Terminal Title Skill for Claude Code

What It Does

Automatically updates your terminal window title to reflect the current task Claude Code is working on. Perfect for developers managing multiple Claude Code instances across different terminals.

The Problem It Solves

Running multiple Claude Code sessions? Constantly clicking between terminals trying to remember which one is handling your API integration vs database migration vs bug fix? This skill eliminates that frustration.

How It Works

The skill automatically:

1. Analyzes your prompt when you start a new task
2. Generates a concise, descriptive title (e.g., "API Integration: Auth Flow")
3. Prepends the current folder name for context (e.g., "my-project | API Integration: Auth Flow")
4. Updates your terminal window title in the background
5. No manual configuration needed

Installation

Automated Install & Test (Recommended)

# Clone or download this repository, then run:
cd claude-code-terminal-title
chmod +x install-and-test.sh
./install-and-test.sh

This script will:

• ✅ Check for required prerequisites (unzip, mkdir, chmod, bash)
• ✅ Extract the skill to ~/.claude/skills/
• ✅ Set proper permissions
• ✅ Run verification tests
• ✅ Show you the results in real-time

Quick Install (Claude Code CLI)

# Download the skill file, then install it:
claude-code install terminal-title.skill

Manual Install

# Create skills directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills

# Extract the skill
unzip terminal-title.skill -d ~/.claude/skills/

# Make script executable
chmod +x ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/scripts/set_title.sh

Uninstall

To remove the skill completely:

chmod +x uninstall.sh
./uninstall.sh

The uninstall script will:

• Remove the skill directory
• Optionally remove zsh configuration (with confirmation)
• Optionally restore Terminal.app settings (with confirmation)

Additional Setup (macOS Terminal.app Users)

If you're using macOS Terminal.app with zsh, run the setup script to ensure clean titles without unwanted prefixes/suffixes:

cd claude-code-terminal-title
chmod +x setup-zsh.sh
./setup-zsh.sh

This script will:

• ✅ Configure your ~/.zshrc to preserve Claude titles
• ✅ Disable Terminal.app's title suffixes (shell name, dimensions)
• ✅ Create a backup of your .zshrc before making changes

Why is this needed? macOS Terminal.app by default appends " – -zsh – 80x24" to all window titles. This setup script automatically disables those additions so you get clean titles.

Note: Changes take effect in NEW terminal windows. You'll need to open a new window or tab after running the setup.

Usage

That's it! The skill works automatically. When you start Claude Code and give it a task, your terminal title will update.

Examples

User prompt: "Help me debug the authentication API" Terminal title: → "my-api-project | Debug: Auth API Flow"

User prompt: "Create a React dashboard component" Terminal title: → "react-app | Build: Dashboard UI"

User prompt: "Write tests for payment processing" Terminal title: → "payment-service | Test: Payment Module"

Optional Customization

You can add a custom prefix to all terminal titles:

# Add to your ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or shell config:
export CLAUDE_TITLE_PREFIX="🤖 Claude"

This produces titles like: 🤖 Claude | my-project | Build: Dashboard UI

Title Format:

• Default: [Folder Name] | [Task Description]
• With custom prefix: [Custom Prefix] | [Folder Name] | [Task Description]

Compatibility

Fully Tested & Working

• ✅ macOS Terminal.app + zsh (with setup-zsh.sh)
• ✅ iTerm2 (macOS)

Should Work (Not Extensively Tested)

• ⚠️ Alacritty
• ⚠️ Kitty
• ⚠️ GNOME Terminal (Linux)
• ⚠️ Konsole (KDE)
• ⚠️ Windows Terminal + WSL

Known Limitations

• ❌ Plain bash without precmd support (titles won't persist across prompts)
• ❌ Windows native terminals (Command Prompt, PowerShell) - ANSI escape sequences not universally supported
• ❌ Very old terminal emulators without ANSI support

Session Behavior

When you set a title in Terminal A and open Terminal B within 5 minutes, Terminal B will initially inherit Terminal A's title. Once Claude Code runs in Terminal B and sets a new title, each terminal will maintain its own title independently. This is by design - it prevents stale titles from appearing in new terminals while preserving titles within active sessions.

Technical Details

• Size: ~2KB
• Dependencies: None (uses standard bash)
• Triggers: First prompt in a new session, or when switching to a new high-level task
• Privacy: All processing happens locally, no external calls

Troubleshooting

Title Not Updating?

1. Verify installation:

   ls -la ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/
   # Should show: SKILL.md, scripts/, LICENSE, VERSION, CHANGELOG.md
   

2. Check script permissions:

   ls -la ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/scripts/set_title.sh
   # Should show: -rwxr-xr-x (executable)
   

3. If not executable, fix permissions:

   chmod +x ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/scripts/set_title.sh
   

4. Test manually:

   bash ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/scripts/set_title.sh "Test: It Works!"
   # Your terminal title should change
   

Title Shows Escape Codes?

Your terminal may not support ANSI escape sequences. Try:

• macOS: Use iTerm2 or built-in Terminal.app
• Linux: Use GNOME Terminal, Alacritty, or Kitty
• Windows: Use Windows Terminal or WSL with a compatible terminal

Skill Not Triggering Automatically?

• Restart Claude Code after installation
• Verify SKILL.md is properly formatted (YAML front matter at top)
• Check Claude Code version supports skills

Title Shows Unwanted Prefix or Suffix? (macOS Terminal.app)

If your title shows something like "username - Your Title - -zsh - 80x24", run:

./setup-zsh.sh

Then open a NEW terminal window. See the "Additional Setup" section above for details.

Title Too Generic?

Be more specific in your prompts about what you want to accomplish

Contributing

We need your help! This skill was built and tested primarily on macOS with Terminal.app and zsh.

Areas Where We Need Contributions:

Terminal Emulator Testing:

• Alacritty users - does it work out of the box?
• Kitty users - any title persistence issues?
• Linux (GNOME Terminal, Konsole, Terminator) - what setup is needed?
• Windows Terminal + WSL - does the zsh config work?

Shell Support:

• bash users - can we add precmd equivalent for bash?
• fish shell - title persistence implementation?
• Other shells?

Feature Improvements:

• Better title generation logic in SKILL.md
• Configuration options (freshness window, fallback behavior)
• Support for tmux/screen session titles

How to Contribute:

1. Test on your setup - Try the skill and document what works/doesn't
2. Submit issues - Found a bug or edge case? Open an issue with details
3. Pull requests welcome - Especially for:
   • Shell-specific setup scripts (setup-bash.sh, setup-fish.sh)
   • Cross-platform compatibility fixes
   • Documentation improvements

Found a bug? Have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub!

License

MIT - Use freely, modify as needed, share with your team.

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Created to solve a real pain point in multi-terminal Claude Code workflows. Hope it helps your productivity too!