[FEATURE] Show error reason in retry status line

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

When Claude Code retries an API request, the status line only shows:

Retrying in 4s · attempt 6/10

There is no indication of what error triggered the retry (429, 529, timeout, ECONNRESET, etc.).

Additionally, pressing Esc cancels the retry loop but does not display the error — it simply returns to the input prompt and the error information is lost entirely.

This means the user is completely blind during the retry window and has no way to make an informed decision about whether to wait or take action (check network, API key, rate limits, etc.).

Proposed Solution

Show the error type inline in the retry status:

Retrying in 4s · attempt 6/10 (529 overloaded_error)

Retrying in 4s · attempt 6/10 (ECONNRESET)

When the user presses Esc to cancel the retry loop, display the last error message before returning to the input prompt, so the error is not lost.

Alternative Solutions

• Opening log files in another terminal to find the error — this is cumbersome and the log path is not well-documented.
• Waiting for all 10 retries to complete hoping the error is shown at the end — wastes time if the issue is persistent.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

1. I'm working in Claude Code and send a prompt
2. The status shows "Retrying in 4s · attempt 6/10" — I don't know why
3. If it's a 529 (overloaded), I'd be happy to wait a minute
4. If it's a network error or auth issue, I'd rather cancel immediately and fix the problem
5. But currently I can't tell the difference, and pressing Esc loses the error entirely

Additional Context

• Platform: macOS (darwin)
• Claude Code version: 2.1.128
• API: Anthropic API compatible (third-party provider)