[BUG] macOS Accent Menu (Press and Hold) Not Working in Claude Code

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?

The macOS accent menu (Press and Hold feature) opens correctly in Claude Code when holding down accent-capable keys, but the selected accented character is not inserted into the input field. After selecting a character variant from the popup menu using number keys, the original character remains or nothing is inserted, making it impossible to input accented characters via this native macOS feature.

What Should Happen?

1. Press and hold an accent-capable key (e.g., a, e, o, u)
2. Accent menu popup appears with character variants
3. Press a number key (1-9) to select the desired variant
4. The selected accented character should be inserted into the input field (e.g., pressing 4 while holding a should insert ä)

Error Messages/Logs

1. Press and hold an accent-capable key (e.g., a) ✅ Works
2. Accent menu popup appears correctly ✅ Works
3. Press a number key to select a variant (e.g., 2 for á)
4. ❌ The selected character is NOT inserted into the Claude Code input field
   - Either the original character (a) remains or (aa) doubles
   - Or nothing is inserted at all

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code
2. Focus the input field for entering prompts
3. Press and hold a key that supports accents (e.g., e, a, o, u)
4. Observe that the character repeats instead of showing the accent menu

or

1. Observe that the entered key is replaced by nothing ""

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.0.31 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

iTerm2

Additional Information

This feature works correctly in other Electron-based applications and native macOS applications, suggesting it may be a specific setting or input handler in Claude Code that needs adjustment.

The system setting can be verified with:
defaults read -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled

If this returns 0, the feature is disabled system-wide. If it returns 1 or the key doesn't exist, it should be enabled.