Claude Code Desktop 2.1.119 hides spinner verbs / tool-use summaries via Desktop feature flag

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?

Claude Code Desktop on macOS no longer shows spinner verbs / tool-use summaries while Claude is working. The CLI on the same machine still shows them normally, so this appears specific to Desktop-hosted Claude Code sessions.

Observed in Desktop:

• The orange activity indicator is visible.
• Elapsed time and token counters are visible.
• The rotating spinner verb text is missing.

Observed in CLI:

• Spinner verbs such as Elucidating... appear normally.

I ruled out the transcript/view mode path. I tested all Desktop transcript modes available in the UI: Normal, Reflexion en cours, Detaille, and Resume. The issue persists in all modes.

I also tested forcing the relevant environment variable through ~/.claude/settings.json; it remains ineffective after restarting Desktop. The Desktop-hosted Claude Code process still receives CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_TOOL_USE_SUMMARIES=false from the Desktop host.

What Should Happen?

Claude Code Desktop should show spinner verbs / tool-use summaries consistently with Claude Code CLI, or expose a documented setting to enable or disable this behavior.

If Desktop intentionally suppresses these summaries for some users through a feature flag, the setting should be documented or reflected in the UI so users can distinguish a deliberate rollout from a local configuration problem.

Error Messages/Logs

Desktop-hosted Claude Code receives `CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_TOOL_USE_SUMMARIES=false`.

CLI on the same machine does not define that variable and shows spinner verbs normally.

Read-only investigation found the Desktop host appears to derive this env var from feature flag `3792010343` in `app.asar/.vite/build/index.js`.

Local Desktop cache `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/fcache` shows flag `3792010343` as false with source `defaultValue` and no experiment/rule targeting.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code Desktop on macOS.
2. 2. Start any task that causes Claude to work/stream for a few seconds.
3. 3. Observe the Desktop status row: activity indicator, elapsed time, and token counters are visible, but spinner verb text is absent.
4. 4. Switch transcript view through all available modes: Normal, Reflexion en cours, Detaille, Resume.
5. 5. Observe that spinner verbs remain absent in every mode.
6. 6. In a separate terminal, run Claude Code CLI on the same machine.
7. 7. Start a similar task and observe that spinner verbs such as Elucidating... appear normally.
8. 8. Check environment: Desktop-hosted Claude Code receives CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_TOOL_USE_SUMMARIES=false, while CLI does not define it.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown

Claude Code Version

2.1.119 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

This appears specific to the Desktop provider-managed host path. CLI behavior is correct on the same machine.

Could you confirm whether feature flag 3792010343 controls Desktop spinner verbs / tool-use summaries, and whether this is an incomplete rollout, account/cohort targeting issue, or Desktop regression in 2.1.119?

I did not patch app.asar; this was read-only investigation.