UI: 'Germinating...' spinner doesn't clear after background task completion

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Jan 23, 2026 by ebmichael Closed Jan 27, 2026

Description

The "Germinating..." spinner continues to display indefinitely even after a background task has completed successfully. The UI shows "↓ 0 tokens" but doesn't return to the prompt.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Start a Claude Code session
  2. Run a background Task agent (e.g., Council or other long-running task)
  3. Wait for the background task to complete
  4. Observe: "Background command ... completed (exit code 0)" appears
  5. But: "Germinating..." spinner continues with "↓ 0 tokens"

Expected Behavior

The spinner should clear and return to the normal prompt state when:

  • The background task completes, OR
  • No tokens have been received for a reasonable timeout period

Actual Behavior

  • Spinner shows "Germinating... (esc to interrupt · Xm Xs · ↓ 0 tokens)"
  • User cannot tell if Claude is still processing or stuck
  • Must manually press Esc to return to prompt

Screenshot

✻ Germinating… (esc to interrupt · 12m 7s · ↓ 0 tokens)

● Background command "Council: Task Prioritization" completed (exit code 0)

Environment

  • Platform: macOS (Darwin 24.6.0)
  • Claude Code: Latest version

Impact

  • User confusion about session state
  • Uncertainty whether to wait or interrupt
  • Happens "sehr häufig" (very frequently) according to user report

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