| name | terminator:update |
| description | Update the terminator kill phrases or case sensitivity at local or global scope. Prints the current phrase before asking for a new one. Rewrites only the changed fields; hooks read config live so changes take effect immediately. Use when the user asks to "update the kill phrase", "change the single/double kill phrase", or "toggle case sensitivity". |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
Terminator: Update
Change the single-kill phrase, double-kill phrase, and/or case sensitivity. The hooks read their
config file live on every stop, so changes take effect immediately — no restart needed.
Step 1 — Detect installed scope(s)
local_config=".claude/terminator.json"
global_config="$HOME/.claude/terminator.json"
[ -f "$local_config" ] && echo "LOCAL: $local_config" || echo "LOCAL: not installed"
[ -f "$global_config" ] && echo "GLOBAL: $global_config" || echo "GLOBAL: not installed"
- If neither is installed: offer
/terminator:install and stop.
- If only one is installed: use that scope automatically.
- If both are installed: ask the user which scope to update.
Step 2 — Show current config
Print the full current config for the chosen scope so the user can see what's active:
echo "=== Current config (<LOCAL|GLOBAL>: <CONFIG_FILE>) ==="
cat <CONFIG_FILE>
Step 3 — Get the new value(s)
Ask which to change: single_killphrase, double_killphrase, and/or case_sensitive. Keep any
the user does not change.
Step 4 — Phrase Safety Check
Terminator uses a contains-match against the final assistant message. Any phrase that appears
in normal assistant output will cause sessions to terminate apparently at random.
Recommend a memorable, rare phrase — a movie quote, a line of poetry, or a sentence unlikely to
appear in normal output (e.g. I'll be back, but not this session).
⚠️ WARNING — short or common phrase:
If the new phrase is a short clause or sentence that could plausibly appear in a typical assistant
response, warn the user:
⚠️ Warning: This phrase is short and may appear in ordinary responses, causing your session
to terminate unexpectedly. A longer, more distinctive phrase is strongly recommended.
Do you want to use it anyway?
Only proceed if the user confirms.
🚨 STRONG WARNING — single common English word:
If the phrase is a single word or a very common short term (e.g. done, stop, finish,
complete, exit, quit, kill, terminate, goodbye), issue a strong warning:
🚨 Strong Warning: Single common words will appear in normal assistant output and will
cause your session to terminate at seemingly random moments. This is almost certainly not what
you want. Are you absolutely sure you want to use this as your kill phrase?
Only proceed if the user explicitly confirms they are absolutely sure.
If both single_killphrase and double_killphrase are configured, they must be distinct and
neither may contain the other.
Step 5 — Write (read-modify-write — preserve other fields)
Update only the fields the user changed; never rebuild the file from scratch.
tmp="$(mktemp)"
jq --arg s "<new single>" --arg d "<new double>" \
'.single_killphrase=$s | .double_killphrase=$d' <CONFIG_FILE> > "$tmp" \
&& mv "$tmp" <CONFIG_FILE>
cat <CONFIG_FILE>
Step 6 — Report
## Terminator updated (<LOCAL|GLOBAL> scope)
single_killphrase : <s>
double_killphrase : <d>
case sensitive : <true|false>
Effective immediately — hooks read config live.
