/icon-lookup

name: icon-lookup
description: >-
  Workaround for Claude Code filtering BMP PUA Unicode (U+E000-U+F8FF). Supplementary PUA Nerd Font icons like 󰊤 󱃾 󰁹 (U+F0000+, e.g. nf-md-github, nf-md-kubernetes, nf-md-battery) can be written directly. BMP PUA icons (Powerline, Font Awesome, Devicons) require placeholder syntax like {{ U+E0A0 }} or {{ nf-fa-star }} (without spaces), which hooks auto-convert. Invoke when reading or writing Starship configs, tmux themes, shell prompts, or statuslines.

BMP PUA Unicode Workaround

Claude Code filters Unicode characters in the BMP Private Use Area (U+E000-U+F8FF), which includes most Nerd Font icons. This skill provides tools for working with these icons.

Quick Reference

| Range | Status | Examples | | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | U+E000-U+F8FF (BMP PUA) | **Filtered** - use placeholders | Powerline, Devicons, Font Awesome, Octicons | | U+F0000+ (Supplementary PUA-A) | Works directly | Material Design Icons (nf-md-*) |

Automatic Features

**When reading files:** A PostToolUse hook automatically identifies all PUA characters, showing icon names, codepoints, and whether they're filtered.

**When writing files:** A PostToolUse hook automatically converts placeholder syntax to actual Unicode characters.

Placeholder Syntax

When writing icons in the filtered BMP PUA range, use placeholder syntax:

• By codepoint: `{{ U+E0A0 }}` (without the spaces)
• By name: `{{ nf-fa-star }}` (without the spaces)

Icon Lookup

Search for icons by name:

python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lookup-icon.py "<search query>"

Example searches:

• `git branch` → finds git-related icons
• `folder` → finds folder/directory icons
• `wizard` → finds wizard icons

Character Identification

Identify a specific character:

# Direct argument (this is nf-md-battery, a Supplementary PUA icon)
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/identify-icons.py -c "󰁹"

# From stdin
echo "󰁹" | python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/identify-icons.py -

Workflow

1. **Reading files** - Hook automatically shows icon info; use this to understand what icons are present 2. **Writing icons** - Search with lookup script, then use placeholder syntax for filtered icons 3. **Comparing icons** - Use identify script to check if two characters are the same icon 4. **Material Design Icons** (U+F0000+) can be written directly without placeholders

Manual Conversion

If placeholders weren't converted (e.g., hook didn't run):

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/convert-placeholders.py /path/to/file