[BUG] thinkingVerbs setting missing. spinnerVerbs does not cover the inline thinking-mode flavor phrases

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?

spinnerVerbs (added in v2.1.23, #6814) replaces the playful spinner verbs shown during normal work. Thanks for
that — it's exactly what was needed for the spinner surface.

However, there is a second surface that spinnerVerbs does not cover: the inline thinking-mode flavor phrases shown
beneath the "Thinking" header while extended thinking is in progress, e.g.:

● Thinking
⎿ Double-checking the double-checks…

With spinnerVerbs: { mode: "replace", verbs: ["Working"] } set, the spinner correctly says "Working" — but the
thinking-mode subline still cycles through whimsical phrases ("Double-checking the double-checks…", "Pondering…",
etc.). Another user already noted this on #6814 without response.

Recent closures suggest this is being conflated with #6814:

• #29200 auto-closed 2026-04-23 as a duplicate of #6814.
• #25108 and #24925 auto-closed as duplicates of #20879.

These are a distinct surface and not fixed by v2.1.23.

Requested: a thinkingVerbs setting with the same shape as spinnerVerbs:

{
"thinkingVerbs": {
"mode": "replace",
"verbs": ["Thinking"]
}
}

Why it matters: users who set spinnerVerbs to a single neutral word are explicitly opting out of the playful tone.
The thinking-mode phrases reintroduce it on a surface the existing setting can't reach.

showThinkingSummaries is the wrong knob — it controls the ctrl+o transcript view, not the live header.

What Should Happen?

There should be a setting to add or remove thinking verbs.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Do anything that triggers thinking, wait for it to think.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.119 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Other Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_