Modernizes the CRE CLI's user interface by integrating the Charm ecosystem

[ejacquier]

Summary

This PR modernizes the CRE CLI's user interface by integrating the Charm ecosystem (Lipgloss, Huh, Bubble Tea). This is a view-layer only refactoring - no business logic or Cobra command structure was modified.

Why This Refactoring?

To build a world-class developer experience, we needed a better foundation. Our previous approach had limitations:

• No terminal ownership: Simple fmt.Print calls can't handle async operations gracefully
• Basic prompts: The old promptui library offered limited customization and no modern UX patterns
• Inconsistent styling: Colors and formatting were applied ad-hoc across commands
• No async feedback: Long-running operations (API calls, deployments) had no visual feedback

The Charm ecosystem solves these by owning the terminal - it manages the view layer as a proper UI framework, enabling:

• Spinners for async operations: Visual feedback during network calls, file operations, etc.
• Rich form inputs: Tab-completion, suggestions, themed styling
• Consistent branding: Chainlink color palette applied uniformly
• Graceful interruption: Users can cancel long operations with Escape/Ctrl+C

Key Changes

1. New UI Package (internal/ui/)

Centralized styling and output functions:

// Before (scattered across codebase)
fmt.Println("Operation successful")
fmt.Printf("\033[32m✓\033[0m Done\n")

// After (consistent, branded)
ui.Success("Operation successful")
ui.Error("Something went wrong")
ui.Warning("Deprecated feature")
ui.Dim("Secondary information")

2. Chainlink-Branded Theme

All interactive elements use the Chainlink color palette:

• Blue 500 (#375BD2): Primary actions, spinners, focused elements
• Green: Success states
• Orange: Errors (high contrast)
• Gray scale: Secondary text, disabled states

3. Spinner for Async Operations

Reference-counted spinner that handles concurrent operations:

spinner := ui.GlobalSpinner()
spinner.Start("Connecting to API...")
// ... async work ...
spinner.Update("Processing response...")
// ... more work ...
spinner.Stop()

4. Modern Form Inputs with Huh

Replaced promptui with huh forms featuring:

• Tab-completion for default values
• Chainlink-themed styling
• Keyboard navigation (Enter to submit, Escape to cancel)

huh.NewInput().
    Title("Project name").
    Placeholder(defaultName).
    Suggestions([]string{defaultName}).
    Value(&projName)

5. Enhanced Error Handling

New helpers for actionable error messages:

ui.ErrorWithHelp("Connection failed", "Check your network connection")

ui.ErrorWithSuggestions("Invalid config", []string{
    "Run 'cre init' to create a new project",
    "Check the config file syntax",
})

6. Graceful Cancellation

Long-running operations (like cre login) now support Escape/Ctrl+C with proper cleanup and user feedback.

What's NOT Changed

• Cobra command structure: All commands, flags, and arguments unchanged
• Business logic: API calls, file processing, validation logic untouched
• Command behavior: Same inputs produce same outputs
• Configuration: Settings files and environment variables unchanged

Libraries

Library	Purpose
Lipgloss	Terminal styling (colors, borders, layout)
Huh	Interactive forms and prompts
Bubble Tea	Terminal UI framework
Bubbles	Pre-built components (spinner)

Removed Dependencies

• promptui - Replaced entirely by huh

Testing

• All existing tests pass
• Manual testing of all commands

[github-actions]

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