Feature request: Companion (Buddy/Jetsam) language configuration

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Apr 3, 2026 by Seorusus Closed Apr 7, 2026

Feature Request

Description

Add a configuration option to set the language for the companion/buddy (Jetsam) speech bubbles.

Currently, the companion always speaks English regardless of the user's language preferences or conversation language. There is no setting to change the buddy's language.

Use Case

Many users communicate with Claude Code in their native language (Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, etc.). Having the buddy respond in English while the entire conversation is in another language feels inconsistent and breaks the user experience.

Proposed Solution

Add a companionLanguage or buddyLanguage setting in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "companionLanguage": "ru"
}

Or alternatively, make the buddy automatically detect and follow the conversation language.

Current Workaround

Adding instructions to global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md — but this is unreliable since the companion is generated by a separate process and doesn't consistently follow these instructions.

Additional Context

  • There are Russian-speaking users who would benefit from this (and likely other language communities too)
  • The buddy's personality and charm would be preserved — just in the user's preferred language

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