title: “CLI Symbols Glossary” description: “What every symbol in the Hermes terminal UI means — transcript markers, status-bar badges, overlay glyphs, and approval prompts.”

CLI Symbols Glossary

The Hermes terminal interfaces speak a compact visual language: dots, chevrons, braille spinners, and status glyphs. This page is the decoder ring. It covers the TUI (where most of these render) and notes the pieces shared with the Classic CLI.: ::note Skins can restyle some of these Glyphs marked themeable below are brand defaults — a skin can override them (for example tool_prefix and the prompt symbol). Everything else is fixed in the renderer.; ::

What you see in the conversation flow while the agent works.

Symbol	Meaning
`❯`	Input prompt — where you type. Themeable (skins set their own prompt symbol).
`●`	A tool call. The bullet precedes the tool name and its arguments.
`┊`	Tool-activity rail shown with tool lines. Themeable (`tool_prefix`).
`✓` / `✗`	Tool result: succeeded / failed. Appended to the end of a completed tool line.
`▸` / `▾`	Collapsed / expanded section chevron (thinking, tools, subagents, banner sections). Click to toggle.
`▍`	Streaming cursor — blinks while the model is still emitting text.
`│` `├─` `└─`	Tree rails — connect a parent (a delegation, a journey) to its child entries; `└─` marks the last child.
`◈`	Display-only timeline event (session notices rendered inline, not user messages).
`◇`	An injected reference block, e.g. `◇ Reference 1/2 — <label>`.
`↳`	The sticky prompt — echoes the user message the agent is currently working on.
`☐` / `☑` / `•`	Markdown task-list items (open / done) and plain list bullets.
`▶`	Collapsed `<details>` summary inside rendered markdown.

The single line at the bottom of the TUI. Segments appear only when relevant and drop off first on narrow terminals.

Symbol	Meaning
`⠋⠙⠹…` (braille patterns)	Busy spinner. Thinking and tool phases use different braille animation sets.
`⚕ 🌀 🤔 ✨ 🍵 🔮`	Frames of the `emoji` busy-indicator style (`/indicator emoji`). The default style rotates kaomoji faces instead.
`\| / - \`	Frames of the `ascii` busy-indicator style.
`⏱`	Per-prompt elapsed time while the turn runs, e.g. `⏱ 12s/3m 45s` (turn time / session time).
`⏲`	The same timer, frozen after the turn completes.
`cmp N`	The session has been auto-compressed N times.
`▶ N`	N `/bg` tasks currently running.
`⚠ YOLO`	YOLO mode is on (auto-approval). Also shown in the startup banner.
`⛓ N`	N subagents currently active.
`↩ resumes when subagent finishes`	Reassurance shown while you are idle but delegated work is still in flight — the result returns on its own.
`● REC`	Voice mode is recording.
`◉ STT`	Voice recording stopped; speech-to-text is transcribing.
`◉ focus`	Focus view is on (reduced output). Pinned so it never drops off a narrow terminal.
`♥`	Affection flash — Hermes noticed you being nice to it.
`⚡` / `🔋`	Battery indicator (opt-in): plugged in / on battery, with percentage.
`N bg`	N background terminal processes tracked in this session.
`N live sessions`	Open TUI sessions in this process — click to open the session switcher.

Short-lived status-bar notices carry their own leading glyph, set by severity:

Symbol	Meaning
`✓`	Success notice.
`•`	Informational notice.
`⚠`	Warning (also used for credit warnings).
`✕`	Error notice.

Symbol	Meaning
`⚠ approval required`	A tool wants to run something that needs your explicit yes (bordered panel with the command preview).
`⚠` / `?`	Confirmation dialog title: dangerous action / ordinary question.
`🔐`	Sudo password prompt (input is masked).
`🔑`	Credential/secret input prompt (input is masked).

Symbol	Meaning
`●`	Subagent running.
`○`	Queued.
`✓`	Completed.
`■`	Interrupted.
`✗`	Failed.
`⌛`	Timed out.
`⚠`	Errored.
`⚡N`	N currently-active agents in a rollup row.
`▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█`	Activity sparkline — recent event volume per branch.

Symbol	Meaning
`✓`	Session idle.
`…`	Starting.
`?`	Waiting for input.
`▶`	Working.
`✎ draft`	The composer in that session holds an unsent draft.

Symbol	Meaning
`▸`	Current selection row (model picker and friends).
`*`	The currently-active model / provider.
`●` / `○`	Provider authenticated / not authenticated (model picker); plugin state fallback (plugins hub).
`✓` / `✗`	Plugin enabled / disabled (plugins hub).
`↑ N more` / `↓ N more`	More rows above/below the visible window of a list.
`┃`	Scrollbar thumb on scrollable overlays.

Goal lifecycle notices (from goals) lead with their state:

Symbol	Meaning
`✓`	Goal complete.
`↻`	Goal continuing — another iteration was scheduled.
`⏸`	Goal paused.