Claudebar

Your MacBook's notch, showing what Claude Code and Codex are doing right now: the file being edited, the command running, how long the turn has taken, and the moment it needs you.

$ git clone https://github.com/Pugbread/claudebar && cd claudebar && ./scripts/install.sh

macOS 15 or later · Xcode command line tools · jq · source on GitHub

What the notch shows

Nothing, until an agent starts working. Then the notch grows to the size of what it has to say, and shrinks back when it's done.

Hover for the whole picture

Every running session, what you asked, the tools it just used, the last thing it said, and today's totals. Click a card to jump to the app it's running in.

  • Several sessions at onceA count badge shows how many are working. The bar follows whichever one needs you.
  • Claude and Codex side by sideEach gets its own mark and colors, so you can tell them apart at a glance.
  • Picks up where it left offRestart the app mid-turn and it restores every session, including turns that finished while it was closed.
  • Chimes when it mattersA soft sound when a long turn finishes or an agent needs you, unless you're already looking at it.

How it works

No screen reading and no polling. Claudebar listens to the same hooks Claude Code and Codex already support.

Claude Code / Codex→ hook (async)→ claudebar-hook.sh→ 127.0.0.1:47823→ the notch
  1. The agent fires a hook when you send a prompt, it calls a tool, it asks permission, or it finishes. Hooks run async, so the agent never waits on Claudebar.
  2. A 20-line script forwards the event to the app over loopback with curl. If Claudebar isn't running, the request fails instantly and nothing happens.
  3. Claudebar keeps score. It tracks each session's state, counts lines from each edit's patch, and reads new lines of the session transcript for context and token use.

Specs

Built to sit in the corner of your eye all day without costing you anything.

CPU when idle
0%
CPU while an agent works
~5% of one core. The spark, glow and meter are Core Animation layers driven by the render server.
Network
Loopback only, 127.0.0.1:47823
Permissions
None. No Accessibility, no Screen Recording.
Answers permission prompts
Never. It only displays.
Agents
Claude Code (CLI, IDE extensions, desktop Code tab) · Codex (CLI, desktop)
Displays
Wraps the notch on MacBooks, floats as an island on external displays
Requires
macOS 15+, Xcode command line tools, jq
License
MIT

Install

It builds on your Mac, so there's no unsigned download for macOS to block.

$ git clone https://github.com/Pugbread/claudebar
$ cd claudebar
$ ./scripts/install.sh
# builds Claudebar.app into ~/Applications, registers the hooks,
# keeps a backup of each settings file, and starts it at login
  1. Run the installer. It adds Claudebar's hooks next to any you already have in Claude Code's settings.json and Codex's hooks.json.
  2. Using Codex? Trust the hooks. Codex only runs hooks you've reviewed: open it, run /hooks, and trust the Claudebar ones.
  3. Start a session. The notch lights up on your next prompt. Right-click it for sounds, glow, compact mode and a demo.

Changed your mind? ./scripts/uninstall.sh removes the hooks, the script and the app.