Terminal UI

The Zaparoo Core terminal UI, or TUI, is Core's local menu interface. Use it when you are on the device running Core and want to check status, write a token, manage media, or change settings without opening the Zaparoo App, Web UI, or command line.

Windows does not use the TUI. It runs Core from the system tray instead.

Opening the TUI

Start Core from the launcher, script, or executable documented for your platform. For example, MiSTer users open Zaparoo from the Scripts menu, and Batocera users open it from the Ports system in EmulationStation.

Use the relevant platform guide for install paths and startup behavior:

• MiSTer FPGA
• Batocera
• Linux
• RePlayOS

Service or daemon modes skip the TUI. See the command line reference for platform flags.

Main screen

The main screen shows the local Core service status, device IP address, Web UI address, connected reader status, and the most recent scanned token.

If the Core service is not running, most actions are disabled and the TUI tells you to check the logs.

Exiting the TUI may leave the Core service running in the background, depending on how Core was started on that platform.

Main actions

Action	What it does
Search media	Searches indexed media and writes the selected result to a token.
Custom write	Writes custom ZapScript to a token.
Manage media	Updates the media index and runs metadata scraping.
Settings	Opens Core settings, backups, Zaparoo Online, TUI settings, reader settings, audio settings, paired clients, and logs.
Profiles	Creates, switches, and manages device profiles and their switch cards.
Exit	Closes the TUI.

Managing media

Open Manage media to update the media index, scrape metadata, or resume/cancel media jobs.

Managing profiles

Open Profiles to create or switch device profiles, set profile roles and playtime limit overrides, reset lost switch cards, or write a switch card. The first profile is an administrator and requires a PIN.

Use Settings > Profiles to require an active personal profile before launching media. Use Settings > Clients to pair or revoke remote clients, assign member or admin access, and require encrypted remote connections.

Writing tokens

The TUI can write tokens from Search media or Custom write.

Search results use the TUI write_format setting:

• zapscript writes the ZapScript generated by Core. This is the default.
• path writes the media path directly.

Search results load more entries automatically as you approach the end of the list without clearing existing results or moving your selection.

Custom writes parse the ZapScript before writing and show an error for unknown command names.

Backups and Zaparoo Online

Open Settings > Backup to create, inspect, restore, or delete device backups. Supported devices can also link a Zaparoo Online account, upload cloud snapshots, choose an automatic schedule, and restore compatible snapshots from other devices on the account.

Settings > Online shows account-link status and available online services. Linking displays a URL and one-time code to approve from another device. The Play history sync toggle separately controls whether retained and future play sessions are uploaded; account linking alone leaves history local.

Reload Core

After editing settings, mappings, or custom launcher files outside the terminal UI, open Settings > Advanced > Reload Core. Core reloads those files, refreshes supported platform launcher data such as MiSTer RBF files and Batocera's EmulationStation system configuration, then reports whether the reload succeeded.

Some settings still require a full service restart.

TUI settings

TUI-specific settings live in tui.toml next to config.toml. You can change them from Settings > TUI, or edit the file manually. See the TUI config reference for the full list.

The TUI settings menu includes:

• theme
• write_format
• mouse
• crt_mode
• on_screen_keyboard

crt_mode and on_screen_keyboard default to true on MiSTer and MiSTeX, and false elsewhere.

Logs

Open Settings > Logs to view recent Core log output, refresh the view, or upload the log for support.

Some platforms also show a Copy action that copies the log to a platform-specific location.