[BUG] Critical: Terminal Flickering Causes Complete VSCode Crashes on macOS

[0xFlo]

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Claude Code causes severe terminal flickering that crashes VSCode completely after 10-20 minutes of use. The entire terminal buffer (including scrollback history) is redrawn on every status update instead of just updating the status line. This makes Claude Code completely unusable in VSCode's integrated terminal.

Impact:

• Complete VSCode crashes (not just Claude Code)
• Loss of all unsaved work
• Occurs on every session without exception
• Affects all terminals on macOS (VSCode, iTerm2, Terminal.app)
• VSCode crashes are the most severe manifestation

What Should Happen?

Status line updates should only redraw the status line itself using line-specific terminal control sequences (ANSI escape codes). The terminal should remain stable without flickering, and VSCode should never crash regardless of session length.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open VSCode on macOS
2. Open integrated terminal (Ctrl+`)
3. Run claude to start Claude Code
4. Start any conversation (e.g., "Help me write a function")
5. Observe constant flickering of the terminal
6. Continue using for 10-20 minutes
7. VSCode will freeze and crash completely

Result: Terminal flickers constantly, VSCode eventually crashes, all unsaved work is lost.

Environment

• Claude Code Version: 2.0.31 (latest)
• VSCode Version: 1.7.54 (arm64)
• macOS Version: 15.7 (Sequoia)
• Architecture: Apple Silicon (arm64)
• Installation Method: /Users/user/.local/bin/claude

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

2.0.31

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

Attempted Workarounds

❌ Updated to latest version (2.0.31) - No improvement ❌ Reduced terminal scrollback to 500 lines - Still crashes ❌ Disabled GPU acceleration - Minimal improvement ❌ Disabled smooth scrolling - Minimal improvement ❌ Frequent /clear commands - Delays but doesn't prevent crash ❌ Restarting sessions regularly - Delays but doesn't prevent crash

Current workaround: Using iTerm2 instead of VSCode terminal (still flickers but doesn't crash VSCode)

Related Issues

• #769 - In-progress Call causes Screen Flickering
• #7276 - VS Code Terminal Flickering and Crash
• #2693 - Cursor/VSCode Frequent Crashes
• #3648 - Terminal Scrolling Uncontrollably

Additional Context

VSCode Settings Applied (no improvement):

{
  "terminal.integrated.scrollback": 500,
  "terminal.integrated.gpuAcceleration": "off",
  "terminal.integrated.smoothScrolling": false
}

Severity: Critical - Makes Claude Code unusable in VSCode, which is a primary development environment for many users.

[github-actions[bot]]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/10656
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/7276
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/10772

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[0xFlo]

related issues report flickering but it has become much worse than in the past + don't describe the seriousness of this bug as it makes vscode crash

[github-actions[bot]]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/10794
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/10656
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/7983

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[FilipeAleixo]

It has definitely become much worse lately. Before it flickered, but didn't crash VS Code

[0xFlo]

I haven't had any crashes for 2 days now. This might have fixed things. If someone else wants to give it a try

VSCode Settings Applied: { "terminal.integrated.scrollback": 500, "terminal.integrated.gpuAcceleration": "off", "terminal.integrated.smoothScrolling": false }

[FilipeAleixo]

@0xFlo which terminal are you using? I'm using zsh on Mac. I've tried those settings, but it's still flickering like mad. I still haven't tested enough to see if it crashes with those settings though.

What I notice is that this type of flickering that causes the crashes happens exclusively on planning phases, when CC is reading different files to make a comprehensive plan

Edit: okay I switched the VS Code terminal from zsh to bash, and it seems to have solved the flickering completely

[theodorDiaconu]

I can confirm this on MacOS VSCode. Not sure what the cause is but it's definitely related to larger sessions of Claude. At first I thought it was an extension but even with minimal extension open this does happen still.

[kobi-ca]

Flickering with Cursor IDE.

[yaronsivan]

To avoid those crashes I tend to minimize vscode while claude code is working on a big mission. This way I know for sure it won't crash in the middle of the session. I know this is not solving anything, but when working on something important, this is a solid workaround

[ngPati]

this is annoying me from the start. I moved to cursor twice, but would love to use your software with agents etc. but it's just not possible. wtf.. how can you have this kind of bug I just don't get it

[bkrescaperaseuse]

Anthropic wake up!!! Everyone has been waiting for MONTHS!

[scodge-24]

Yeah this is becoming a real deal breaker for me now and I'm on the verge of just cancelling the next renewal. Why pay for extra usage when half of it is spent recovering lost context and files?

Being stuck in perpetual hell watching my terminal flicker while unable to accept a simple edit is one thing, but that same issue leading to my whole vscode instance crashing is another entirely. Not doing that 'best coding agent in the world' marketing any good here, gang.

[PabloLION]

same. known problem since v1.0.40. I miss the old days when I hoped that there would be a fix, but clearly this is not their priority right now. and this project is not open-sourced so we can't help even if we want :(

[ThoughtPhotography]

I use the IDE extension exclusively as the flickering + flooding the terminal with repeated lines make it unusable for anything.

The only thing I've found that helps is zooming out (in addition to making the window larger). Use ctrl+mousewheel in the terminal so the rest of the UI is unaffected.

Hopefully that helps.

Anthropic could easily have dozens of Opus 4.5 subagents working on this bug 24/7 so the fact it's not fixed already means it likely won't be anytime soon.

[PabloLION]

I think the IDE extension is missing a lot of features, like slash commands, etc. Today my VSCode crashes on the first round of the dialogue, and all my VSCode instances, iit ncluding their terminals gets destroyed. So I used the native macOS instead. And I see the flicker problem also exists in the terminal (no tmux or iTerm, just native macOS terminal). So it seems this problem is from the claude CLI app. Not sure how to escalate this case since it existed for a long time and affects a lot of macOS users.

[ngPati]

Anthropic talks about AI safety every day. But they can't fix a terminal bug that literally causes seizures. 💀💀💀

[john-savepoint]

This is actually pissing me off. I'm giving them to the end of my billing month and then ditching them over this. Its just gotten so bad its sometimes unusable, I pay too much for this not to work reliably. Pull your heads out anthropic.

[mbutel]

CC creator says "fix incoming"

https://x.com/i/status/2007219247546769719

[github-actions[bot]]

This issue has been inactive for 30 days. If the issue is still occurring, please comment to let us know. Otherwise, this issue will be automatically closed in 30 days for housekeeping purposes.

[s00500]

This is still happening often for me. My personal workaround is to consistently use tmux everywhere now so a crash of vscode will not lead to my sessions dying anymore and I can simply relaunch all workspaces...

But the bug itself is not fixed.