microsoft/Terminal

Indicate status of IME by changing cursor color

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#19491 opened on Oct 23, 2025

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 (4 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)C++ (35,764 stars) (3,212 forks)batch import
Area-InputHelp WantedIssue-TaskNeeds-Tag-FixPriority-3Product-ConhostProduct-Terminal

Description

Description of the new feature

Vim has a multi_byte_ime feature, that can change the cursor color when IME or XIM is on. The WSLtty also has this feature by IMECursorColour. This feature is very useful.

Proposed technical implementation details

Can refer to Vim or WSLtty

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
frontendaccessibility
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C++Windows APIIME concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35
Research direction
Research how Vim and WSLtty implement IME cursor color changes. In the Windows Terminal source, examine the cursor rendering code (likely in `src/cursor.cpp` or `src/renderer/`) and the API for setting cursor color. Investigate how IME status is detected; consider using `ImmGetContext` or `ITfThreadMgr` from the Text Services Framework. Look for existing color settings in `src/terminalcore/` to extend the `ICursorAppearance` interface.