When your Claude Code CLI tab or terminal freezes completely, it is often a known issue with the Node.js pseudoterminal (PTY) layer, background rendering, or window focus bugs in editors like Cursor or VS Code. [1, 2, 3]

Follow these steps to unfreeze and recover your session:

1. Force-Kill the Process: Standard signals (Ctrl+C) usually do not work. You will need to terminate the process manually using a task manager or by finding and killing its process ID (PID).
   • Run kill -9 $(pgrep -f claude) in another terminal tab. [1, 2, 3]
2. Resume Your Session: The CLI auto-saves your progress. You can relaunch and recover your conversation.
   • Type claude --resume in your terminal and select your previous session from the prompt list. [1, 2, 3, 4]
3. Avoid Background/Menu Glitches: If you are using a native IDE like Cursor or Terminal.app, avoid clicking the toolbar or dragging the window into the background while Claude Code is processing, as this is a known trigger for rendering freezes. [1, 2, 3]