# Tip: Cylc Tui - external log viewer

**URL:** <https://cylc.discourse.group/t/tip-cylc-tui-external-log-viewer/1236>\
**Category:** Tips\
**Created:** [August 20, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://cylc.discourse.group/t/tip-cylc-tui-external-log-viewer/1236 "2025-08-20T14:14:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oliver.sanders](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/cylc.discourse.group/oliver.sanders/32/110_2.png) [@oliver.sanders](https://cylc.discourse.group/u/oliver.sanders)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://cylc.discourse.group/t/tip-cylc-tui-external-log-viewer/1236/1 "2025-08-20T14:14:39Z")

</div>

`cylc tui` can now open log files in external tools.

[![../_images/tui-external-editor.gif](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/cylc1/original/1X/7ea9d9463951516432b75b265d4b33c63ce3f788.gif) ](https://cylc.github.io/cylc-doc/stable/html/_images/tui-external-editor.gif)

Configure your `$EDITOR`, `$GEDITOR` and `$PAGER` environment variables to change which tool is used.

> **Note:**
> 
> Make sure your configured command waits for the tool to be closed before exiting, e.g. use `GEDITOR=gvim -f` rather than `EDITOR=gvim`.

Additionally, Tui now displays task states and [flow](https://cylc.github.io/cylc-doc/stable/html/glossary.html#term-flow) numbers in context menus for improved clarity / accessibility.