Text cursor (blinking caret) invisible in light mode — can't see typing position

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The text input cursor (caret) is invisible when using Claude Code with /theme light in iTerm2 with a light terminal profile. You cannot see where you're typing. The > prompt character is barely visible too.

This was previously reported in #24587 but was auto-closed as stale without a fix.

Key Evidence

• The cursor works fine in the same terminal, same profile outside of Claude Code (normal shell prompt)
• The cursor works fine in other CLI tools (e.g., OpenAI Codex) in the exact same terminal and profile
• The terminal profile explicitly sets a dark cursor color (#2a6d83 on #f2efed background) — high contrast, clearly visible everywhere except inside Claude Code

This confirms the issue is in Claude Code's rendering, not the terminal configuration.

Behavior Across Profiles

Tested with two iTerm2 profiles to isolate the problem:

| Profile | Background | Cursor Color | Cursor visible? | Bold text visible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | #f9f9f9 | #000000 (black) | Yes | No — bold/bright ANSI colors are near-white |
| Nord Defogged Light | #f2efed | #2a6d83 (dark teal) | No | Yes |

The fact that different things break with different profiles shows Claude Code's light theme is making assumptions about the terminal's ANSI palette instead of ensuring contrast. It works by accident on some palettes and fails on others.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.100
• macOS: 26.3.1 (Tahoe)
• Terminal: iTerm2 3.6.9
• TERM: xterm-256color
• COLORTERM: truecolor
• Claude Code theme: light (/theme light)

iTerm2 profile colors (Nord Defogged Light):

• Background: #f2efed
• Foreground: #2d343f
• Cursor: #2a6d83 (dark teal — clearly visible)
• Cursor Text: #f2efed

What Should Happen?

The text cursor should be visible in the input field, respecting the terminal's cursor color settings or ensuring contrast against the background.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use iTerm2 with any light-background profile (tested with Nord Defogged Light and Default)
2. Launch claude
3. Run /theme light
4. Try to type in the input field — cursor is invisible

Screenshot

_[Attached in comments]_

Related Issues

• #24587 — Same bug, auto-closed as stale (macOS)
• #20928 — Same bug, auto-closed (Linux)
• #24929 — Same bug, auto-closed (Windows)
• #40905 — Light mode ANSI color7 collision (related root cause)
• #40825 — Light mode diff text invisible

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know — the cursor has never been visible for me in light mode.

Claude Code Version

2.1.100