Name),
        
        huh.NewSelect[string]().
            Title("Select AI engine").
            Options(
                huh.NewOption("Copilot", "copilot"),
                huh.NewOption("Claude", "claude"),
                huh.NewOption("Codex", "codex"),
            ).
            Value(&config.Engine),
        
        huh.NewConfirm().
            Title("Enable verbose mode?").
            Value(&config.Verbose),
    ),
).WithAccessible(IsAccessibleMode()).Run()

Use cases:

gh aw init (create new workflow interactively)
gh aw config (configure global settings)

Files Affected

New functionality:

pkg/console/input.go (input helpers)
pkg/console/select.go (select/multi-select helpers)
pkg/console/form.go (form composition helpers)

Refactor existing:

pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go (secret input)
pkg/cli/compile_command.go (workflow selection)
pkg/cli/init_command.go (interactive scaffolding)

Success Criteria

Secret input uses Huh with password masking
Workflow multi-select available in compile/validate commands
Interactive forms available for at least 3 CLI commands
All forms respect accessibility mode (ACCESSIBLE, NO_COLOR)
TTY fallback works correctly (text-based prompts)
No regressions in non-interactive usage
User feedback indicates improved UX

Estimated Effort

Medium (1-2 days)

Secret input: 2-3 hours
Multi-select: 3-4 hours
Configuration forms: 4-6 hours
Testing and polish: 2-3 hours

Source

Extracted from Terminal Stylist Report: Console Output Analysis (Discussion #12889)

Priority

Medium - Imp...

Fixes [Code Quality] Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations #14338

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Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR expands the console layer’s interactive capabilities by introducing reusable Huh-based prompt helpers (input/select/form) and refactoring secrets set to use masked secret entry in interactive terminals while preserving non-interactive stdin behavior.

Changes:

Added new console helpers for interactive input, secret input, select, multi-select, and multi-field forms.
Added basic unit tests for the new console helper APIs/validation.
Updated pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go to use masked interactive secret entry with a non-interactive stdin fallback.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
pkg/console/input.go	Adds interactive input and secret input helpers using Huh forms.
pkg/console/input_test.go	Adds basic tests validating API presence and non-TTY behavior.
pkg/console/select.go	Adds interactive single- and multi-select helpers.
pkg/console/select_test.go	Adds basic tests for select helper validation and non-TTY behavior.
pkg/console/form.go	Adds a higher-level form runner to compose multiple field types with pre-validation.
pkg/console/form_test.go	Adds tests for form field validation and non-TTY behavior.
pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go	Refactors secret value input to use masked Huh prompt when interactive, otherwise reads from stdin.

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Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:35:32Z

pkg/console/input.go

+	// Check if stdin is a TTY - if not, we can't show interactive forms
+	if !tty.IsStderrTerminal() {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("interactive input not available (not a TTY)")
+	}


The code comment says this is checking whether stdin is a TTY, but the actual check is tty.IsStderrTerminal() (stderr). This can incorrectly attempt an interactive Huh prompt when stdin is piped but stderr is still a TTY, which can block or fail. Consider adding a stdin TTY check (e.g., term.IsTerminal(int(os.Stdin.Fd())) or os.Stdin.Stat()), and/or updating the tty package with IsStdinTerminal() and using that here (potentially requiring both stdin and stderr to be terminals).

Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:35:32Z

pkg/console/select.go

+	// Check if stdin is a TTY - if not, we can't show interactive forms
+	if !tty.IsStderrTerminal() {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("interactive selection not available (not a TTY)")
+	}


Same issue as input helpers: the code says it checks whether stdin is a TTY, but it only checks tty.IsStderrTerminal(). If stdin is redirected/piped while stderr remains a TTY, this can still attempt to run an interactive selector and block waiting for terminal input. Recommend checking stdin TTY status (and possibly requiring both stdin+stderr to be terminals) before running Huh forms.

Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:35:33Z

pkg/console/form.go

+	// Check if stdin is a TTY - if not, we can't show interactive forms
+	if !tty.IsStderrTerminal() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("interactive forms not available (not a TTY)")
+	}


RunForm gates interactivity on tty.IsStderrTerminal() only, but Huh forms require interactive stdin for key events. If stdin is not a terminal (e.g., piped input) while stderr is a terminal, RunForm can still try to run interactively and block/fail. Consider checking stdin TTY status (and updating the tty package with an IsStdinTerminal() helper) before running the form.

Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:35:33Z

pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go

+	// If we're in an interactive terminal, use Huh for a better UX with password masking
+	if isTerminal && tty.IsStderrTerminal() {
+		secretSetLog.Print("Using interactive password prompt with Huh")
+		value, err := console.PromptSecretInput(
+			"Enter secret value",
+			"The value will be encrypted and stored in the repository",
+		)
 		if err != nil {
-			if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
-				break
-			}
-			return "", err
+			secretSetLog.Printf("Interactive prompt failed: %v", err)
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to read secret value: %w", err)
 		}
+		return value, nil
+	}


Switching interactive input from multi-line stdin read (Ctrl+D) to a single-line Huh password prompt removes the ability to enter multi-line secrets interactively (e.g., PEM keys/certificates). If multi-line secrets are a supported use case, consider preserving the previous Ctrl+D multi-line path (or offering an explicit multiline mode) in interactive terminals, while still supporting masked single-line entry when appropriate.

Copilot · 2026-02-07T14:35:33Z

pkg/cli/secret_set_command.go

+	// Check if stdin is connected to a terminal (interactive mode)
 	info, err := os.Stdin.Stat()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}

-	if info.Mode()&os.ModeCharDevice != 0 {
-		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "Enter secret value, then press Ctrl+D:")
-	}
-
-	reader := bufio.NewReader(os.Stdin)
-	var b strings.Builder
+	isTerminal := (info.Mode() & os.ModeCharDevice) != 0

-	for {
-		line, err := reader.ReadString('\n')
-		b.WriteString(line)
+	// If we're in an interactive terminal, use Huh for a better UX with password masking
+	if isTerminal && tty.IsStderrTerminal() {
+		secretSetLog.Print("Using interactive password prompt with Huh")
+		value, err := console.PromptSecretInput(
+			"Enter secret value",
+			"The value will be encrypted and stored in the repository",
+		)
 		if err != nil {
-			if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
-				break
-			}
-			return "", err
+			secretSetLog.Printf("Interactive prompt failed: %v", err)
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to read secret value: %w", err)
 		}
+		return value, nil
+	}
+
+	// Fallback to non-interactive stdin reading (piped input or non-TTY)
+	secretSetLog.Print("Using non-interactive stdin reading")
+	if isTerminal {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "Enter secret value, then press Ctrl+D:")
+	}
+
+	reader := io.Reader(os.Stdin)
+	data, err := io.ReadAll(reader)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
 	}

-	value := strings.TrimRight(b.String(), "\r\n")
+	value := strings.TrimRight(string(data), "\r\n")


resolveSecretValueForSet now has additional branches for interactive prompting and stdin ReadAll fallback, but the existing tests (in secret_set_command_test.go) only cover the env/flag cases. Adding unit tests for the stdin paths (e.g., temporarily swapping os.Stdin with an os.Pipe/temp file and asserting trimming/empty handling) would help prevent regressions in non-interactive and terminal scenarios.

Initial plan

bc494fa

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Feb 7, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan February 7, 2026 14:09 View session

Add Huh forms helpers and refactor secret input (Priority 1 complete)

417c5f7

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations~~ Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations Feb 7, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan February 7, 2026 14:29

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 7, 2026 14:29

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review February 7, 2026 14:32

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 7, 2026 14:32

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of pelikhan February 7, 2026 14:32 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Feb 7, 2026

View reviewed changes

pelikhan merged commit ab4e0ff into main Feb 7, 2026
131 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/expand-huh-forms-usage branch February 7, 2026 14:37

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Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations#14357

Expand Huh forms usage for interactive CLI operations#14357
pelikhan merged 2 commits intomainfrom
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Copilot AI commented Feb 7, 2026 •

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Changes

New Console Helpers (pkg/console/)

Refactored Commands

Example Usage

Technical Details

Current Problem

Current State

Suggested Changes

Priority 1: Secret Input (High Impact)

Priority 2: Workflow Multi-Select (Medium Impact)

Priority 3: Configuration Forms (Lower Impact)

Files Affected

Success Criteria

Estimated Effort

Source

Priority

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Pull request overview

Reviewed changes

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Copilot AI commented Feb 7, 2026 •

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New Console Helpers (`pkg/console/`)