[Bug] Option+Delete (word deletion) not working in Ghostty
Status Fixed / completed
Reported on v2.1.1
Maintainer reply None cached
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in description ↑
Activity 8 comments · opened Jan 8, 2026 · closed Apr 2, 2026
Option+Delete (for deleting word backwards) is not working within Claude Code. This keybinding works correctly in the regular Ghostty shell outside of Claude Code.
Environment:
- Claude Code version: 2.1.1 (Homebrew)
- Terminal: Ghostty
- OS: macOS (Darwin 25.0.0)
- Install method: Homebrew (/opt/homebrew/bin/claude)
Expected behavior:
Option+Delete should delete the word before the cursor (standard macOS text editing behavior).
Actual behavior:
The key combination does nothing or is being captured/ignored by Claude Code.
Workaround:
Alt+Backspace or Ctrl+W may work as alternatives.
Notes:
- Option+Left/Right (word navigation) works correctly after 2.1.0 fix
- Option+B/F also work for word navigation
- /terminal-setup is not available in Ghostty (hidden because Ghostty has "native support")
- The issue is specific to Claude Code - works fine in regular shell
8 Comments
Bug confirmed with CC 2.1.X on Macos with Ghostty
Actually, seems it works if you put it in ghostty config:
Unfortunately this causes numerous problems; all special characters that require the Option key to type stop working afterward, forcing you to use Option-Right (or vice versa), which is really annoying on a daily basis.
This worked for me, as it only sets a keybinding on opt+backspace.
Unfortunately this didn't work for me, but the following snippet does
I found out today that
Option+Command+Deleteworks as delete word backward in GhosttyAlbeit this is not
Option+Deletebut the muscle memory doesn't differ that much and no configuration needed, hope this helps@minons1
I found the solution here:
<img width="768" height="534" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ad9bce08-b971-4bb5-9fb6-a21fd33b31e9" />
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/18157#issuecomment-3817884321
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