diff --git a/dependencies/tim b/dependencies/tim
index d417b5b..3fb220f 160000
--- a/dependencies/tim
+++ b/dependencies/tim
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit d417b5bbd5dc387b25a115e247c9c3a451d830f9
+Subproject commit 3fb220ff5448e04b5ea24f80d940ed95b710afce
diff --git a/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.c b/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.c
index 18d778d..3c46761 100644
--- a/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.c
+++ b/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.c
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ static const str farewell_art = STR(
     "\\(_,J J                          L l`,)/\n"
 );
 
-#define FPS 30
 
 #define is_alias(LITERAL) str_equals(command, STR(LITERAL))
 
-static Result(void) ClientCLI_askUserNameAndPassword(str* username_out, str* password_out);
+Result(bool) start_screen(Array(char) username_buf, Array(char) password_buf, 
+    str* out_username, str* out_password);
 static Result(void) ClientCLI_openUserDB(ClientCLI* self);
 static Result(void) ClientCLI_execCommand(ClientCLI* self, str command, bool* stop);
 static Result(SavedServer*) ClientCLI_joinNewServer(ClientCLI* self);
@@ -48,48 +48,29 @@ void ClientCLI_construct(ClientCLI* self){
 }
 
 Result(void) ClientCLI_run(ClientCLI* self) {
-    Deferral(FPS);
+    Deferral(32);
 
-    TimEditState e;
-    TimEditState_init(&e, 32, "Greetings!");
-    bool edit_enabled = false;
-    while(tim_run(30)){
-        TimStyle c = { .brd = TimColor16_White, .bg = TimColor16_DarkBlue, .fg = TimColor16_White };
-        tim_frame(0, 0, ~0, ~0, c);
-        
-        tim_label(e.s, A, 2, A, A, c);
-
-        if(edit_enabled){
-            TimKey key = tim_edit(&e, A, 5, tim->scopes[tim->scope].w - 4, c);
-            
-            if(key == TimKey_Escape || key == TimKey_Enter) 
-                edit_enabled = false;
-        }
-        else {
-            if(tim_button("[Enter] Edit text", A, 5, tim->scopes[tim->scope].w - 4, A, c) || tim_is_key_press(TimKey_Enter)){
-                edit_enabled = true;
-                tim->focus = &e;
-                tim->event.type = TimEvent_Void; // consume key event
-            }
-        }
-
-        if(tim_button("[Q] Quit", A, ~1, 10, A, c) || tim_is_key_press('q'))
-            exit(0);                          
+    // ask username and password
+    Array(char) username_buf = Array_char_alloc(USERNAME_SIZE_MAX + 1);
+    Array(char) password_buf = Array_char_alloc(PASSWORD_SIZE_MAX + 1);
+    Defer(
+        Array_char_destroy(&username_buf);
+        Array_char_destroy(&password_buf);
+    );
+    str username = str_null, password = str_null;
+    try(bool start, i, start_screen(username_buf, password_buf, &username, &password));
+    if(!start){
+        Return RESULT_VOID;
     }
 
+    tim_reset_terminal();
     term_clear();
     printf(FMT_str"\n", greeting_art.len, greeting_art.data);
 
-    // create Client
-    str username = str_null, password = str_null;
-    try_void(ClientCLI_askUserNameAndPassword(&username, &password));
-    Defer(
-        str_destroy(username);
-        str_destroy(password);
-    );
-    Client_free(self->client);
+    // create client
     try(self->client, p, Client_create(username, password));
-    memset(password.data, 0, password.len);
+    // erase password from memory
+    Array_char_memset(&password_buf, 0);
 
     // init db
     try_void(ClientCLI_openUserDB(self));
@@ -120,49 +101,6 @@ Result(void) ClientCLI_run(ClientCLI* self) {
     Return RESULT_VOID;
 }
 
-static Result(void) ClientCLI_askUserNameAndPassword(str* username_out, str* password_out){
-    Deferral(8);
-    bool success = false;
-
-    // ask username
-    Array(char) username_buf = Array_char_alloc(128);
-    Defer(if(!success) Array_char_destroy(&username_buf));
-    str username = str_null;
-    while(true) {
-        printf("username: ");
-        try_void(term_readLine(username_buf.data, username_buf.len));
-        username = str_from_cstr(username_buf.data);
-        str_trim(&username, true);
-        str name_error_str = validateUsername_str(username);
-        if(name_error_str.data){
-            printf("ERROR: "FMT_str"\n", 
-                name_error_str.len, name_error_str.data);
-        }
-        else break;
-    }
-
-    // ask password
-    Array(char) password_buf = Array_char_alloc(128);
-    Defer(if(!success) Array_char_destroy(&password_buf));
-    str password = str_null;
-    while(true) {
-        printf("password: ");
-        // TODO: hide password
-        try_void(term_readLineHidden(password_buf.data, password_buf.len));
-        password = str_from_cstr(password_buf.data);
-        str_trim(&password, true);
-        if(password.len < PASSWORD_SIZE_MIN || password.len > PASSWORD_SIZE_MAX){
-            printf("ERROR: password length (in bytes) must be >= %i and <= %i\n", 
-                PASSWORD_SIZE_MIN, PASSWORD_SIZE_MAX);
-        }
-        else break;
-    }
-
-    *username_out = username;
-    *password_out = password;
-    success = true;
-    Return RESULT_VOID;
-}
 
 static Result(void) ClientCLI_openUserDB(ClientCLI* self){
     Deferral(8);
diff --git a/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.h b/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.h
index c8c0e7f..682bac1 100644
--- a/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.h
+++ b/src/cli/ClientCLI/ClientCLI.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #include "tlibc/collections/List.h"
 #include "db/client_db.h"
 
+#define FPS 30
+
 typedef struct ClientCLI {
     Client* client;
     tsqlite_connection* db;
diff --git a/src/cli/ClientCLI/start_screen.c b/src/cli/ClientCLI/start_screen.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f418ba6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/ClientCLI/start_screen.c
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+#include "ClientCLI.h"
+#include "network/tcp-chat-protocol/v1.h"
+#include "tim.h"
+
+
+typedef struct TextInputState {
+    TimEditState edit;
+    cstr label;
+    TimStyle style_default;
+    TimStyle style_focused;
+    TimKey result_key;
+} TextInputState;
+
+void draw_item_text_input(bool is_selected, TimRect place, void* data){
+    TextInputState* ctx = data;
+    TimStyle style = is_selected ? ctx->style_focused : ctx->style_default;
+    ctx->result_key = tim_edit(&ctx->edit, place.x, place.y, place.w, style);
+    tim_label(ctx->label, place.x + 3, place.y, A, 1, style);
+}
+
+typedef struct StartScreenContext {
+    TimStyle style_default;
+    TimStyle style_focused;
+    TimStyle style_error;
+    TextInputState input_username;
+    TextInputState input_password;
+    bool exit;
+    bool start;
+    char* err_msg; // heap only
+} StartScreenContext;
+
+void draw_start_screen_buttons(bool is_selected, TimRect place, void* data){
+    StartScreenContext* ctx = data;
+    TimStyle style = is_selected ? ctx->style_focused : ctx->style_default;
+    i32 start_w = place.w / 2;
+    i32 dist = 1;
+    i32 quit_x = place.x + start_w + dist;
+    i32 quit_w = place.w - start_w - dist;
+    if(tim_button("[Enter] Start", place.x, place.y, start_w, A, style) 
+        || tim_is_key_press(TimKey_Enter))
+    {
+        ctx->start = true;
+    }
+    else if(tim_button("[Esc/Q] Quit", quit_x, place.y, quit_w, A, ctx->style_default) 
+        || tim_is_key_press('q'))
+    {
+        ctx->exit = true;
+    }
+}
+
+Result(bool) start_screen(Array(char) username_buf, Array(char) password_buf, 
+    str* out_username, str* out_password)
+{
+    Deferral(16);
+
+    bool result = false;
+
+    StartScreenContext ctx = {
+        .style_default = { .brd = TimColor16_Gray, .bg = TimColor16_DarkBlue, .fg = TimColor16_Gray },
+        .style_focused = { .brd = TimColor16_White, .bg = TimColor16_DarkCyan, .fg = TimColor16_White },
+        .style_error = { .brd = TimColor16_Gray, .bg = TimColor16_DarkRed, .fg = TimColor16_White },
+    };
+    
+    TimEditState_construct(&ctx.input_username.edit, username_buf.data, username_buf.len, NULL);
+    ctx.input_username.label = "[username]";
+    ctx.input_username.style_default = ctx.style_default;
+    ctx.input_username.style_focused = ctx.style_focused;
+    
+    TimEditState_construct(&ctx.input_password.edit, password_buf.data, password_buf.len, NULL);
+    ctx.input_password.edit.masked = true;
+    ctx.input_password.label = "[password]";
+    ctx.input_password.style_default = ctx.style_default;
+    ctx.input_password.style_focused = ctx.style_focused;
+
+    TimScrollItem items[] = {
+        // username input
+        { .data = &ctx.input_username, .focus_target = &ctx.input_username.edit, .h = 3, .draw = draw_item_text_input },
+        // password input
+        { .data = &ctx.input_password, .focus_target = &ctx.input_password.edit, .h = 3, .draw = draw_item_text_input }, 
+        // buttons
+        { .data = &ctx, .focus_target = NULL, .h = 3, .draw = draw_start_screen_buttons },
+    };
+    
+    TimScrollState scroll_list = { .items = items, .len = ARRAY_LEN(items) };
+
+    while(tim_run(FPS)){
+        tim_fill(tim_cell(" ", ctx.style_default.fg, ctx.style_default.bg), 0, 0, A, A);
+        tim_scope(A, A, 40, 14) {
+            tim_scroll(&scroll_list, 1, 1, ~1, ~1, ctx.style_default);
+        }
+
+        if(ctx.err_msg){
+            i32 below_scroll = tim->scopes[tim->scope].h/2 + 7;
+            tim_label("ERROR: ", A, below_scroll, A, A, ctx.style_error);
+            tim_label(ctx.err_msg, A, below_scroll + 1, A, A, ctx.style_error);
+        }
+        
+        if(ctx.exit 
+            || ctx.input_username.result_key == TimKey_Escape 
+            || ctx.input_password.result_key == TimKey_Escape)
+        {
+            result = false;
+            break;
+        }
+        if(ctx.start){
+            ctx.start = false;
+            free(ctx.err_msg);
+            ctx.err_msg = NULL;
+
+            // check username
+            str username = str_from_cstr(username_buf.data);
+            str_trim(&username, true);
+            str name_error_str = validateUsername_str(username);
+            if(name_error_str.data){
+                ctx.err_msg = name_error_str.data;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // check password
+            str password = str_from_cstr(password_buf.data);
+            str_trim(&password, true);
+            if(password.len < PASSWORD_SIZE_MIN || password.len > PASSWORD_SIZE_MAX){
+                ctx.err_msg = sprintf_malloc(
+                    "password length (in bytes) must be >= %i and <= %i", 
+                    PASSWORD_SIZE_MIN, PASSWORD_SIZE_MAX
+                );
+                continue;
+            }
+            
+            *out_username = username;
+            *out_password = password;
+            result = true;
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    Return RESULT_VALUE(i, result);
+}
\ No newline at end of file