Feature Request: Terminal Mode Toggle - Authentic Claude Code CLI Experience with UI functionality

[Kirchlive]

🚀 Feature Request: Terminal Mode Toggle - Authentic Claude Code CLI Experience with UI functionality

💡 The Idea

Add a toggle switch between modern web UI and authentic terminal-style output for Claude responses. Think "Dark Mode" but for terminal aesthetics - giving users the best of both worlds!

🎯 Why This is Awesome

📈 Immediate User Value

• CLI veterans get the familiar terminal feel they love
• New users keep the friendly web interface
• Everyone wins - it's just a toggle, no forced changes
• Zero disruption to existing workflows

🛠 Developer Benefits

• No breaking changes - pure additive feature
• Minimal code complexity - mostly CSS + state management
• High impact/low effort ratio
• Community will love it - addresses common CLI user feedback

🎨 Visual Concept

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Claude Code UI     🌐 ⟷ 💻 Terminal │ <- Toggle Switch
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ > What's the weather like?          │
│                                     │
│ The current weather in your area    │
│ is partly cloudy with 72°F...       │
│ [████████████████████] Loading...   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

🔧 Technical Implementation

Phase 1: Core Toggle

// Context for theme state
const [terminalMode, setTerminalMode] = useState(false);

// Simple CSS class switching
<div className={terminalMode ? 'terminal-theme' : 'web-theme'}>
  {chatMessages}
</div>

Phase 2: Enhanced Experience

• ⚡ Typing animations for responses
• 🎨 Terminal color schemes (green, amber, cyan options)
• 📊 ASCII progress bars and loading indicators
• ⌨️ Terminal-style formatting

💻 Implementation Details

What Changes:

• ✅ Chat output styling only
• ✅ User preference storage (localStorage)
• ✅ Smooth theme transitions
• ✅ Mobile-optimized terminal theme

What Stays The Same:

• ✅ All existing functionality
• ✅ File explorer, session management
• ✅ Responsive design
• ✅ Touch/mobile support
• ✅ WebSocket communication
• ✅ Zero breaking changes

🚀 Why This Will Be Popular

Target Audiences:

1. Terminal purists who want authentic CLI feel
2. Developers switching between web UI and actual Claude Code CLI
3. Teams with mixed preferences (designers vs developers)
4. Anyone who wants customization options

Competitive Advantage:

• Most Claude Code web UIs don't offer this
• Shows attention to user preferences
• Demonstrates technical sophistication
• Could become a signature feature

📊 Implementation Roadmap

MVP

.terminal-theme {
  font-family: 'Fira Code', 'Courier New', monospace;
  background: #1a1a1a;
  color: #00ff41;
}

.terminal-theme .user-message::before {
  content: "$ ";
  color: #00ff41;
}

Enhanced

• Multiple terminal themes (Matrix green, VS Code dark, etc.)
• Typing animation with configurable speed
• Terminal bell sounds (optional)
• Advanced ASCII art support

🎁 Bonus Features

• Theme presets: Classic green, amber, cyan, vs-code-dark
• Animation controls: typing speed, enable/disable effects
• Accessibility: high contrast mode, screen reader friendly
• Export: save terminal output as .txt files

🤝 Community Impact

• Low barrier to entry for contributors
• Good first issue potential for new developers
• Immediate visual feedback - satisfying to work on
• Broad appeal across different user types

💪 I'm Ready to Contribute!

This feature excites me, and I'd love to help implement it! I have experience with:

• React/TypeScript theming systems
• CSS animations and transitions
• Terminal UI design patterns
• Responsive design implementation

Would you be interested in this enhancement? I think it could become one of Claude Code UI's standout features! 🌟