What is Asciimood? The ASCII animation plugin for Claude Code
Asciimood is a free Claude Code plugin that replaces the scroll of tool calls with an ASCII animation that changes with what Claude is doing. Here is everything it does, in one page.
Asciimood is a free plugin for Claude Code (Mac, Windows, Linux). While Claude works, it plays a looping ASCII animation in the terminal that changes with what Claude is doing: thinking, reading, writing, running a command, hitting an error, done. Routine tool calls fold into one grey line; errors, permission prompts, questions and the final answer always stay visible. Install it with /plugin install asciimood --marketplace tmdlz/asciimood.
What Asciimood does
When Claude Code works on a task, the terminal fills with tool calls: files read, edits made, commands run. Asciimood swaps that wall of text for a looping ASCII animation drawn right in the terminal, above the prompt. The animation changes with what Claude is doing, so you can tell where it is at a glance.
| What Claude is doing | Which tools count | Default animation |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for you | between turns | Sleeping cat |
| Thinking | planning, sub-agents, to-do lists | Bolt |
| Reading files | Read, Grep, Glob, LS, web fetch and search | DNA helix |
| Writing code | Edit, Write, MultiEdit, notebook edits | Character rain |
| Running a command | Bash and every other tool | Tunnel |
| Hit an error | a failed tool call or turn (the frame turns red) | Fire |
| Done | the turn finished | Waves |
Under the animation, one status line says what Claude is doing right now (for example Edit theme.css), how long the turn has run, and which animation is playing.
What it never hides
Asciimood folds only the routine scroll. These always show in full:
- errors, and any tool call that failed;
- permission prompts;
- questions Claude asks you, and plan approvals;
- Claude's final answer.
Each folded tool call stays as one quiet grey line, so you keep the thread. Folding can be switched off on the setup page if you want the full output back.
How to install it
In a Claude Code session, paste:
/plugin install asciimood --marketplace tmdlz/asciimoodAnswer y to add the marketplace and press Enter. From a shell, the same thing is claude plugin install asciimood --marketplace tmdlz/asciimood. In the Claude desktop app: + next to the prompt box, Plugins, Add marketplace with tmdlz/asciimood, then Add plugin. The full walkthrough is in How to install a Claude Code plugin.
How to choose the animations
Type /asciimood in Claude Code. Your setup page opens on asciimood.com, already linked to that Claude Code. There are three ways to play:
- One per state: give thinking, reading, writing, running, errors and done each their own animation.
- One for everything: a single animation, all the time.
- Shuffle: a different animation each time Claude changes what it is doing.
Changes play in Claude Code within seconds, with no restart. The free library has more than twenty animations: a sleeping cat, a DNA helix, character rain, a spinning torus, plasma, a lava lamp, a horse, a gull, a vortex and more.
Privacy: no account, nothing personal
Asciimood has no sign-up. The plugin makes itself a random, anonymous id; the website keeps your picks under that id and nothing else. Your code, your prompts and Claude's output never leave your machine through Asciimood: the animation is drawn locally, inside Claude Code. Details are on the privacy page.
Asciimood Pro
Asciimood is free, and stays free. Asciimood Pro is an optional one-time purchase (9 €, no subscription) that unlocks a growing library of more detailed animations, such as a dragon, a shark, a hologram or a skull. One license key works on up to three computers. Turn it on with /asciimood followed by your key.
Filming a demo
Asciimood can play without a model call, which is handy for screen recordings: /asciimood demo plays a made-up session, /asciimood tour walks the whole library (add clean to hide the frame), and /asciimood stop ends it. None of these use tokens.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asciimood free?
Yes. The plugin and its library of more than twenty animations are free, with no account. Asciimood Pro is an optional one-time purchase (9 €) for extra animations.
Does Asciimood slow Claude Code down or use tokens?
No. It runs inside Claude Code on your machine and only changes what you see, not what Claude does. It makes no model calls and uses no tokens.
Will I miss errors or permission prompts?
No. Errors, failed tool calls, permission prompts, questions Claude asks and the final answer always show in full. Only routine tool calls fold into one grey line.
Which systems does Asciimood work on?
Claude Code on macOS, Linux and Windows. The animation plays in Claude Code's terminal interface.
How do I remove Asciimood?
Open /plugin in Claude Code and uninstall Asciimood, or run claude plugin uninstall asciimood from a shell.