Feature: Improve command readability in permission prompts

Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Apr 9, 2026 by rocco-lead Closed May 23, 2026

Problem

When Claude Code prompts for permission to run a shell command, the command text is displayed as plain monospace text with no visual hierarchy. This makes it hard to quickly parse what's being asked, especially for:

  • Long commands (e.g., curl with multiple -H flags and a -d @/dev/stdin payload)
  • Chained commands using && or ; — it's difficult to distinguish where one command ends and the next begins
  • Commands with inline paths — the actual executable gets lost in a wall of arguments

Proposed Solution

Add visual formatting to the command text in permission prompts:

  1. Bold or color-highlight the command name (e.g., curl, git, rm) so the user can immediately identify what binary is being invoked
  2. Visually separate chained commands — when &&, ||, or ; appear, add a line break or distinct separator so each command is individually scannable
  3. Dim or de-emphasize long argument strings relative to the command name and key flags

Why This Matters

The permission prompt is a critical trust boundary. Users are making a security decision — "should I allow this?" — and the current plain-text rendering forces them to carefully read the entire string to understand what's happening. Better visual hierarchy would make that decision faster and safer, reducing the chance of rubber-stamping a prompt because parsing it feels tedious.

Example

Current:

Allow Bash: curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:9900/hook/stop -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H 'X-Maestro-Session: 1' -H 'X-Maestro-Instance: ae5e6b82' -d @/dev/stdin && echo "done"

Improved (conceptual):

Allow Bash:
  curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:9900/hook/stop -H 'Content-Type: application/json' ...
  && echo "done"

With curl and echo rendered bold or in a distinct color.

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