Vim mode: Ctrl-[ dismisses AskUserQuestion prompts instead of entering normal mode
Description
With vim mode enabled, Ctrl-[ works as an Escape alias for entering normal
mode in the main prompt. Inside an AskUserQuestion selection prompt, it is
instead treated as a dismiss/cancel key, so the question is rejected and the
turn is interrupted.
For anyone with the Ctrl-[ habit this fires constantly and unintentionally —
the keypress is reflex, and the cost is a cancelled tool call plus a lost
answer.
Steps to reproduce
- Enable vim mode (
/vim). - Get Claude to ask a question via the multiple-choice question prompt.
- Press
Ctrl-[intending to enter normal mode.
Expected
Ctrl-[ behaves the same as it does in the main prompt — enters normal mode,
allowing j/k navigation of the options.
Actual
The question prompt is dismissed and the tool call is rejected.
Notes
Plain Escape dismissing the prompt seems reasonable; the issue is thatCtrl-[ is bound to dismiss too, despite vim mode having claimed it as a
normal-mode trigger everywhere else. Either vim mode should own Ctrl-[
inside these prompts, or the two keys should be unbound from each other there.
Environment
- Claude Code 2.1.228, vim mode enabled
- Linux
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