Claude Code

Blade is built from the ground up for Claude Code. Here's how to get started.

Last updated: February 16, 2026

Setup

Claude Code requires Node.js 18+ and npm. Install it globally:

$ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then launch it inside Blade:

$ claude

That's it. Blade automatically enables every terminal feature Claude Code needs—no configuration required.

Compatibility

Blade supports every terminal feature that Claude Code uses. Here's the full compatibility matrix:

Feature	Status	Notes
Shift+Enter (multi-line input)	Supported	Sends ESC + CR sequence
24-bit True Color	Supported	Full RGB via CSI 38;2;r;g;b m
Bracketed Paste Mode	Supported	CSI ?2004h/l
Mouse Reporting	Supported	SGR mode (CSI < button;x;y M/m)
Focus Tracking	Supported	CSI ?1004h (focus/blur events)
Kitty Keyboard Protocol	Supported	CSI u encoding, push/pop/query
Unicode / Emoji	Supported	Full grapheme clusters, ZWJ sequences
OSC Hyperlinks	Supported	OSC 8 clickable links
OSC Clipboard	Supported	OSC 52 clipboard access
Large Paste Buffers	Supported	No truncation on large pastes

Recommended Configuration

While Blade works out of the box with Claude Code, here's a config optimized for AI development:

# Optimized for Claude Code

[font]
family = "JetBrains Mono"     # or "Fira Code" for ligatures
size = 14
ligatures = true

[colors]
theme = "catppuccin-mocha"     # easy on the eyes for long sessions

[scrolling]
history = 50000              # more scrollback for long Claude sessions

[cursor]
style = "beam"                # thin cursor for text editing
blink = true

Tips

Increase scrollback — Claude Code sessions can produce a lot of output. Set history = 50000 or higher.
Use Shift+Enter — Write multi-line prompts before submitting. Blade sends the correct escape sequence automatically.
Search scrollback — Use Ctrl+Shift+F to search through Claude's output.
Open multiple tabs — Keep Claude in one tab and your shell in another. Use Ctrl+Tab to switch.
Paste large blocks — Blade uses bracketed paste mode, so pasting code into Claude works correctly.
Run blade doctor — If something looks off, blade doctor will check your setup. See Troubleshooting for common issues.

Built for Claude Code: Blade is the only terminal emulator designed specifically for AI-native development. Every feature was tested against Claude Code's 59-test compatibility suite.