Bug: /context command output appears temporarily then vanishes without trace (v2.1.9 regression)
Summary
In Claude Code v2.1.9, the /context command output behaves strangely: it appears in a temporary full-screen view, then completely vanishes after a few seconds, leaving no trace in the conversation. This is a regression from v2.1.7 where the output was permanently appended to the chat history.
Steps to Reproduce
- Start a Claude Code session (v2.1.9)
- Have some conversation with Claude
- Run
/contextcommand - Observe the behavior
What Happens (Bug)
| Step | Behavior |
|------|----------|
| 1 | Run /context |
| 2 | Brief pause (few seconds) |
| 3 | Output appears, taking over entire screen |
| 4 | After a few more seconds, output vanishes |
| 5 | Previous chat history returns, but /context output is gone |
The /context output acts like a temporary "flash" that disappears, as if the command was never run.
Expected Behavior (v2.1.7)
The /context output should be permanently appended below the chat history, visible when scrolling, and accessible to Claude in the conversation context.
Impact
- Users cannot review context information after the brief display
- Claude cannot see/reference the
/contextoutput (it's not in conversation history) - The command becomes essentially useless for sharing context info with Claude
Environment
- Claude Code version: 2.1.9
- Platform: WSL2 (Linux)
- Terminal: Windows Terminal
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🤖 This issue was created with assistance from Claude Code
13 Comments
Found 2 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
Tested on v2.1.12 - issue persists.
The bug occurs even in a fresh new session (not just long conversations).
Environment:
Yup v2.2.12 - issue remains.
same issue
Environment
Additional Context
Last known working: approximately 10 days ago
Likely introduced in a recent update
Environment:
Symptoms:
Additional Testing:
Last known working: 2.1.4 (approximately 1 week ago)
Regression introduced between 2.1.4 → 2.1.11.
Additional Findings: SSH-Specific Issue
We've done extensive debugging on this issue and found it's specifically related to SSH sessions, not terminal capabilities.
Environment Comparison
| Setting | Local Ubuntu WSL (✅ works) | Debian 13 via SSH (❌ broken) |
|---------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| Claude Code | 2.1.12 | 2.1.12 |
| Node.js | v24.12.0 | v24.13.0 (upgraded from v20) |
| TERM | xterm-256color | xterm-256color / tmux-256color |
| COLORTERM | truecolor | truecolor |
| RGB support | Yes | Yes (verified with 24-bit color test) |
What We Verified Works
tmux info | grep RGB→RGB: (flag) true)What We Tried (None Fixed It)
TERMto SSHAcceptEnvin sshd_config[ "$TERM" = "dumb" ] && export TERM=xterm-256colorFORCE_COLOR=3environment variableObserved Behavior
/contextshows a plain text token count dump (not the colorful grid visualization) - listing Memory files, Skills, User items, and Plugins with their token countsConclusion
This appears to be an Ink alternate screen buffer timing issue specific to SSH sessions. Over SSH, it falls back to text output instead of the visual grid, and even that text disappears almost immediately as the alternate buffer clears.
System Details
Facing the same issue on iTerm2 terminal.
Confirming this issue on a different platform:
Environment:
Behavior: Identical to OP. /context output displays briefly (~10 seconds), then vanishes completely. Not
recoverable in scrollback despite iTerm2 settings that normally preserve alternate screen buffer content.
Seeing this on Windows using Powershell as well.
Time to rebuild this feature using a different method of delivering the results, this is like the third time it broke in 6 months.
In Zed the command gives no output anymore, where it worked fine 2 weeks or so ago. Asking the claude acp agent it says it is right there and mentions tokens used and still available.
Yep, this issue still persist on 2.1.81 (Claude Code)