diff --git a/toot/cli/base.py b/toot/cli/base.py
index 83d235c..4a7362e 100644
--- a/toot/cli/base.py
+++ b/toot/cli/base.py
@@ -20,6 +20,17 @@ T = t.TypeVar("T")
 PRIVACY_CHOICES = ["public", "unlisted", "private"]
 VISIBILITY_CHOICES = ["public", "unlisted", "private", "direct"]
 
+TUI_COLORS = {
+    "1": 1,
+    "16": 16,
+    "88": 88,
+    "256": 256,
+    "16777216": 16777216,
+    "24bit": 16777216,
+}
+TUI_COLORS_CHOICES = list(TUI_COLORS.keys())
+TUI_COLORS_VALUES = list(TUI_COLORS.values())
+
 DURATION_EXAMPLES = """e.g. "1 day", "2 hours 30 minutes", "5 minutes 30
 seconds" or any combination of above. Shorthand: "1d", "2h30m", "5m30s\""""
 
diff --git a/toot/cli/tui.py b/toot/cli/tui.py
index 423b12c..a0c0f0f 100644
--- a/toot/cli/tui.py
+++ b/toot/cli/tui.py
@@ -1,17 +1,44 @@
 import click
 
-from toot.cli.base import Context, cli, pass_context
+from typing import Optional
+from toot.cli.base import TUI_COLORS, Context, cli, pass_context
+from toot.cli.validators import validate_tui_colors
 from toot.tui.app import TUI, TuiOptions
 
+COLOR_OPTIONS = ", ".join(TUI_COLORS.keys())
+
 
 @cli.command()
 @click.option(
-    "--relative-datetimes",
+    "-r", "--relative-datetimes",
     is_flag=True,
     help="Show relative datetimes in status list"
 )
+@click.option(
+    "-m", "--media-viewer",
+    help="Program to invoke with media URLs to display the media files, such as 'feh'"
+)
+@click.option(
+    "-c", "--colors",
+    callback=validate_tui_colors,
+    help=f"""Number of colors to use, one of {COLOR_OPTIONS}, defaults to 16 if
+             using --color, and 1 if using --no-color."""
+)
 @pass_context
-def tui(ctx: Context, relative_datetimes: bool):
+def tui(
+    ctx: Context,
+    colors: Optional[int],
+    media_viewer: Optional[str],
+    relative_datetimes: bool,
+):
     """Launches the toot terminal user interface"""
-    options = TuiOptions(relative_datetimes, ctx.color)
-    TUI.create(ctx.app, ctx.user, options).run()
+    if colors is None:
+        colors = 16 if ctx.color else 1
+
+    options = TuiOptions(
+        colors=colors,
+        media_viewer=media_viewer,
+        relative_datetimes=relative_datetimes,
+    )
+    tui = TUI.create(ctx.app, ctx.user, options)
+    tui.run()
diff --git a/toot/cli/validators.py b/toot/cli/validators.py
index cfdd097..819fdf9 100644
--- a/toot/cli/validators.py
+++ b/toot/cli/validators.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import re
 from click import Context
 from typing import Optional
 
+from toot.cli.base import TUI_COLORS
+
 
 def validate_language(ctx: Context, param: str, value: Optional[str]):
     if value is None:
@@ -58,3 +60,16 @@ def validate_instance(ctx: click.Context, param: str, value: Optional[str]):
 
     value = value.rstrip("/")
     return value if value.startswith("http") else f"https://{value}"
+
+
+def validate_tui_colors(ctx, param, value) -> Optional[int]:
+    if value is None:
+        return None
+
+    if value in TUI_COLORS.values():
+        return value
+
+    if value in TUI_COLORS.keys():
+        return TUI_COLORS[value]
+
+    raise click.BadParameter(f"Invalid value: {value}. Expected one of: {', '.join(TUI_COLORS)}")
diff --git a/toot/output.py b/toot/output.py
index e08bec0..02f1083 100644
--- a/toot/output.py
+++ b/toot/output.py
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ def get_width() -> int:
     return min(get_terminal_width(), get_max_width())
 
 
+def print_warning(text: str):
+    click.secho(f"Warning: {text}", fg="yellow", err=True)
+
+
 def print_instance(instance: Instance):
     width = get_width()
     click.echo(instance_to_text(instance, width))
diff --git a/toot/tui/app.py b/toot/tui/app.py
index 77cbaaf..bc712cd 100644
--- a/toot/tui/app.py
+++ b/toot/tui/app.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import subprocess
 import urwid
 
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
-from typing import NamedTuple
+from typing import NamedTuple, Optional
 
 from toot import api, config, __version__, settings
 from toot import App, User
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ DEFAULT_MAX_TOOT_CHARS = 500
 
 
 class TuiOptions(NamedTuple):
+    colors: int
+    media_viewer: Optional[str]
     relative_datetimes: bool
-    color: bool
 
 
 class Header(urwid.WidgetWrap):
@@ -89,7 +90,9 @@ class TUI(urwid.Frame):
     @staticmethod
     def create(app: App, user: User, args: TuiOptions):
         """Factory method, sets up TUI and an event loop."""
-        screen = TUI.create_screen(args)
+        screen = urwid.raw_display.Screen()
+        screen.set_terminal_properties(args.colors)
+
         tui = TUI(app, user, screen, args)
 
         palette = PALETTE.copy()
@@ -108,23 +111,11 @@ class TUI(urwid.Frame):
 
         return tui
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def create_screen(args: TuiOptions):
-        screen = urwid.raw_display.Screen()
-
-        # Determine how many colors to use
-        default_colors = 16 if args.color else 1
-        colors = settings.get_setting("tui.colors", int, default_colors)
-        logger.debug(f"Setting colors to {colors}")
-        screen.set_terminal_properties(colors)
-
-        return screen
-
-    def __init__(self, app, user, screen, args: TuiOptions):
+    def __init__(self, app, user, screen, options: TuiOptions):
         self.app = app
         self.user = user
-        self.args = args
         self.config = config.load_config()
+        self.options = options
 
         self.loop = None  # late init, set in `create`
         self.screen = screen
@@ -146,7 +137,6 @@ class TUI(urwid.Frame):
         self.can_translate = False
         self.account = None
         self.followed_accounts = []
-        self.media_viewer = settings.get_setting("tui.media_viewer", str)
 
         super().__init__(self.body, header=self.header, footer=self.footer)
 
@@ -510,8 +500,15 @@ class TUI(urwid.Frame):
         if not urls:
             return
 
-        if self.media_viewer:
-            subprocess.run([self.media_viewer] + urls)
+        media_viewer = self.options.media_viewer
+        if media_viewer:
+            try:
+                subprocess.run([media_viewer] + urls)
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                self.footer.set_error_message(f"Media viewer not found: '{media_viewer}'")
+            except Exception as ex:
+                self.exception = ex
+                self.footer.set_error_message("Failed invoking media viewer. Press X to see exception.")
         else:
             self.footer.set_error_message("Media viewer not configured")
 
diff --git a/toot/tui/timeline.py b/toot/tui/timeline.py
index 60dfeb0..63eb4b3 100644
--- a/toot/tui/timeline.py
+++ b/toot/tui/timeline.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class Timeline(urwid.Columns):
         return urwid.ListBox(walker)
 
     def build_list_item(self, status):
-        item = StatusListItem(status, self.tui.args.relative_datetimes)
+        item = StatusListItem(status, self.tui.options.relative_datetimes)
         urwid.connect_signal(item, "click", lambda *args:
             self.tui.show_context_menu(status))
         return urwid.AttrMap(item, None, focus_map={
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class Timeline(urwid.Columns):
             return None
 
         poll = status.original.data.get("poll")
-        show_media = status.original.data["media_attachments"] and self.tui.media_viewer
+        show_media = status.original.data["media_attachments"] and self.tui.options.media_viewer
 
         options = [
             "[A]ccount" if not status.is_mine else "",
@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@ class Timeline(urwid.Columns):
             "[T]hread" if not self.is_thread else "",
             "L[i]nks",
             "[M]edia" if show_media else "",
-            self.tui.media_viewer,
             "[R]eply",
             "[P]oll" if poll and not poll["expired"] else "",
             "So[u]rce",