terminal-title_skill

Overview

This skill automatically updates your terminal window title to reflect the current high-level task Claude is working on. It runs quietly in the background at the start of a session or whenever the user switches to a distinctly new task, making it easy to identify multiple Claude Code terminals at a glance.

How this skill works

When triggered, the skill extracts a concise task summary from the user's prompt, formats a short title (max 40 characters) using an [Action/Category]: [Specific Focus] pattern, and executes the title-setting script to update the terminal window. The update is automatic and requires no confirmation; the script handles optional prefixing via an environment variable.

When to use it

• At the start of every new Claude Code session after the first user prompt
• When switching to a substantially different high-level task (e.g., frontend → backend)
• Moving from debugging to new feature development or vice versa
• Starting work on a different module, component, or system area (e.g., auth → payments)
• When opening or managing multiple Claude terminals and you need clear, at-a-glance identification

Best practices

• Keep titles concise and actionable, max 40 characters
• Follow the pattern: [Action/Category]: [Specific Focus] (e.g., "Build: Dashboard UI")
• Do not trigger for follow-up questions, small refinements, or clarifications about the same task
• Avoid system paths, usernames, or full sentences in the title
• Rely on the script’s optional prefix (CLAUDE_TITLE_PREFIX) rather than embedding extra metadata in the title

Example use cases

• User asks to debug an API authentication flow → set title: "Debug: Auth API Flow"
• User requests a new UI component → set title: "Build: User Profile UI"
• Switching from tests to migration work → set title: "DB Migration: Users Table"
• User asks to refactor payment logic → set title: "Refactor: Payment Module"
• Starting a testing sprint for a module → set title: "Test: Payment Module"