Composer placeholder "Type / for commands" gone since desktop app 2.16120.0 (Windows)
What happens
The chat input box in the Claude Code desktop app is completely blank when empty.
It used to show the grey hint text "Type / for commands".
What I expect
The placeholder hint to show when the input box is empty, as it did before.
Why it matters
Without the hint there is nothing showing the input box is ready, and no reminder
that "/" opens the command list. Typing "/" still works - only the hint is gone.
Steps to reproduce
- Open the Claude Code desktop app on Windows.
- Look at the chat input box with nothing typed in it.
- The box is empty - no placeholder text.
When it started
It appeared with the 2.16120.0 update. On this machine the MSIX package was
installed 2026-09-30 00:17 and first launched 00:28; the hint was there before
that and has been missing since. Nothing else on the machine changed the app -
it lives in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_2.16120.0.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc.
Environment
- Claude Code desktop app 2.16120.0.0 (Microsoft Store / MSIX)
- Claude Code CLI 2.1.284
- Windows 11 Home Single Language 10.0.26300
- Theme: light, custom output style
Already tried
- Restarting the app.
- Checked %APPDATA%\Claude\config.json - no placeholder/hint setting exists.
- Checked ~/.claude/settings.json - nothing related.
- Help menu has no "Send feedback" item in this build.