Welcome back. Every developer loves customizing their setup. If you've used Claude Code, you probably already have a running list of things you wish worked a little differently. Last week, Anthropic gave us a way to fix that ourselves.

Those fixes come as “mods”. These are small add-ons that change how Claude Code looks and behaves. Engineers started sharing their own mods within a day of the launch, and many of them solve the same small annoyances you've likely run into yourself.

In this issue, you'll find 3 mods that devs are already running, along with the steps to install each one in a few minutes. Let’s get started:

Today’s Brief

  • What are Claude Code mods?

  • Workflow #1: Preview pasted screenshots in your terminal

  • Workflow #2: Prevent token waste from cache timeouts

  • Workflow #3: Track multi-task plans with live progress bars

DEEP DIVE

Click here to watch how mods work and how to have Claude write one for you.

What it is. A Claude mod is a small TypeScript or JavaScript file that runs inside Claude Code, both in the terminal and the desktop app. To install a shared mod by adding the repo with “/plugin marketplace add”, then installing the mod with “/plugin install”, and finally running “/reload-plugins”.

To build your own, start a session with “claude”, describe the mod you want in plain English, and allow hot reload when Claude asks, so that every change Claude makes loads into your session right away.

Let's dive into 3 workflows you should try out this weekend:

WORKFLOW #1: IMAGE PREVIEWS

How to preview pasted images in Claude Code

You paste two screenshots into the terminal to ask Claude why a header is misaligned, but the prompt only shows [Image #1] and [Image #2]. So you can't confirm you pasted the right images until Claude has already read them.

This dev created a mod that renders the images you paste as labeled thumbnails above the prompt input. You only need it in the terminal, since the desktop app already previews pasted images.

Here's how you can implement it:

  • Step 1: Make sure you're on Claude Code 2.1.287 or later, in a terminal that supports the kitty graphics protocol, such as Ghostty or kitty. Read the mod's repo first, then add the marketplace and install the mod from your terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add jarrodwatts/claude-image-view
claude plugin install image-view@claude-image-view

  • Step 2: Start a new “claude” session, paste a screenshot, and verify that its thumbnail appears above the prompt. If it does not, run “/plugin” and confirm that “image-view” is listed as an active mod.

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WORKFLOW #2: PROMPT CACHE

How to prevent token waste from cache timeouts

Source: X/dani_avila7

You step away from a long session, come back, send one line, and the reply takes noticeably longer. Your prompt cache expired, so Claude Code had to reprocess the whole conversation.

This dev created a mod that integrates Anthropic's prompt caching with a visual progress bar, expiration countdowns, and proactive notifications to keep the cache warm and extend your sessions.

Here's how you can implement it:

  • Step 1: Run the install command from your project's folder:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --mod observability/prompt-cache-control

  • Step 2: Start “claude” in the same folder and accept the workspace trust prompt so the mod loads.

  • Step 3: Now run “/cache” to open a full panel that shows how the cache behaves throughout your session.

WORKFLOW #3: PLAN PROGRESS

How to track multi-task Claude Code plans visually

Source: X.com/kirillvserditov

You approve a long plan, and Claude hands parts of it to subagents, which are helper agents that run in parallel. A few minutes later, you can't tell which step Claude is on without scrolling back through the session.

This dev created a mod that shows a live progress bar above your prompt for each task, gives each subagent its own row, and plays a sound when Claude needs your input, hits an error, or finishes the task.

Here's how you can implement it:

  • Step 1: First, read the mod’s repository. Then add the marketplace and install the mod in Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add zycck/claude-mods
/plugin install plan-progress@zycck-mods

  • Step 2: Run “/reload-plugins”, then give Claude a multi-step task or approve a plan in plan mode. Type “/progress” at any time to show or hide the bars.

FUN WEEKEND PROJECTS TO TRY

  • You can browse the Claude Code mods directory that our engineering team built (link).

  • Watch a mod that drops you into a multiplayer Doom match while Claude works, where every other player is someone waiting on their own Claude to finish (link).

  • Audit your past sessions with Opus 5.5 to find the mods worth building for your workflow (link).

  • Turn your context window into a one-line weather forecast above the prompt, so you know when it's time to compact (link).

  • Give yourself a warning before one Claude session edits a file that another session changed in the last 30 minutes (link).

P.S. Anthropic's official guide to build your first Claude Code mod (link).

STARTING POINT

How to start this weekend. By Sunday morning, you'll check every screenshot before Claude reads it, know when your cache is about to expire before you walk away, and see which step Claude is on without scrolling. Once that feels routine, open a new session and ask Claude to build a mod for the one thing you'd still change.

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Until next time — The Code team

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