textual-image
Render images via Kitty's Terminal Graphics Protocol with Rich and Textual
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if your target terminal supports Sixel or Kitty graphics protocols. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, terminal compatibility is critical—check the support matrix first, as many common terminals (GNOME Terminal, Windows Console, Warp) are not supported. For terminals that do support the required protocols, this is a solid choice for image rendering in TUIs.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a terminal emulator that supports either Kitty's Terminal Graphics Protocol or Sixel graphics; fallback to Unicode rendering works in any terminal but with reduced quality.
- Low friction install with just two runtime dependencies (pillow and rich).
- Active maintenance with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
License · maintenance · safety
copyleft license (copyleft) — Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license. You may use and modify the package freely, but any derivative works must also be distributed under compatible terms.
last release 2026-05-30 (76 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 182 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 174,502 downloads/mo, #10,281 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install textual-image
from textual_image.rich import Image
from rich.console import Console
console = Console()
image = Image('path/to/image.png')
console.print(image)- Whether the package works reliably across all listed terminal emulators or if some have known rendering issues beyond the support matrix
- Performance characteristics when rendering large or high-resolution images in different terminals
- Whether optional Textual widget dependencies are required for core functionality or truly optional
What it is and what it does
textual-image bridges terminal graphics capabilities and Python TUI frameworks by providing both Rich renderables and Textual widgets that display images in modern terminal emulators. It leverages Kitty's Terminal Graphics Protocol and Sixel graphics standards to render images natively, with automatic fallback to Unicode character-based rendering for terminals that lack graphics support.
The package targets developers building terminal user interfaces who need to embed images—charts, diagrams, photographs—directly in their applications. It depends on pillow for image processing and rich for terminal rendering integration, and requires Python 3.12 or later. Terminal support varies significantly: Kitty, WezTerm, iTerm2, and several others work out of the box, while some popular terminals like GNOME Terminal and Windows Console lack the necessary graphics protocols entirely.
Use it for
- Display charts or plots in terminal dashboards built with Textual
- Render image previews in terminal file managers or CLI tools
- Show screenshots or diagrams in terminal-based documentation viewers
- Embed logos or icons in terminal application UIs
- Display scientific or data visualization output directly in terminal workflows
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if your target terminal supports Sixel or Kitty graphics protocols.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, terminal compatibility is critical—check the support matrix first, as many common terminals (GNOME Terminal, Windows Console, Warp) are not supported. For terminals that do support the required protocols, this is a solid choice for image rendering in TUIs.
Install
textual-image on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with just two runtime dependencies (pillow and rich). Active maintenance with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
Requires a terminal emulator that supports either Kitty's Terminal Graphics Protocol or Sixel graphics; fallback to Unicode rendering works in any terminal but with reduced quality.
License in practice
Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license. You may use and modify the package freely, but any derivative works must also be distributed under compatible terms.
Quickstart
pip install textual-image
from textual_image.rich import Image
from rich.console import Console
console = Console()
image = Image('path/to/image.png')
console.print(image)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably across all listed terminal emulators or if some have known rendering issues beyond the support matrix
- Performance characteristics when rendering large or high-resolution images in different terminals
- Whether optional Textual widget dependencies are required for core functionality or truly optional
Package facts
| License | copyleft license copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.12 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagespillowrich |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 76 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 174,502 / month, #10,281 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 or later (LGPLv3+)License :: OSI Approved :: GNU Library or Lesser General Public License (LGPL)Operating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Software Development :: User InterfacesTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: textual_image-0.13.2-py3-none-any.whl
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See also imgcat · rich-pixels · tuipet · textual-serve · textual · textual-autocomplete · rich · textual-dev · tmuxp · omnigent-ui-sdk