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Claude Chill: Fix Claude Code's flickering in terminal

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A PTY proxy that tames Claude Code's massive terminal updates using VT-based rendering.

The Problem

Claude Code uses synchronized output to update the terminal atomically. It wraps output in sync markers ( \x1b[?2026h ... \x1b[?2026l ) so the terminal renders everything at once without flicker.

The problem: Claude Code sends entire screen redraws in these sync blocks - often thousands of lines. Your terminal receives a 5000-line atomic update when only 20 lines are visible. This causes lag, flicker, and makes scrollback useless since each update clears history.

The Solution

claude-chill sits between your terminal and Claude Code:

Intercepts sync blocks - Catches those massive atomic updates VT-based rendering - Uses a VT100 emulator to track screen state and renders only the differences Preserves history - Accumulates content in a buffer for lookback Enables lookback - Press a key to pause Claude and view the full history buffer

Installation

cargo install --path crates/claude-chill

Usage

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