[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.