Originally published on NextFuture Fix Claude Code Terminal Flicker: NO_FLICKER Config (May 2026) TL;DR: Claude Code's TUI flickers on narrow terminals because the status line redraws faster than your emulator can paint. Fix: export CLAUDE_CODE_NO_FLICKER=1 , widen your window to ≥100 columns, and confirm your emulator's damage_tracking setting. Most cases resolve in under a minute. Symptom You launch claude , start typing, and the bottom three lines of the screen — model badge, token meter, working-directory hint — strobe at roughly 30 Hz. Cursor jumps. Long output looks like it's tearing. The faster you type, the worse it gets. $ claude > refactor apps/worker/src/scheduler.ts [ blink][blink][blink] ← status line redrawing sonnet-4-6 │ 12,488 tok │ ~/news-app Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode This started showing up widely after the 2.5.x release in March 2026 when Anthropic added the live token meter to the bottom chrome. It's not in your head. Cause The TUI uses an alt-screen + per-frame diff.…