[FEATURE REQUEST] Prompt Queue with Steer Controls

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

Currently, Claude Code processes one prompt at a time. While "interrupt and steer" lets me redirect mid-task, there's no way to queue up follow-on prompts while Claude is still working. I frequently know what I want Claude to do next (or next 3 things), but I have to wait for the current task to finish, watch for it, then type my next prompt. This breaks flow and wastes time on tasks that have clear sequential steps.

Proposed Solution

Prompt Queue + Steer

Queue — Let me type additional prompts while Claude is working.

• They enter a visible queue and execute in order as each preceding task completes.

Steer — Give me controls over the queue while it's pending:

• Reorder queued prompts (drag or move up/down)
• Edit a queued prompt before it executes
• Remove a queued prompt
• Insert a new prompt at any position
• Pause the queue (finish current task, then stop)
• Flush/clear the entire queue
• Current task steering (already exists via interrupt) should remain as-is — if I interrupt the running task, the queue should pause and let me decide whether to resume, modify the queue, or discard it.

UX Suggestions

• A small queue panel (sidebar or bottom bar) showing numbered pending prompts
• Keyboard shortcuts: e.g. Ctrl+Enter to queue (vs Enter to send immediately), Ctrl+Shift+K to view/manage queue
• In the CLI terminal: a [Queue: 3 pending] indicator, with /queue to list, /queue clear to flush
• Each queued prompt carries forward the conversation context from the previous task's completion

How I would Implement it

1.) Find the input handling loop — where user prompts are captured, sent to the API, and where responses stream back
2.) Add a pendingQueue: string[] buffer that collects additional prompts typed during execution
3.) Modify the main turn loop so that when one API response completes, it checks the queue and auto-submits the next prompt
4.) Add queue management UI — in the terminal (CLI), this could be a /queue command; in the VSCode webview, a small panel
5.) Handle conversation context — each queued prompt needs to execute with the full conversation history from the previous task's completion

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

Use Cases
1.) Multi-step refactors: "Rename X to Y across the codebase" → "Run the tests" → "Fix any failures" → "Commit with message Z" — I know all 4 steps upfront
2.) Parallel exploration: Queue several independent research questions while Claude works through them sequentially
3.) Build pipelines: "Implement the function" → "Write tests for it" → "Run tests" → "Fix lint errors" — fire and forget
4.) Review workflows: "Read file A" → "Read file B" → "Compare their approaches and summarize" — queue while I context-switch to something else
Why This Matters
5.) Power users treat Claude Code as a collaborator running in the background. A queue transforms the interaction model from synchronous ping-pong to asynchronous task dispatch, dramatically improving throughput without sacrificing the ability to steer.

Additional Context

Technical Considerations:

• The existing "interrupt and steer" mechanism (typing during execution) already proves Claude Code can accept input while processing. A queue extends this from "override current task" to "append next task."
• Queued prompts should inherit the full conversation context from the preceding task's completion — not run in isolation.
• Queue execution should respect the same permission model as normal prompts (tool approvals, hooks, etc.), no bypassing safety checks just because a prompt was queued.
• Edge case: if a queued prompt depends on the output of the current task (e.g., "fix whatever errors that produces"), it needs access to the prior response. This is naturally handled if queued prompts execute within the same conversation thread.

Similar features in other tools:

• VS Code's task queue / Run Task chaining allows sequencing build steps
• Cursor and Windsurf have explored multi-step prompt workflows
• Terminal multiplexers like tmux allow send-keys to queue input while a process runs
• CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, etc.) are fundamentally prompt queues with steer (cancel/re-run/skip)

Implementation note:

• The CLI (claude binary) and VSCode extension would benefit from different UX surfaces for the same

underlying queue:

• CLI: /queue, /queue list, /queue clear, /queue pause commands; Ctrl+Q to toggle queue mode vs immediate mode
• VSCode extension: A small panel or status bar indicator showing queue depth, with click-to-manage