[BUG] Ctrl+G external editor kills the Windows Terminal window when $EDITOR is a terminal app (nvim)

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?

Pressing Ctrl+G to hand off to an external editor (also reachable via /plan and /memory) produces no output and kills the entire Windows Terminal window when $env:EDITOR is set to a terminal-based editor such as nvim. The window closes immediately, Claude Code and the shell die with it, and no editor UI is ever drawn.

Scoping done so far:

• nvim runs fine standalone in the same PowerShell session in the same Windows Terminal window, so this is not a PATH or nvim-config problem.
• A GUI editor (notepad) works correctly through the same Ctrl+G flow, so launching an editor at all is not the problem.
• Only the full-screen console-app case fails, which points at the console/ConPTY handoff to a child that wants the alternate screen buffer, rather than at configuration.

What Should Happen?

nvim should open in the same terminal window with the prompt/plan content loaded, and on exit control should return cleanly to Claude Code with the edited content picked up, matching the behavior on macOS and Linux.

Error Messages/Logs

(none - the terminal window closes with no output, no stack trace, and no
Claude Code error message)

Steps to Reproduce

1. On Windows 11 (build 26100), open Windows Terminal with a PowerShell profile.
2. Install nvim and confirm it works: run nvim, verify it draws, then :q.
3. Set the editor: $env:EDITOR = "nvim", and confirm with echo $env:EDITOR. (Also reproduced with EDITOR set as a persistent Windows user env var and via ~/.claude/settings.json.)
4. Run claude (2.1.222) in that window.
5. Type any prompt text, then press Ctrl+G. (/plan triggers the same path.)
6. The entire Windows Terminal window closes immediately. No editor appears and no error is printed.
7. Counter-check in a fresh window: set $env:EDITOR = "notepad", then repeat steps 4-5. notepad opens, edits round-trip, and Claude Code continues normally.

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.222

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

• OS: Windows 11 Pro, 10.0.26100
• Shell: PowerShell
• $env:EDITOR: nvim

Possibly related, but distinct - in all of these the terminal survives, whereas here the window is destroyed outright:

• #73301 (open) - nvim opens via Ctrl+G in WezTerm on Windows but receives no keyboard input.
• #51363 (closed, not planned) - arrow-key escape sequences not forwarded to the child PTY on Windows, Helix unusable.
• #58664 (closed, not planned) - Ctrl+G spawn regression on Windows + Cygwin/MSYS2, TUI hangs instead of launching vim.
• #53595 (closed, completed) - Backspace/Ctrl+Backspace inverted after returning from nvim via Ctrl+G in Windows Terminal.