[BUG] Arabic RTL text still detached/broken in VS Code integrated terminal after v2.1.75 fix

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

v2.1.75 changelog states:

"Fixed Hebrew, Arabic, and other RTL text not rendering correctly in Windows Terminal, conhost, and VS Code integrated terminal"

However, Arabic letters are still rendering incorrectly in the VS Code integrated terminal after updating to v2.1.75. Letters appear detached/disconnected from each other and do not join as they should in Arabic script. The text is also displayed left-to-right instead of right-to-left.

This appears to be an incomplete fix — the issue persists in the VS Code integrated terminal despite being listed as resolved.

What Should Happen?

Arabic text should render with correctly connected/joined letters in proper RTL direction, e.g.:

• Current (broken): letters appear disconnected and in wrong order
• Expected: letters connect and flow right-to-left as in standard Arabic script

Error Messages/Logs

No error — the text simply renders with disconnected Arabic glyphs in the wrong direction.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code inside the VS Code integrated terminal
2. Ask Claude anything in Arabic, or have it output Arabic text (e.g. "say hello in Arabic")
3. Observe the response — Arabic letters appear detached and in the wrong order

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

v2.1.59 (per other reports — regression introduced around v2.1.63)

Claude Code Version

2.1.75

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

Related issues that reported this problem before v2.1.75:

• #30835 — Arabic Text Display Issue: Reversed Letters and Unconnected Characters in VS Code Extension
• #29958 — RTL Arabic text rendering broken in VS Code chat panel since v2.1.63
• #29972 — RTL Arabic text rendering broken in v2.1.63 (was working in v2.1.61)

The v2.1.75 release notes claim this was fixed for VS Code integrated terminal, but the fix does not appear to have taken effect on macOS. It's possible the fix only applies to Windows.