diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8c6129ab3b..f9edb850c0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -59,3 +59,5 @@ do_not_version/
 /ui/desktop/src/bin/goose-scheduler-executor
 /ui/desktop/src/bin/goose
 /.env
+
+/working_dir
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index fee4a1c00e..4f6b944b0c 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -3379,6 +3379,7 @@ dependencies = [
 name = "goose-cli"
 version = "1.1.0"
 dependencies = [
+ "anstream",
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",
  "axum 0.8.1",
@@ -3396,6 +3397,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "goose-mcp",
  "http 1.2.0",
  "indicatif",
+ "is-terminal",
  "jsonschema",
  "mcp-client",
  "mcp-core",
@@ -3631,9 +3633,9 @@ checksum = "d231dfb89cfffdbc30e7fc41579ed6066ad03abda9e567ccafae602b97ec5024"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "hermit-abi"
-version = "0.4.0"
+version = "0.5.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "fbf6a919d6cf397374f7dfeeea91d974c7c0a7221d0d0f4f20d859d329e53fcc"
+checksum = "fc0fef456e4baa96da950455cd02c081ca953b141298e41db3fc7e36b1da849c"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "hex"
@@ -4246,11 +4248,11 @@ checksum = "469fb0b9cefa57e3ef31275ee7cacb78f2fdca44e4765491884a2b119d4eb130"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "is-terminal"
-version = "0.4.15"
+version = "0.4.16"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "e19b23d53f35ce9f56aebc7d1bb4e6ac1e9c0db7ac85c8d1760c04379edced37"
+checksum = "e04d7f318608d35d4b61ddd75cbdaee86b023ebe2bd5a66ee0915f0bf93095a9"
 dependencies = [
- "hermit-abi 0.4.0",
+ "hermit-abi 0.5.2",
  "libc",
  "windows-sys 0.59.0",
 ]
diff --git a/crates/goose-cli/Cargo.toml b/crates/goose-cli/Cargo.toml
index bb50020858..89b4b0e546 100644
--- a/crates/goose-cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/goose-cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ http = "1.0"
 webbrowser = "1.0"
 indicatif = "0.17.11"
 tokio-util = "0.7.15"
+is-terminal = "0.4.16"
+anstream = "0.6.18"
 
 [target.'cfg(target_os = "windows")'.dependencies]
 winapi = { version = "0.3", features = ["wincred"] }
diff --git a/crates/goose-cli/src/recipes/print_recipe.rs b/crates/goose-cli/src/recipes/print_recipe.rs
index be4a233987..98609a7412 100644
--- a/crates/goose-cli/src/recipes/print_recipe.rs
+++ b/crates/goose-cli/src/recipes/print_recipe.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
+use anstream::println;
 use console::style;
 use goose::recipe::{Recipe, BUILT_IN_RECIPE_DIR_PARAM};
 
@@ -81,16 +82,16 @@ pub fn missing_parameters_command_line(missing_params: Vec<String>) -> String {
 }
 
 pub fn print_recipe_info(recipe: &Recipe, params: Vec<(String, String)>) {
-    println!(
+    eprintln!(
         "{} {}",
         style("Loading recipe:").green().bold(),
         style(&recipe.title).green()
     );
-    println!("{} {}", style("Description:").bold(), &recipe.description);
+    eprintln!("{} {}", style("Description:").bold(), &recipe.description);
 
     if !params.is_empty() {
-        println!("{}", style("Parameters used to load this recipe:").bold());
+        eprintln!("{}", style("Parameters used to load this recipe:").bold());
         print_parameters_with_values(params.into_iter().collect());
     }
-    println!();
+    eprintln!();
 }
diff --git a/crates/goose-cli/src/session/output.rs b/crates/goose-cli/src/session/output.rs
index da41e8120f..c264505e0d 100644
--- a/crates/goose-cli/src/session/output.rs
+++ b/crates/goose-cli/src/session/output.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use anstream::println;
 use bat::WrappingMode;
 use console::{style, Color};
 use goose::config::Config;
@@ -11,11 +12,10 @@ use rmcp::model::PromptArgument;
 use serde_json::Value;
 use std::cell::RefCell;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
-use std::io::{Error, Write};
+use std::io::{Error, IsTerminal, Write};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
-
 // Re-export theme for use in main
 #[derive(Clone, Copy)]
 pub enum Theme {
@@ -135,11 +135,15 @@ thread_local! {
 }
 
 pub fn show_thinking() {
-    THINKING.with(|t| t.borrow_mut().show());
+    if std::io::stdout().is_terminal() {
+        THINKING.with(|t| t.borrow_mut().show());
+    }
 }
 
 pub fn hide_thinking() {
-    THINKING.with(|t| t.borrow_mut().hide());
+    if std::io::stdout().is_terminal() {
+        THINKING.with(|t| t.borrow_mut().hide());
+    }
 }
 
 pub fn is_showing_thinking() -> bool {
@@ -147,11 +151,13 @@ pub fn is_showing_thinking() -> bool {
 }
 
 pub fn set_thinking_message(s: &String) {
-    THINKING.with(|t| {
-        if let Some(spinner) = t.borrow_mut().spinner.as_mut() {
-            spinner.set_message(s);
-        }
-    });
+    if std::io::stdout().is_terminal() {
+        THINKING.with(|t| {
+            if let Some(spinner) = t.borrow_mut().spinner.as_mut() {
+                spinner.set_message(s);
+            }
+        });
+    }
 }
 
 pub fn render_message(message: &Message, debug: bool) {
@@ -166,7 +172,9 @@ pub fn render_message(message: &Message, debug: bool) {
                 println!("Image: [data: {}, type: {}]", image.data, image.mime_type);
             }
             MessageContent::Thinking(thinking) => {
-                if std::env::var("GOOSE_CLI_SHOW_THINKING").is_ok() {
+                if std::env::var("GOOSE_CLI_SHOW_THINKING").is_ok()
+                    && std::io::stdout().is_terminal()
+                {
                     println!("\n{}", style("Thinking:").dim().italic());
                     print_markdown(&thinking.thinking, theme);
                 }
@@ -190,6 +198,10 @@ pub fn render_text(text: &str, color: Option<Color>, dim: bool) {
 }
 
 pub fn render_text_no_newlines(text: &str, color: Option<Color>, dim: bool) {
+    if !std::io::stdout().is_terminal() {
+        println!("{}", text);
+        return;
+    }
     let mut styled_text = style(text);
     if dim {
         styled_text = styled_text.dim();
@@ -472,14 +484,18 @@ pub fn env_no_color() -> bool {
 }
 
 fn print_markdown(content: &str, theme: Theme) {
-    bat::PrettyPrinter::new()
-        .input(bat::Input::from_bytes(content.as_bytes()))
-        .theme(theme.as_str())
-        .colored_output(env_no_color())
-        .language("Markdown")
-        .wrapping_mode(WrappingMode::NoWrapping(true))
-        .print()
-        .unwrap();
+    if std::io::stdout().is_terminal() {
+        bat::PrettyPrinter::new()
+            .input(bat::Input::from_bytes(content.as_bytes()))
+            .theme(theme.as_str())
+            .colored_output(env_no_color())
+            .language("Markdown")
+            .wrapping_mode(WrappingMode::NoWrapping(true))
+            .print()
+            .unwrap();
+    } else {
+        print!("{}", content);
+    }
 }
 
 const INDENT: &str = "    ";
@@ -768,7 +784,7 @@ pub async fn display_cost_usage(
 ) {
     if let Some(cost) = estimate_cost_usd(provider, model, input_tokens, output_tokens).await {
         use console::style;
-        println!(
+        eprintln!(
             "Cost: {} USD ({} tokens: in {}, out {})",
             style(format!("${:.4}", cost)).cyan(),
             input_tokens + output_tokens,