[FEATURE] Status line token arrows are counterintuitive — suggest adding descriptive labels

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

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

Problem

The current status line displays token counts like this:

Scampering… (1m 14s · ↓ 1.8k tokens · thinking)

The ↓ arrow is used for input tokens, but this is counterintuitive. Most users associate arrows with network traffic conventions:

• ↑ = upload = client sending data to the server/model
• ↓ = download = server/model sending data to the client

Using ↓ for input tokens is the opposite of this expectation.

Suggestion

1. Reverse the arrow directions so they match standard network conventions:

• ↑ for input tokens (client → model)
• ↓ for output tokens (model → client)

1. Add short descriptive labels to make it immediately clear without needing to learn the convention:

Scampering… (1m 14s · in ↑ 1.8k · out ↓ 0.3k tokens · thinking)

Why

New users shouldn't need to look up what the arrows mean. The labels in and out make it self-explanatory at a glance, and
aligning with the upload/download convention reduces cognitive friction.

Proposed Solution

Suggestion

1. Reverse the arrow directions so they match standard network conventions:

• ↑ for input tokens (client → model)
• ↓ for output tokens (model → client)

1. Add short descriptive labels to make it immediately clear without needing to learn the convention:

Scampering… (1m 14s · in ↑ 1.8k · out ↓ 0.3k tokens · thinking)

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

_No response_

Proposed Solution

Suggestion

1. Reverse the arrow directions so they match standard network conventions:

• ↑ for input tokens (client → model)
• ↓ for output tokens (model → client)

1. Add short descriptive labels to make it immediately clear without needing to learn the convention:

Scampering… (1m 14s · in ↑ 1.8k · out ↓ 0.3k tokens · thinking)

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

Re-opened https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/26920