claude-arabic

Claude Arabic Terminal

VS Code's terminal (xterm.js) cannot render right-to-left scripts: Arabic comes out with disconnected letters and reversed word order, and nothing in settings fixes it. This skill installs a small VS Code extension that runs Claude Code in a pseudo-terminal, keeps the screen in a headless terminal emulator, and renders it as HTML inside VS Code — so the browser engine does the Arabic shaping and bidi, exactly like claude.ai.

Repository: https://github.com/JamalMohafil/claude-arabic-terminal

Your job

Run the installer for the user's OS, verify it worked, and finish by telling them the single command they need from now on: arabic claude.

Steps

1. Check prerequisites (stop and tell the user if one is missing)

git, node (18+), npm — git --version, node -v, npm -v
Claude Code CLI — claude --version
VS Code with the code CLI — code --version (if code is missing on macOS: VS Code → Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH")

2. Run the installer

macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JamalMohafil/claude-arabic-terminal/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JamalMohafil/claude-arabic-terminal/main/install.ps1 | iex

The installer clones the repo to ~/.claude-arabic-terminal, runs npm install, links the extension into ~/.vscode/extensions/, and puts the arabic launcher in ~/.local/bin (added to PATH if needed). Re-running it updates an existing install.

If curl/irm is blocked, clone the repo manually and run ./install.sh or .\install.ps1 from inside it.

3. Verify

ls ~/.vscode/extensions | grep claude-arabic (Windows: dir $env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions) shows jamal.claude-arabic-terminal-<version>
command -v arabic (Windows: Get-Command arabic) resolves — if not, the user must open a new terminal so PATH refreshes
ls ~/.claude-arabic-terminal/node_modules/node-pty/prebuilds lists darwin-* / win32-*

4. Tell the user exactly this

Reload VS Code: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"
From now on, in any VS Code terminal, run:
```
arabic claude
```
Every Claude Code flag passes through unchanged: arabic claude --dangerously-skip-permissions, arabic claude --resume, arabic claude --model opus
The first launch shows "Allow 'Claude Arabic Terminal' to open this URI?" — tick "Do not ask me again for this extension" and click Open.

Claude Code opens as an Arabic-capable pane inside the VS Code terminal area, running in the folder the command was launched from.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`arabic: command not found`	Open a new terminal (PATH was just updated), or run `~/.local/bin/arabic claude`
URI dialog appears but nothing opens	VS Code hasn't reloaded since install — Developer: Reload Window
"claude exited with code 1" immediately	Run `claude` in a normal terminal first to finish login / trust the folder
Extension doesn't load on macOS (`posix_spawnp failed`)	`chmod +x ~/.claude-arabic-terminal/node_modules/node-pty/prebuilds/*/spawn-helper`
Want it as an editor tab instead of the terminal area	Command Palette → "Claude Arabic Terminal: Open in Editor Tab"

Uninstall

rm -rf ~/.claude-arabic-terminal ~/.vscode/extensions/jamal.claude-arabic-terminal-* ~/.local/bin/arabic