Add config setting for max chat text width

Feature Request

Add a configuration setting to control the maximum width (in columns) of chat text output, independent of terminal width.

Problem

When using a wide terminal (necessary for other tasks like viewing logs, diffs, etc.), Claude Code's chat text stretches to fill the full terminal width. This makes longer text painful to both read and write, as line lengths far exceed comfortable reading width (~80-120 characters).

Proposed Solution

A setting like maxWidth or terminalMaxColumns that caps the rendered width of chat text. For example:

{
  "preferences": {
    "maxWidth": 100
  }
}

This would wrap/constrain Claude Code's output and input area to the specified column count, regardless of how wide the terminal window is.

Workarounds Considered

• Using tmux to create a narrower pane: doesn't fully address the issue since it requires managing terminal layout externally and doesn't help with the input area
• Resizing the terminal window: defeats the purpose of having a wide terminal for other work

🤖 Generated with Claude Code