Claude Code Terminal Title

Who this is for: Developers running multiple Claude Code sessions across different terminals who need to quickly identify which terminal is handling which task without clicking between windows.

What This Skill Does

Automatically updates your terminal window title to reflect the current task Claude Code is working on, eliminating the frustration of managing multiple Claude Code instances.

Core Capabilities

Auto Title Updates — Analyzes your prompt and generates concise descriptive titles
Folder Context — Prepends current folder name for additional context
No Configuration — Works automatically after installation
Cross-Platform — Works on macOS Terminal, iTerm2, and most modern terminals
Custom Prefix — Optional custom prefix for all titles
Privacy First — All processing happens locally, no external calls

Usage

Automatic Operation

The skill works automatically after installation. When you start Claude Code and give it a task, your terminal title updates.

Example Titles

User Prompt	Terminal Title
"Help me debug the authentication API"	`my-api-project \| Debug: Auth API Flow`
"Create a React dashboard component"	`react-app \| Build: Dashboard UI`
"Write tests for payment processing"	`payment-service \| Test: Payment Module`

Custom Prefix (Optional)

BASH

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

Result: 🤖 Claude | my-project | Build: Dashboard UI

Installation

Automated Install (Recommended)

BASH

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

This script:

✅ Checks prerequisites (unzip, mkdir, chmod, bash)
✅ Extracts skill to ~/.claude/skills/
✅ Sets proper permissions
✅ Runs verification tests
✅ Shows results in real-time

Quick Install (Claude Code CLI)

BASH

claude-code install terminal-title.skill

Manual Install

BASH

# Create skills directory
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

macOS Terminal.app Setup

If using macOS Terminal.app with zsh, run the setup script for clean titles:

BASH

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

This disables Terminal.app's default title suffixes (shell name, dimensions).

Note: Changes take effect in NEW terminal windows.

Title Format

Format	Example
Default	`[Folder Name] \| [Task Description]`
With Prefix	`[Custom Prefix] \| [Folder Name] \| [Task Description]`

Compatibility

Fully Tested & Working

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

Should Work

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

Known Limitations

❌ Plain bash without precmd support
❌ Windows native terminals (Command Prompt, PowerShell)
❌ Very old terminal emulators without ANSI support

Troubleshooting

Title Not Updating?

Verify installation:

BASH

ls -la ~/.claude/skills/terminal-title/

Check script permissions:

BASH

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

Test manually:

BASH

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

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

Title Shows Unwanted Prefix/Suffix? (macOS)

Run the setup script:

BASH

./setup-zsh.sh

Then open a NEW terminal window.

Technical Details

Property	Value
Size	~2KB
Dependencies	None (uses standard bash)
Triggers	First prompt in session, or task switch
Privacy	All local processing, no external calls

Managing multiple Claude Code sessions simultaneously
Quickly identifying terminal contents without switching
Keeping track of parallel development tasks
Organizing workflow across multiple projects
Reducing context-switching overhead