[BUG] /context command modal renders incorrectly and auto-dismisses without user interaction (v2.1.12, iTerm2, macOS)

Description

The /context command output renders with visual artifacts ("exploded" layout) and automatically dismisses after a few seconds without pressing Esc or any user interaction. The user cannot review the context information as it disappears too quickly.

Environment

• Claude Code Version: 2.1.12
• OS: macOS Darwin 25.2.0 (Apple Silicon)
• Terminal: iTerm2
• TERM: xterm-256color
• Terminal Size: 24 lines × 80 columns

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code in iTerm2
2. Run the /context command
3. Observe the output appearing with rendering artifacts
4. Watch as it auto-dismisses after ~3-4 seconds without any user input

Expected Behavior

• The /context modal should render cleanly without visual artifacts
• The modal should remain visible until the user presses Esc or explicitly dismisses it
• Context information should be readable and persistent

Actual Behavior

• Modal renders with "exploded" layout - content appears spread out with rendering artifacts
• Modal automatically closes after a few seconds
• User cannot review context details as the display vanishes
• No user interaction (Esc key) is performed when it closes

Screenshots

Screenshot 1 - Exploded rendering with artifacts

!Screenshot showing /context output with rendering issues

The context modal shows:

• Token counts for various components (context-init, security-reviewer, code-reviewer, etc.)
• Plugin section with agent-orchestration, context-management, feature-dev entries
• Memory files section
• Visual glitches/artifacts visible in the layout

Screenshot 2 - Context Usage view before auto-dismiss

!Screenshot showing Context Usage before it disappears

Shows:

• Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101 with 36k/200k tokens (18%)
• System prompt: 2.9k tokens (1.4%)
• System tools: 18.0k tokens (9.0%)
• MCP tools: 10.5k tokens (5.2%)
• Custom agents: 692 tokens (0.3%)
• Memory files: 2.6k tokens (1.3%)
• Skills: 1.1k tokens (0.5%)
• Messages: 208 tokens (0.1%)
• Free space: 119k (59.5%)
• Autocompact buffer: 45.0k tokens (22.5%)

Configuration

~/.claude/settings.json (relevant sections)

{
  "model": "opus",
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "~/.claude/statusline-command.sh"
  },
  "hooks": {
    "SessionStart": [...],
    "UserPromptSubmit": [...],
    "PreToolUse": [...],
    "PostToolUse": [...]
  },
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "typescript-lsp@claude-plugins-official": true,
    "mind@memvid": true,
    "context-management@claude-code-workflows": true,
    ...
  }
}

Shell Environment (potentially relevant)

# From .zshrc - these are being unset, not set
unset CLAUDE_CODE_NO_ANIMATIONS 2>/dev/null
unset CLAUDE_CODE_SESSION 2>/dev/null

# Pager settings
export GIT_PAGER=cat
export PAGER=cat

Related Issues

This appears related to:

• #18562 - /context command output appears temporarily then vanishes
• #18521 - /context command window flickers then closes immediately
• #18716 - /context displays delayed and only temporarily
• #19072 - /context command UI renders in statusline area

Additional Context

• The issue occurs consistently on every /context invocation
• Custom statusline command is in use but produces valid output
• Multiple hooks are configured but all complete within their timeouts
• The session starts correctly and all other functionality works as expected

Workaround Attempted

None found. Tried:

• Different terminal sizes
• With and without custom statusline
• Fresh session after restart

The issue persists regardless of configuration changes, suggesting it's a core rendering/timing bug in the /context command implementation.