Claude Status Bar0.4.5

Claude Status Bar puts Claude Code’s live state in the macOS menu bar, so you can monitor a session without keeping its terminal or desktop window in front. An animated Claude icon marks thinking or tool execution, a yellow dot signals that permission is required, and a timer shows how long the current turn has been running. Tool activity can also display concise labels such as Editing, Reading, Running command, or Using tool, while an idle session rests on the Claude logo; the app has no window, Dock icon, or usage dashboard.

Its menu controls the elapsed-time display and the optional status text, which can sit beside the icon or be hidden for an icon-only bar. You can choose Spark, the web/chat-style morphing spark; Unicode, a terminal glyph spinner; Clawd, a pixel-art crab; or Orbit, three dots that orbit, merge, and breathe. It is particularly useful when you tab away during a long Claude Code operation and need to distinguish active work, a permission prompt, and completion at a glance.

Launch Claude Status Bar once and it automatically connects the Claude Code hooks, then starts itself whenever Claude Code runs. Sessions already open become visible the next time they prompt or call a tool, and new Claude sessions work immediately. A DMG installation can be switched to Homebrew while preserving settings and hooks, with the older copy cleaning itself up on first launch; update notices offer the appropriate upgrade action for either installation method.

Version 0.4.5 is freeware in the Developer Tools category for macOS 12 Monterey or later on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The app is signed and notarized by Apple.