If you've been using Claude Code lately, you've probably noticed those little spinner verbs floating on screen while the model churns through its thinking process. Default text like "Thinking..." or "Analyzing..." gets the job done, but let's be real โ€” it's not exactly peak aesthetic. Good news: there's now an official way to customize these with the spinnerVerbs setting.

Where Claude Code Stores Its Settings

Claude Code lets you configure settings at two levels: globally for your user account or per-project in version control. User-level settings live in ~/.claude/settings.json and apply across every project you touch โ€” clean and consistent. Project-level settings, meanwhile, let you keep different configurations per repository if that's your thing. Most folks will want to stick with user settings for spinner verbs since this is pure personal preference territory.

Setting Up Your Custom Spinner Verbs

The spinnerVerbs config option accepts an array of present participles โ€” words ending in "-ing". That's the key constraint: Claude Code expects action words describing ongoing work. You can edit your settings file directly at ~/.claude/settings.json, or if you're feeling lazy (no judgment here), you can just ask Claude to update it for you with a natural language prompt.

I Asked Claude to Make It Star Trek Themed

I went full nerd on this one and asked the model to replace my default verbs with 60 Star Trek-flavored options. The exact prompt: "Edit my ~/.claude/settings.json to customize the spinner verbs. I want the spinner verbs to be Star Trek themed - use present participles (ending in '-ing'). Replace the defaults with 60 star trek verbs that sound fun." The result was exactly what you'd expect โ€” a mix of Trekkie references and mild cringe, but honestly? That's part of the charm. The model dropped a new spinnerVerbs section directly into my settings file without breaking anything. No manual editing required.

Key Takeaways

  • Spinner verb customization uses the spinnerVerbs option in Claude Code settings
  • Settings live at ~/.claude/settings.json for user-level or project/.claude/settings.json for project-specific config
  • Verbs MUST be present participles (ending in "-ing") to work properly
  • You can generate custom lists by asking Claude itself โ€” saves digging through docs

The Bottom Line

This is a small quality-of-life feature, but that's exactly the kind of stuff that separates tools you tolerate from tools you actually enjoy using. If you're spending hours per day in Claude Code, why not make it yours? A little whimsy goes a long way.