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Enhancement: Add --quiet flag to suppress tool call output #9340
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Description
Enhancement Request: Add --quiet flag to suppress tool call output
Summary
Add a --quiet (or --minimal-output) CLI flag to suppress tool call output in interactive mode, showing only the agent's final responses.
Use Case
Advisory agents that use wake-up protocols to load session state currently produce verbose output that obscures the clean summary users expect:
Current Behavior (verbose):
> wake up
⏺ my-executive-coach-aget v2.5.0 (Advisory)
Co-Active Coaching • Strategic Thinking • Executive Leadership
⏺ Search(pattern: ".aget/sessions/SESSION_*.md")
⎿ Found 1 file (ctrl+o to expand)
⏺ Search(pattern: ".aget/commitments/active.yaml")
⎿ Found 1 file (ctrl+o to expand)
⏺ Search(pattern: ".aget/client_progress/*.yaml")
⎿ Found 1 file (ctrl+o to expand)
⏺ Read(.aget/sessions/SESSION_2025-10-08_10-00.md)
⎿ Read 38 lines
⏺ Read(.aget/commitments/active.yaml)
⎿ Read 21 lines
⏺ Read(.aget/client_progress/demo_user.yaml)
⎿ Read 23 lines
⏺ 📍 Last session: 2025-10-08 (2 days ago)
📋 Active commitments: 2
• Delegate architecture decision (due 10/15)
📊 Progress: 1 session
Ready for coaching session.
Desired Behavior (with --quiet):
> wake up
⏺ my-executive-coach-aget v2.5.0 (Advisory)
Co-Active Coaching • Strategic Thinking • Executive Leadership
📍 Last session: 2025-10-08 (2 days ago)
📋 Active commitments: 2
• Delegate architecture decision (due 10/15)
📊 Progress: 1 session
Ready for coaching session.
Problem
- Tool call output adds 6+ lines of noise before the actual response
- Users must scroll past technical details to see the summary
- Particularly problematic for:
- Demo/presentation scenarios
- Advisory agents with initialization routines
- Production use by non-technical users
- Multi-agent workflows where tool verbosity compounds
Proposed Solution
Add a CLI flag:
claude --quiet # Suppress tool call output
claude --minimal-output # Alternative flag nameBehavior:
- Suppress all tool call lines (Search, Read, Glob, etc.)
- Show only agent text responses (text blocks)
- Keep error messages visible (tool failures should still show)
- Apply only to interactive mode (--print mode unaffected)
Configuration:
Could also support:
// ~/.config/claude/settings.json
{
"outputMode": "quiet" // or "verbose" (default)
}Alternatives Considered
- Agent-level suppression - Not possible; tool output is CLI behavior
- Custom output formatter - No hook exists for this
- Accept verbosity - Reduces UX quality for production agents
- Screenshot workarounds - Manual, doesn't help actual users
Impact
Benefits:
- Cleaner UX for advisory agents
- Better demo/presentation experience
- Reduced cognitive load for non-technical users
- Opt-in (doesn't affect existing workflows)
Risks:
- Users might miss important tool failures (mitigated by showing errors)
- Less transparency about what agent is doing (user's choice via flag)
Related Issues
Similar to #8036 (feedback prompt complaints) - users want control over UI noise.
Environment
- Claude Code v2.0.14
- macOS/Linux (likely affects all platforms)
- Use case: AGET framework advisory agents with internal state management
Would this enhancement be considered? Happy to provide additional context or participate in design discussion.
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