[FEATURE] Stay in terminal mode (bash mode)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

I am coming from Warp terminal. Warp is clever enough to distinguish between a terminal command (bash command) and a natural language prompt.

Claude Code requires ! to be placed in front of a terminal command, or it assumes it is a natural language prompt by default. The results in trying to run simple commands like ls and cd ~ burning tokens and taking relatively long amounts of time.

Proposed Solution

I would like to have the ability, similar to CAPS LOCK, to stay in terminal mode (bash mode) and have to use a symbol to engage the agent.

For example, maybe in "terminal mode" it assumes a bash command unless I prefix the command with ! (or # or some other character).

This way I can treat the Claude Code environment like a bash terminal until I ask for AI assistance.

Alternative Solutions

A more advanced solution would be for Claude Code to smartly determine if I am trying to run a terminal command or a natural language prompt.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

1. I start the terminal in my home directory.
2. I launch Claude Code to get it running.
3. I want to see the directory structure.
4. If I type "ls" now, it will run an agentic query instead of checking the directory.
5. I switch into terminal mode (so I don't have to prepend ! to ls).
6. I type ls and get directory output as expected.
7. I type cd my-project to switch into my project directory.
8. I type git status to make sure I'm in the right branch.
9. Then I type !Can you pick up where we left off? and Claude Code engages with my natural language prompt.

Additional Context

_No response_