/status corrupts OAuth session on narrow terminals — Max switches to Claude API, model downgrade, and 401 errors

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?

After successful /login using Claude Max (OAuth), the CLI initially works and shows "Opus 4.6 · Claude Max".

However, after running /status and dismissing it (Esc), the session state changes unexpectedly:

• Banner switches to "Sonnet 4.6 · Claude API"
• Model downgrades from Opus to Sonnet
• All subsequent commands fail with:

API Error: 401 (Invalid authentication credentials)

Additionally, the /status output renders incorrectly (garbled vertical text) on a narrow mobile terminal (Termius iOS).

This suggests /status is mutating session/auth state instead of being read-only.

This appears to be a session/auth state corruption triggered by UI rendering (/status) rather than user configuration.

What Should Happen?

/status should be read-only and must not modify:

• Authentication method (should remain Claude Max OAuth)
• Model selection (should remain Opus 4.6)
• Session validity

CLI should remain stable regardless of terminal width or UI rendering issues.

Error Messages/Logs

API Error: 401
{"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"Invalid authentication credentials"}}

Steps to Reproduce

1. Launch claude
2. Run /login → Login successful
3. Observe banner: Opus 4.6 · Claude Max
4. Run /status → output renders incorrectly (vertical/garbled)
5. Press Esc to dismiss
6. Observe banner switches to: Sonnet 4.6 · Claude API
7. Run any command → 401 authentication error

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown (issue started recently, not observed before v2.1.109)

Claude Code Version

2.1.109

Platform

Other

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Occurs consistently on mobile SSH (Termius on iOS) with a narrow terminal viewport.

Running /status renders incorrectly (garbled/vertical layout). Dismissing it (Esc) immediately flips the banner from "Opus 4.6 · Claude Max" to "Sonnet 4.6 · Claude API".

After that, all commands return:
API Error: 401 (Invalid authentication credentials)

Re-running /login restores functionality temporarily.

Actual environment details:

• OS: Kali Linux (Debian-based, headless)
• Terminal: Termius (iOS SSH client, narrow viewport)
• Auth: Claude.ai OAuth (Max subscription, NOT API key)

Note: Dropdown selections are approximate due to limited options in the GitHub form.

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<img width="603" height="1311" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/af76a465-348e-4aae-9dd2-abd84385a323" />
<img width="603" height="1311" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3d6f27ea-d791-4a0a-8f2b-84296b60d1d2" />