---
id: jinxed
version: "2.1.0"
license: MPLv2.0
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: active
---

# jinxed — Jinxed Terminal Library

License: copyleft · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 7.2M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Jinxed is a pure-Python implementation of a subset of the Python curses library, designed to provide terminal capability functions on all platforms with a virtual terminfo database. It implements setupterm(), tigetflag(), tigetnum(), tigetstr(), and tparm() — functions normally available only through system curses on Unix-like systems — and makes them work on Windows and other platforms that lack native curses support.

Originally created to supply Windows support for the blessed terminal library, Jinxed has evolved to include a subset of the ncurses 6.6 terminfo database and support for dynamic injection capabilities like XTGETTCAP. It depends on ansicon for runtime functionality and is actively maintained across Python 2.7 and Python 3.5 through 3.15, supporting both CPython and PyPy.

Use it for:

- Building cross-platform terminal UI libraries that need terminfo capabilities on Windows without system dependencies
- Extending blessed or other terminal libraries to work reliably on Windows with proper terminal sequences
- Querying terminal capabilities programmatically in pure Python without relying on system curses
- Implementing terminal control sequences that adapt to different terminal types across operating systems

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Jinxed provides pure-Python implementations of curses terminfo functions (setupterm, tigetstr, tparm, and related) that work cross-platform, including Windows, without requiring system curses libraries.

Yes. Jinxed is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and solves a real problem: providing curses terminfo functions on Windows and other platforms where system curses is unavailable or difficult to install. The low install friction and single dependency make it a practical choice for projects that need cross-platform terminal capability queries. Install it if you're building terminal UIs that must work reliably on Windows.

## Install

pip install jinxed
uv add jinxed
poetry add jinxed

## Installing jinxed

Before you install: Low install friction; distributed as a wheel. Actively maintained with a recent release (42 days ago) and no known vulnerabilities. Single runtime dependency (ansicon) keeps the dependency tree minimal.

License in practice: Licensed under Mozilla Public License 2.0 (copyleft). You must disclose source code modifications and include the license with distributions, but can use it in proprietary projects if you comply with MPL terms.

Quickstart:

pip install jinxed

import jinxed
jinxed.setupterm()
seq = jinxed.tigetstr('bold')
print(seq)

Verify before relying:

- Whether ansicon is automatically installed on Windows or requires separate setup
- Completeness of the ncurses 6.6 terminfo subset relative to common terminal types
- Performance characteristics when used as a dependency in high-throughput applications

## Package facts

- License: MPLv2.0 (copyleft)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 7.2M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

curses terminfo python, cross-platform terminal control, windows curses alternative, terminal capability database, blessed terminal support, pure python curses, terminal sequences, cross-platform, terminal-control, windows-support

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