Originally published on NextFuture

Fix Claude Code Terminal Flicker: NO_FLICKER Config (May 2026)

TL;DR: Claude Code's TUI flickers on narrow terminals because the status line redraws faster than your emulator can paint. Fix: export CLAUDE_CODE_NO_FLICKER=1 , widen your window to ≥100 columns, and confirm your emulator's damage_tracking setting. Most cases resolve in under a minute.

Symptom

You launch claude , start typing, and the bottom three lines of the screen — model badge, token meter, working-directory hint — strobe at roughly 30 Hz. Cursor jumps. Long output looks like it's tearing. The faster you type, the worse it gets.

$ claude > refactor apps/worker/src/scheduler.ts [ blink][blink][blink] ← status line redrawing sonnet-4-6 │ 12,488 tok │ ~/news-app

Enter fullscreen mode

Exit fullscreen mode

This started showing up widely after the 2.5.x release in March 2026 when Anthropic added the live token meter to the bottom chrome.…