[FEATURE] Desktop Code tab: bring back the classic animated spark as the thinking indicator
Summary
In a recent Claude Desktop update, the thinking indicator in the Code tab's turn status row (5s · Thinking) changed from the animated Claude spark to a rotating "node graph" mark.
Please bring back the classic animated spark, or at least add a setting so users can choose it.
Current behavior (Claude Desktop 2.19675.0, macOS)
What users see now. These are real screenshots of the status row (red circles are mine):
<img width="404" alt="Real screenshots of the Code tab status row: the indicator shows 3–4 loose orange dots" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d17cf23c-557f-4522-af6d-9ca858578537" />
At the real 20px size, the lines connecting the nodes are invisible, so the indicator just reads as 3–4 loose orange dots. It looks like a rendering glitch, not a Claude mark.
What the new animation actually is. The spark shrinks to a dot, then turns into a rotating 3- or 4-node graph. This is rendered (enlarged) from the app's own nodeMarkAnimations sprite sheet:
<img width="120" height="120" alt="New node-graph thinking animation" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/336ffe2b-37ef-4aea-98a7-19fb2e11a231" />
Expected behavior: the classic spark
👉 This is what I want back. Rendered from the app's own thinking spark sprite:
<img width="120" height="120" alt="Classic animated spark thinking animation" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/93e0bbd8-ed9e-4ccc-b0fb-e09a2c989511" />
The classic animated spark is distinctive and instantly recognizable as Claude. Its sprite (thinking) still ships in the app bundle. Yes, the internet has its jokes about that shape, and users love it anyway.
Why the existing workaround isn't enough
Turning on Motion → "Reduce animation in streaming responses and other interface elements" brings back a spark, but it's choppy, and it also turns off every other UI animation.
Proposal
- Add a setting, e.g. Appearance → Thinking indicator: Classic spark / Nodes, or
- Make the classic spark animation the default again. The node mark could still be used elsewhere.
From the bundle, the switch appears to be the turnStatusActivityMarks flag, so exposing it as a user preference should be straightforward.