---
id: terminaltexteffects
version: "0.15.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# terminaltexteffects — TerminalTextEffects (TTE) is a terminal visual effects engine.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 125.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

TerminalTextEffects is a visual effects engine for terminal applications. It provides a library of built-in effects—beams, rain, matrix, waves, and others—that animate text inline within the terminal while preserving terminal state and workflow. The package works both as a standalone CLI tool (via pipx or uv) and as a Python library you can import into scripts.

The engine supports Xterm 256 and RGB hex colors, complex character motion via paths and easing curves, layered animations with symbol and color changes, and event-driven callbacks. Effects are customizable through typed dataclasses automatically exposed as CLI arguments. It requires no external dependencies and uses only standard ANSI terminal sequences, making it portable across modern terminals.

Use it for:

- Add animated text effects to CLI tools and scripts for visual feedback or progress indication
- Create eye-catching terminal UI elements in Python applications without external graphics libraries
- Build interactive terminal demos or presentations with animated text transitions
- Enhance shell scripts with visual effects for status messages or notifications
- Prototype terminal-based games or interactive fiction with character and text animations

## Worth the install?

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

Renders animated visual effects for text displayed in the terminal, supporting character movement, color gradients, and complex animations through an inline effects engine.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has zero known vulnerabilities, installs with no dependencies, and fills a clear niche for terminal visual effects. Install it if you need animated text in CLI tools or want to experiment with terminal graphics; skip it if your application requires cross-platform GUI rendering or does not use the terminal.

## Install

pip install terminaltexteffects
uv add terminaltexteffects
poetry add terminaltexteffects

## Installing terminaltexteffects

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python with no runtime dependencies, distributed as a wheel. Active maintenance with recent releases and a healthy repository.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install terminaltexteffects

from terminaltexteffects.effects.effect import Effect
from terminaltexteffects.effects import beams

effect = beams.Beams("Your text here")
effect.apply()

Requires a terminal that supports ANSI escape sequences; some effects may render differently across terminal emulators.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the library's animation frame rate (default 60 fps) is configurable per-effect or globally only
- Performance characteristics when rendering large text blocks or complex effect combinations
- Compatibility with Windows Terminal, iTerm2, and other non-standard terminal emulators

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 125.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

terminal text animation, CLI visual effects, animated terminal output, terminal character effects, command-line text animation, ANSI terminal effects, terminal graphics library, cli-effects, terminal-graphics, animation

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