Usage Guide: The TUI

The macmon Terminal User Interface (TUI) provides a detailed, real-time view of your Apple Silicon chip's performance. This guide explains how to interpret the data and use the interactive features.

Layout Overview

The screen is organized into logical blocks of information.

  • Header: Displays your Mac's SoC (System on a Chip) model, core counts, and memory.
  • CPU & Memory Blocks: The top half of the screen shows usage for E-CPU (Efficiency Cores), P-CPU (Performance Cores), GPU, and Memory.
  • Power Blocks: The bottom half shows power consumption in Watts for the CPU, GPU, and ANE (Apple Neural Engine), along with CPU/GPU temperature.
  • Footer: Summarizes total power draw and lists the keyboard controls.

Interpreting the Metrics

  • E-CPU / P-CPU / GPU Usage:
  • The label shows the usage percentage and current average frequency in MHz. Example: E-CPU 25% @ 1500 MHz.

  • The visualization below (either a sparkline or gauge) represents the current utilization percentage.

  • Memory (RAM/Swap):

  • The label shows used vs. total for both physical RAM and virtual memory (swap).

  • Example: RAM 12.50 / 16.0 GB | SWAP 1.20 / 4.0 GB.

  • Power (CPU/GPU/ANE):

  • The label shows the current power draw in Watts, along with the running average and peak values for the session.
  • Example: CPU 5.40W (3.10, 8.90) means 5.40W current, 3.10W average, 8.90W max.

  • The CPU and GPU blocks also show the average temperature in Celsius on the right side.

  • Total Power:

  • The footer shows two key power metrics:
    • Power: The combined power draw of the CPU, GPU, and ANE.
    • Total: The total system power draw, if available from the hardware sensors. This value is often higher as it includes other components like the display, SSD, etc.

Keyboard Controls

You can control the TUI with the following keys:

Key Action Description
q Quit Exits the macmon application.
c Change Color Cycles through the 6 available color themes (Green, Yellow, Red, Blue, Magenta, Cyan).
v Switch View Toggles the top-level blocks between two modes: Sparkline (shows a historical graph) and Gauge (shows a compact percentage bar).
+ / = Increase Interval Increases the metric refresh interval by 250ms.
- Decrease Interval Decreases the metric refresh interval by 250ms.

Your selected color, view type, and interval are automatically saved to the configuration file and will be remembered for your next session.