GitHub - Michaelliv/claude-quest: RPG-style animation viewer for Claude Code sessions - watch your AI companion react to tool usage with pixel-art animations

4 min read Original article ↗

Claude Quest

For Claude Code users who want to actually see what their AI is doing.

Instead of watching text scroll by in a terminal, Claude Quest shows you a pixel-art character that reacts to every action in real-time. Reading files? Casting a spell. Running bash? Swinging into battle. Error? Taking damage. Success? Victory dance.

npm install -g claude-quest

Then, in a new terminal tab in the same directory where you run Claude Code:

That's it. Keep it running alongside Claude Code and watch your coding session come alive.

Who This Is For

  • Long session coders - Makes 4-hour Claude Code sessions feel like a co-op adventure
  • Streamers & content creators - Your viewers see exactly what Claude is doing, beautifully
  • Pixel art lovers - Paul Robertson-inspired animations that are genuinely gorgeous
  • Anyone who thinks coding should be more fun - Because it should

Who This Isn't For

  • People who find visual feedback distracting
  • Minimalists who want nothing but terminal

What You Get

Real-Time Visualization

Every Claude Code action becomes an animation:

Claude Action What You See
Reading files Casting spell
Bash commands Attack animation
Writing code Scribbling away
Thinking Contemplating
Extended thinking Intense focus + particle effects
Success Victory dance
Error Taking damage (recovers!)
Git push SHIPPED! rainbow banner

Five Biomes

Claude walks through beautiful parallax backgrounds that cycle every 20 seconds:

  • Enchanted Forest - Magical trees, fireflies, glowing mushrooms
  • Mountain Journey - Snow peaks, waterfalls, ancient ruins
  • Midnight Quest - Starry sky, glowing crystals, spooky trees
  • Kingdom Road - Castle, windmills, cottages, sunset
  • Wizard's Library - Endless corridor with bookshelves, floating orbs

The Mana Bar

Shows your remaining context window. Starts full at 200k tokens and drains as your conversation grows. When Claude compacts, it refills. Satisfying.

Customization

Unlock cosmetics as you level up by using Claude Code:

  • Hats - Wizard hat, crown, viking helmet, and more
  • Faces - Sunglasses, monocle, mustaches
  • Auras - Flame, frost, electric, rainbow particle effects
  • Trails - Sparkles, fire, hearts that follow Claude when walking

Installation

npm

npm install -g claude-quest

Direct Download

GitHub Releases - macOS, Linux, Windows

Usage

Important: Run cq in a new terminal tab, in the same directory where you're running Claude Code.

cq                    # Watch current project
cq watch ~/dir        # Watch specific project
cq replay <file.jsonl> # Replay an existing conversation
cq doctor             # Check if Claude Quest can run properly

Controls: Press Tab to open the accessory picker. Use ←→ to switch between slots (Hat/Face/Aura/Trail), ↑↓ to cycle items. Press Tab or Esc to close.

How It Works

Reads Claude Code's local conversation logs (JSONL files). No API keys. No network calls. Just file watching.

The Craft

Inspired by Paul Robertson's legendary pixel art:

  • 320x200 resolution (DOS-era homage)
  • 24fps hand-crafted animations
  • Secondary motion on everything (bob, sway, breathe)
  • Atmospheric details (particles, flames, stars)

FAQ

Is this official? Community project. Not affiliated with Anthropic.

Works without Claude Code? You can replay saved conversations with cq replay <file.jsonl>, but live mode requires an active Claude Code session.

Why does this exist? Because staring at terminal text for hours is less fun than watching a pixel wizard battle bugs.

Development

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/Michaelliv/claude-quest.git
cd claude-quest
go build -o cq .

Requires Go 1.21+ and CGO (Raylib needs C bindings).

Studio Mode

Studio mode is a development environment for working on sprites and animations. Not included in release builds.

go build -tags debug -o cq . && ./cq studio

Controls:

  • Space - Pause/play animation
  • < > or arrow keys - Step frame (when paused)
  • - + - Speed down/up (0.125x to 4x)
  • A - Animation picker
  • B - Biome picker
  • C or Tab - Cosmetics picker (Tab cycles Hat → Face → Aura → Trail)
  • R - Force reload all textures
  • G - Regenerate sprites from cmd/spritegen
  • H - Toggle help overlay

Inside pickers: ↑↓ to navigate, Enter to select, Esc to cancel

See CLAUDE.md for full architecture details.

License

MIT

Turn your terminal into a quest.