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Claude Code CLI RTL

Right-to-left Hebrew, Arabic and Persian in the Claude Code terminal.

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A Claude Code mod that displays Hebrew, Arabic and Persian right-to-left and aligned to the right, while English words, numbers, file paths and code inside the text stay left-to-right. Without it, most terminals show this text in reverse order.

<p align="center"> <a href="assets/hebrew-1.png"><img src="assets/hebrew-1.png" width="32%" alt="Hebrew reply with the mod, part 1: paragraphs, mixed English, numbers and brackets"></a> <a href="assets/hebrew-2.png"><img src="assets/hebrew-2.png" width="32%" alt="Hebrew reply with the mod, part 2: lists, a quote, a table and a code block"></a> <a href="assets/hebrew-3.png"><img src="assets/hebrew-3.png" width="32%" alt="Hebrew reply with the mod, part 3: formatting, emoji, mixed lines, a long wrapped paragraph, and the mod's recap above the prompt"></a> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="assets/arabic-1.png"><img src="assets/arabic-1.png" width="32%" alt="Arabic reply with the mod, part 1: paragraphs, mixed English, numbers and brackets"></a> <a href="assets/arabic-2.png"><img src="assets/arabic-2.png" width="32%" alt="Arabic reply with the mod, part 2: lists, a quote, a table and a code block"></a> <a href="assets/arabic-3.png"><img src="assets/arabic-3.png" width="32%" alt="Arabic reply with the mod, part 3: formatting, emoji, mixed lines, a long wrapped paragraph, and the mod's recap above the prompt"></a> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="assets/persian-1.png"><img src="assets/persian-1.png" width="32%" alt="Persian reply with the mod, part 1: paragraphs, mixed English, numbers and brackets"></a> <a href="assets/persian-2.png"><img src="assets/persian-2.png" width="32%" alt="Persian reply with the mod, part 2: lists, a quote, a table and a code block"></a> <a href="assets/persian-3.png"><img src="assets/persian-3.png" width="32%" alt="Persian reply with the mod, part 3: formatting, emoji, mixed lines, a long wrapped paragraph, and the mod's recap above the prompt"></a> </p> <p align="center">_{The same reply in Hebrew, Arabic and Persian, shown in Claude Code 2.1.289 with the mod, in Windows Terminal (default font and colors). The third image in each row shows the mod's recap (<code>※ recap</code>) above the prompt, with the <code>recap</code> setting on. Click an image to enlarge it. See also <a href="assets/before.png">the Hebrew reply without the mod</a>, in Windows Terminal.}</p> <p align="center"><a href="#install">Install</a> · <a href="#what-it-fixes">What it fixes</a> · <a href="#seeing-what-you-type">What you type</a> · <a href="#terminal-support">Terminal support</a> · <a href="#settings">Settings</a></p>

Install

You need Claude Code 2.1.287 or newer (claude --version).

For humans

Run these two commands in a terminal, then restart Claude Code:

claude plugin marketplace add ofekbetzalel/claude-code-cli-rtl
claude plugin install rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl

For Arabic and Persian in any terminal except Windows Terminal, also run /plugin configure rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl inside Claude Code and set arabic to forms.

For AI agents

Paste this into Claude Code, or any coding agent that can run shell commands:

Install the Claude Code RTL mod for me: https://github.com/ofekbetzalel/claude-code-cli-rtl

<details> <summary><b>Instructions for the agent</b></summary>

If a user asked you to install this mod, follow these steps exactly:

1. Run claude --version. It must be 2.1.287 or newer. If it is older, tell the user to run claude update, and stop the installation.
2. Add the marketplace (safe to run even if it is already added):

   claude plugin marketplace add ofekbetzalel/claude-code-cli-rtl
   claude plugin marketplace update claude-code-cli-rtl
   

3. Run claude plugin list and look for rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl:
   • If it is not listed, run claude plugin install rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl.
   • If it is listed, run claude plugin update rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl.
   • If it is listed with Status: ✘ disabled, also run claude plugin enable rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl.
4. Run claude plugin list again and confirm that rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl shows Status: ✔ enabled. Do not report success before this.
5. Ask the user whether they read Arabic or Persian in a terminal other than Windows Terminal. Only if they do, set this option. It does not change their other settings:

   echo '{"arabic":"forms"}' | claude plugin configure rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl --values-stdin
   

6. Tell the user to restart Claude Code. The session that is already running will not load the mod.

Do not change other settings, clone the repository or install anything else.

</details>

Update

claude plugin marketplace update claude-code-cli-rtl
claude plugin update rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl

Uninstall

claude plugin uninstall rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl

Restart Claude Code after updating or removing the mod.

What it fixes

• Sentences read right-to-left and are aligned to the right, even when they start with an English word or a file path.
• Mixed text: English words, numbers, versions, paths, inline code and links stay left-to-right inside the sentence.
• Markdown: headings, bold and italic text, quotes, bullet and numbered lists (markers on the right), and tables (columns run from the right).
• Code blocks: Hebrew, Arabic and Persian comments and strings read right-to-left, while the code around them stays left-to-right.
• Lists: an English item in a Hebrew list stays on the list's side.
• Emoji and brackets appear on the correct side of the words around them.
• Arabic and Persian: letters join into words, including lam-alef (لا), and Persian words with a zero-width non-joiner (می‌خواهم) keep their break. Windows Terminal joins the letters itself; the other terminals need arabic set to forms.
• Your own messages in the conversation, and the output of commands such as /recap.
• What you type: the band above the prompt and the /rtl-draft command show your draft right-to-left (see below).

Only the display changes: what you type, the saved conversation and what the model reads stay exactly as written. The mod does not patch Claude Code, and it does not use the network, except for the optional recap, which asks the session's model for a summary.

Seeing what you type

Claude Code draws its own input box, and mods cannot redraw it. So the box does not show right-to-left text correctly (Limitations). The mod gives you two ways to see what you type.

/rtl-draft opens a pane that shows your whole draft right-to-left, with a marker at the cursor. In Claude Code's fullscreen view, when the terminal is about 110 columns wide or wider, the pane opens beside the conversation. Otherwise, it opens above the prompt. It opens immediately, even while Claude is replying. Run /rtl-draft again or click ✕ in the pane to close it.

<p align="center"><a href="assets/draft-pane.png"><img src="assets/draft-pane.png" alt="The /rtl-draft pane on the right shows a draft of three paragraphs, the same text in Hebrew, Arabic and Persian, right-to-left. Claude Code's own input box at the bottom holds the same draft."></a></p> <p align="center">_{A draft of three paragraphs: the same text in Hebrew, Arabic and Persian. On the right, the mod's pane; at the bottom, Claude Code's own input box.}</p>

The band above the prompt lets you see what you type right-to-left without opening /rtl-draft. It is on by default (the preview setting) and appears whenever your draft contains right-to-left letters. While the /rtl-draft pane is open, the band does not show the draft.

<p align="center"><img src="assets/preview-band.png" alt="The mod's band above the prompt, showing a two-line Hebrew draft right-to-left and aligned right"></p>

Terminal support

Tested on Windows 11 with Ubuntu in WSL and Claude Code 2.1.289. Screenshots from each terminal.

| | Windows Terminal | WezTerm | Konsole ¹ | mintty ² | Browser (xterm.js) | | --- | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | | Hebrew reads right-to-left | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Lines aligned right | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | English and numbers in place | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Arabic and Persian letters joined | ✅ | ✅ ³ | ✅ ³ | ✅ ³ | ✅ ³ |

1. Turn off Bi-Directional text rendering in the Konsole profile.
2. wsltty, with mintty's bidi turned off (-o Bidi=0). Hebrew letters still come out reversed inside each word.
3. With arabic set to forms.

In Windows Terminal and the VS Code terminal, Claude Code reorders right-to-left text itself. The mod detects this and draws its lines so that they come out in the right order, so start Claude Code as usual.

Not tested yet: macOS Terminal, iTerm2, GNOME Terminal and the VS Code terminal itself (the mod's output for it was checked cell by cell, but not on screen). If right-to-left text looks reversed with the mod on, your terminal is probably reordering it a second time: turn off its bidi option if it has one, or set order to logical. Reports from other terminals are welcome.

Settings

Change them inside Claude Code, in /config (the mod's rows end in · rtl) or with /plugin configure rtl@claude-code-cli-rtl. The names in bold are the ones /config shows. The mod also adds the /rtl-draft command (Seeing what you type).

| Setting | Values | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | Character order<br>order | visual (default), logical, off | visual: the mod puts the text in display order itself, for terminals that do not reorder text. logical: only align right, for terminals that reorder text themselves. off: Claude Code draws text as usual. | | Paragraph direction<br>direction | rtl-share (default), first-strong | rtl-share: a paragraph is right-to-left if its first letter is right-to-left, or if at least 30% of its letters are (inline code not counted). first-strong: only the first letter decides (the Unicode rule). | | Text color for RTL rows<br>textColor | #rrggbb, or empty | The color of right-to-left text. Set it if right-to-left text does not match the color of the rest of the text. | | Prompt preview<br>preview | on (default), draft, off | The band above the prompt shows what you type, and Claude Code's dim suggestion, right-to-left while they hold right-to-left letters. draft: only what you type. off: no band. | | Recap band<br>recap | off (default), on | on: after you have been away for about four minutes, the mod shows its own recap above the prompt, right-to-left when the recap is. It asks for the recap in the language of your messages, but the model decides. Turn off Claude Code's own Session recap first (/config): while it is on, the band stays hidden and the mod shows a note saying so. Each recap asks the session's model once more, which can take more than one request. | | Arabic and Persian letters<br>arabic | letters (default), forms | letters: plain letters, which the terminal joins (Windows Terminal does). forms: the mod writes each letter in its joined shape, for the other terminals. Hebrew is not affected. |

Limitations

• The input box is drawn by Claude Code, and mods cannot redraw it. In most terminals, right-to-left text in the box appears reversed. In Windows Terminal, Claude Code reorders the text itself, but aligns it to the left. The cursor may show in the wrong place, and a wrapped line with English words or numbers can be out of order. To see your draft right-to-left, use /rtl-draft or the band above the prompt (Seeing what you type). Once you send it, your message is drawn right-to-left.
• The preview band needs room. Claude Code gives the prompt and the band at most half the terminal, so a long draft in a short terminal leaves no room for the band.
• Replies are redrawn when they finish. While a reply streams it is shown left-to-right.
• Tool output and permission dialogs are drawn by Claude Code as usual.
• Claude Code's automatic recap (※ recap:) cannot be reached by mods, so it reads backwards. Turn it off in /config (Session recap) and set the mod's recap to on to get a right-to-left recap instead. The /recap command's output is drawn right-to-left.
• Code lines that hold right-to-left text keep the colors of their comments and strings, but the rest of the line (keywords, names) loses its syntax colors.
• Copying text from the terminal gives right-to-left text in its on-screen order, which is reversed.
• Very long replies and Mermaid diagrams may be drawn by Claude Code as usual, with a dim note under the reply that says why.
• Colors: the mod needs a terminal with 24-bit color. In browser-based terminals, avoid the dark-ansi and light-ansi themes, which can show right-to-left words reversed.
• Arabic and Persian in Windows Terminal: keep arabic at letters. Its default font has no glyphs for the joined shapes that forms writes. More about fonts in docs/design/arabic-persian.md.

How it works

Claude Code 2.1.287 added mods: plugins that can replace how parts of the screen are drawn. This mod redraws replies and messages that contain right-to-left letters. It runs the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm on each paragraph, wraps it to the terminal width, and writes every line in the order it is read, aligned to the right. The details are in How it works.

Contributing

Bug reports with a screenshot, the text, and your terminal's name help the most. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT. Includes bidi-js (MIT).

This is an independent project, not affiliated with Anthropic.