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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix Escape key and Ctrl+C do not interrupt or cancel prompts (macOS) [2 comments, 2 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#49309•Fetched 2026-04-17 08:44:55
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Escape key and Ctrl+C are completely unresponsive in Claude Code on macOS. This affects:

  1. Interrupting/canceling active prompts — pressing Escape or Ctrl+C shows no effect; Claude continues executing to completion. There is no way to stop a running response.
  2. Escaping from Status/Usage screens — the Escape key does not close these screens in /config, despite #32947 being marked as fixed.

Both behaviors occur consistently across sessions.

Root Cause

#3455 was auto-closed due to inactivity, not because it was resolved. Multiple users have reported this across different macOS setups, terminals, and IDE plugins. This appears to be an ongoing regression that has not been properly addressed.

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Description

Escape key and Ctrl+C are completely unresponsive in Claude Code on macOS. This affects:

  1. Interrupting/canceling active prompts — pressing Escape or Ctrl+C shows no effect; Claude continues executing to completion. There is no way to stop a running response.
  2. Escaping from Status/Usage screens — the Escape key does not close these screens in /config, despite #32947 being marked as fixed.

Both behaviors occur consistently across sessions.

Related Issues

  • #3455 — "Interrupt signals (Escape and Ctrl+C) show feedback but don't stop agent execution" (auto-closed without fix)
  • #11491 — "ESC key not working on Mac - cannot interrupt Claude" (closed as duplicate of #3455)
  • #32947 — "Escape key not working on Status/Usage tabs in /config menu" (marked fixed, but issue persists)

Expected Behavior

  • Pressing Escape during an active response should interrupt/cancel it immediately.
  • Pressing Escape on Status/Usage screens should close them.

Actual Behavior

  • Escape and Ctrl+C have no effect during active responses.
  • Escape does not close Status/Usage screens.

Environment

  • OS: macOS (Darwin 25.4.0)
  • Shell: fish
  • Claude Code model: claude-opus-4-6
  • Installation: CLI

Notes

#3455 was auto-closed due to inactivity, not because it was resolved. Multiple users have reported this across different macOS setups, terminals, and IDE plugins. This appears to be an ongoing regression that has not been properly addressed.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can be mitigated by investigating and potentially fixing the handling of interrupt signals (Escape and Ctrl+C) in the Claude Code application on macOS.

Guidance

  • Review the code changes made to address #32947, as the issue persists despite being marked as fixed, to identify potential regressions or incomplete fixes.
  • Investigate the differences in signal handling between the Claude Code application and other terminal applications on macOS to identify potential inconsistencies.
  • Consider reopening #3455 to properly address the interrupt signal issue, as it was auto-closed without a resolution.
  • Test the application with different terminal emulators and IDE plugins to isolate the issue and determine if it's specific to the fish shell or a more general problem.

Example

No code snippet is provided due to the lack of specific code details in the issue.

Notes

The issue seems to be a regression that has not been properly addressed, and multiple users have reported it across different setups. The fix may require changes to the application's signal handling mechanism.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround by using an alternative method to interrupt or cancel active prompts, such as using a different keyboard shortcut or command, until a proper fix is implemented. This is recommended because the issue is ongoing and affects the usability of the application.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix Escape key and Ctrl+C do not interrupt or cancel prompts (macOS) [2 comments, 2 participants]