What Is the Claude Code Text Formatter?
The Claude Code Text Formatter cleans up messy terminal and Claude Code output by stripping ANSI escape codes, line numbers, and control characters. It turns cluttered CLI output into plain, readable text that you can copy, paste, and share without the noise.
Everything runs locally in your browser. Your input never leaves your device, so the tool is safe for cleaning output that contains sensitive information.
How to Use It
Cleaning up output takes just a few seconds:
- Paste or type your messy text into the Input box.
- Choose which elements to strip: ANSI codes, control characters, and line numbers.
- Click Format and copy the cleaned result from the Output box.
Why Terminal Output Looks Messy
Terminal tools like Claude Code add ANSI escape codes to colorize text, highlight syntax, and control the cursor. When you copy that output into a plain-text editor, the escape codes are often shown as raw garbage sequences or invisible control characters that break your document.
Line numbers added by terminal multiplexers and log viewers also create extra noise. The formatter removes all of this automatically.
Typical Use Cases
- Cleaning Claude Code session logs before sharing them in bug reports.
- Copying terminal output into tickets, docs, or chat messages without escape-code noise.
- Preparing log snippets for code reviews and documentation.
- Removing line numbers from code listings so they can be pasted back into editors.
Tips
- If a pasted block still looks odd, try toggling Strip Control to remove hidden characters.
- The tool handles output from most modern terminals, including iTerm, Windows Terminal, and VS Code's integrated terminal.
- There is no limit on input size, so you can clean very long logs in one pass.