{"slug": "expect", "name": "Expect", "category": "terminal", "category_name": "Terminal and shell", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 5, "warners": 0, "score": 2.986, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-11-05", "latest": "2026-06-05", "why": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "tcl-lang.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://core.tcl-lang.org/expect/index", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Expect", "expect"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 761590848, "item_id": 47599428, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47599428", "by": "gglitch", "date": "2026-04-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing.", "excerpt": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expect", "context": "", "use_case": "SSH task automation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Scotty: A beautiful SSH task runner"}, {"id": 733264657, "item_id": 45829041, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45829041", "by": "anthk", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "TCL and Expect would shine there.", "excerpt": "TCL and Expect would shine there. Even JimTCL could do it once built against WIndows XP with Min-C: https://github.com/msteveb/jimtcl https://minc.commandlinerevolution.nl/english/home.html", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: My family business runs on a 1993-era text-based-UI (TUI). Anybody else?"}, {"id": 733246544, "item_id": 45827909, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45827909", "by": "kbr2000", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Seems like a good fit for Expect.", "excerpt": "Seems like a good fit for Expect. https://core.tcl-lang.org/expect/index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expect", "context": "", "use_case": "Automating TUI apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: My family business runs on a 1993-era text-based-UI (TUI). Anybody else?"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "blipvert", "context": "worked on Silicon Graphics kit", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415581", "date": "2026-06-05"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["automating serial console", "ssh task automation", "automating tui apps"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45823234", "title": "Ask HN: My family business runs on a 1993-era text-based-UI (TUI). Anybody else?", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48413072", "title": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47589567", "title": "Scotty: A beautiful SSH task runner", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46309463", "title": "FWS \u2013 pip-installable embedded process supervisor with PTY/pipe/dtach back ends", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 774649296, "item_id": 48415581, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415581", "by": "blipvert", "date": "2026-06-05", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "automatically, using expect(1)", "excerpt": "It\u2019s bizarre that one needs to do all this via a keyboard/monitor interface. Nearly thirty years ago when I used to work on Silicon Graphics kit everything from powering on and off a server to installing the OS from scratch over the network could be done out of band via serial - and automatically, using expect(1) That\u2019s progress, I guess.", "context": "worked on Silicon Graphics kit", "use_case": "automating serial console", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 761590848, "item_id": 47599428, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47599428", "by": "gglitch", "date": "2026-04-01", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing.", "excerpt": "I use Expect for this, and have for a long time. It\u2019s amazing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expect", "context": "", "use_case": "SSH task automation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Scotty: A beautiful SSH task runner"}, {"id": 741601088, "item_id": 46350068, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46350068", "by": "tacostakohashi", "date": "2025-12-21", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Seems a bit like expect", "excerpt": "Seems a bit like expect: https://core.tcl-lang.org/expect/index", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "FWS \u2013 pip-installable embedded process supervisor with PTY/pipe/dtach back ends"}, {"id": 733264657, "item_id": 45829041, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45829041", "by": "anthk", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "TCL and Expect would shine there.", "excerpt": "TCL and Expect would shine there. Even JimTCL could do it once built against WIndows XP with Min-C: https://github.com/msteveb/jimtcl https://minc.commandlinerevolution.nl/english/home.html", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: My family business runs on a 1993-era text-based-UI (TUI). Anybody else?"}, {"id": 733246544, "item_id": 45827909, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45827909", "by": "kbr2000", "date": "2025-11-05", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Seems like a good fit for Expect.", "excerpt": "Seems like a good fit for Expect. https://core.tcl-lang.org/expect/index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expect", "context": "", "use_case": "Automating TUI apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: My family business runs on a 1993-era text-based-UI (TUI). Anybody else?"}]}