[FEATURE] Add Visual Mode support to Vim mode (v, V, Ctrl+V)

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

Claude Code's vim mode currently supports Normal and Insert modes, along with an expanding set of motions and operators (d, c, y, text objects, f/t, ;/,, etc.). However, Visual mode (v for characterwise, V for linewise, and Ctrl+V for blockwise) is still missing.

For vim users, Visual mode is a fundamental editing primitive. It allows selecting arbitrary ranges of text and then operating on them — deleting, yanking, changing, indenting, or replacing. Without it, many common editing workflows require awkward workarounds (counting words/characters to construct the right motion) rather than the natural "select then act" pattern that Visual mode provides.

This is especially painful when editing longer, multi-line prompts where you need to restructure or remove a section that doesn't align neatly with a single text object or motion.

Proposed Solution

Implement Visual mode in the vim input editor with the following scope:

Visual Characterwise (v)

• Enter with v from Normal mode
• Extend selection using all existing motions (h, j, k, l, w, b, e, 0, $, gg, G, f, t, etc.)
• Apply operators on selection: d (delete), y (yank), c (change), > / < (indent), ~ (swap case), r (replace all selected chars)
• Exit with Esc or v to return to Normal mode

Visual Linewise (V)

• Enter with V from Normal mode
• Selection always extends to full lines
• Same operators as characterwise

Visual Blockwise (Ctrl+V) — nice to have

• Enter with Ctrl+V from Normal mode
• Rectangular block selection
• Lower priority — characterwise and linewise cover the majority of use cases

Additional behaviors

• gv — reselect the previous visual selection
• o — jump to the other end of the selection while in Visual mode
• Visual selection should be highlighted/styled distinctly in the input area

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

Restructuring a multi-line prompt:
You've written a 5-line prompt and want to move the 2nd and 3rd lines to the end. With Visual mode: jVjd → Gp. Without it: you need to count lines, use 2dd, navigate, and paste — or fall back to the mouse.

Replacing a phrase:
You want to replace a specific phrase mid-prompt. With Visual mode: v → navigate to end of phrase → c → type replacement. Without it: you need to figure out the exact motion/text-object that covers the phrase, which isn't always possible in one shot.

Deleting a block of text:
Select from cursor to a specific character with vf)d or to a search match. Much more intuitive than constructing the equivalent d motion when the target doesn't map cleanly to a single text object.

Additional Context

• Visual mode was previously requested in #2442 (closed with autoclose tag)
• The recent additions of yank/paste (y, yy, p, P) and text objects make this the natural next step — Visual mode is the missing piece that ties these operators together into full vim fluency
• Claude Code's vim mode has been steadily improving and this would bring it much closer to feature parity with other vim emulations (VS Code Vim, IdeaVim, etc.)