The 7 Verbs

Every Claude Code action maps to one of 7 core verbs. Modifiers (status, scope, direction) alter the sound without breaking coherence.

Verb table

Verb	Triggers	Sound
intake	Read, WebFetch, WebSearch	Soft rising sine — something coming in
transform	Edit	FM-textured pulse — reshaping
commit	Write, NotebookEdit, git commit	Sharp stamp tone — sealed
navigate	Grep, Glob	Sonar ping — scanning
execute	Bash, npm test, tsc	Noise burst + tone — mechanical action
move	mv, cp, subagent spawn	Wind whoosh — air displacement
sync	git push, git pull	Dramatic whoosh + tonal anchor

Modifiers

claude-sfx play navigate --status ok      # bright ping (octave harmonic)
claude-sfx play navigate --status err     # low detuned ping (dissonance)
claude-sfx play navigate --status warn    # tremolo ping
claude-sfx play sync --direction up       # rising whoosh (push)
claude-sfx play sync --direction down     # falling whoosh (pull)
claude-sfx play intake --scope remote     # longer tail (distance feel)

Smart Bash detection

The hook handler inspects Bash commands to pick the right sound:

Bash Command	Verb	Status
git push	sync (up)	from exit code
git pull	sync (down)	from exit code
npm test, pytest	execute	from exit code
tsc, npm run build	execute	from exit code
mv, cp	move	—
rm	move	warn
everything else	execute	from exit code