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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [DOCS] Extended thinking docs omit the amber spinner state during long thinking periods [1 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#58866•Fetched 2026-05-14 03:37:32
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Error Message

The main Extended thinking docs explain how to enable thinking and how to inspect the reasoning output, but they do not explain this time-based spinner state or what the amber color means. When users hit a long thinking pause, there is no main-doc explanation that the amber spinner is an expected "still working" signal rather than an error or stuck state.

During long thinking periods, the spinner warms to amber after about 10 seconds to show Claude is still working. This color change is informational rather than an error state.

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Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/model-config

Section/Topic

Extended thinking

Current Documentation

The docs currently say:

Extended thinking is the reasoning Claude emits before responding. On models that support adaptive reasoning, the effort level is the primary control for how much thinking happens; the settings below turn thinking on or off and control how it displays.

Thinking output is collapsed by default. Press Ctrl+O to toggle verbose mode and see the reasoning as gray italic text. Interactive sessions on the Anthropic API receive redacted thinking blocks by default, so set showThinkingSummaries: true in settings if you want the full summaries available when you expand.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Claude Code v2.1.141 added a long-wait thinking indicator where the spinner warms to amber after 10 seconds to show that Claude is still working.

The main Extended thinking docs explain how to enable thinking and how to inspect the reasoning output, but they do not explain this time-based spinner state or what the amber color means. When users hit a long thinking pause, there is no main-doc explanation that the amber spinner is an expected "still working" signal rather than an error or stuck state.

Suggested Improvement

Add a short note to the Extended thinking section describing the long-wait indicator introduced in v2.1.141, for example:

During long thinking periods, the spinner warms to amber after about 10 seconds to show Claude is still working. This color change is informational rather than an error state.

If this behavior is considered part of general spinner UX rather than thinking-specific UX, add the same explanation or a cross-reference in the spinner-related settings/theme docs.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

PageLine(s)Context
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/model-config225-235Extended thinking explains display behavior but not the amber long-wait state
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings235-237Spinner settings document tips and verbs, but not the amber "still working" signal
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/terminal-config177, 194, 249-252Theme tokens document spinner and warning colors without explaining the meaning of the amber state

Total scope: 3 pages affected

Behavior change introduced in v2.1.141.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [DOCS] Extended thinking docs omit the amber spinner state during long thinking periods [1 participants]