I built this because I got tired of the Claude Code CLI hiding details from me.
Recent updates have replaced critical output with summaries like "Read 3 files" or "Edited 2 files". To see what actually happened, I was forced to use `--verbose`, which floods the terminal with unreadable JSON and system prompts.
I wanted a middle ground: *Full observability without the noise.*
`claude-devtools` is a local Electron app that tails the session logs in `~/.claude/` to reconstruct the execution trace in real-time.
*Unlike wrappers, it solves the visibility gap in your native terminal workflow:* 1. *Real Diffs:* It shows inline diffs (red/green) the moment files are edited, instead of just a checkmark. 2. *Context Forensics:* It breaks down token usage by File vs Tool Output vs Thinking (so you know exactly why your context window is full). 3. *Agent Trees:* It visualizes sub-agent execution paths which are usually interleaved and confusing in the CLI.
It’s 100% local, and works with the logs already on your machine. No API keys required.
Repo: https://github.com/matt1398/claude-devtools (Screenshots and diff viewer demo are in the README)
khoury•1h ago
virtualritz•1h ago
itsmevictor•1h ago
matt1398•1h ago
But regarding khoury's original point about the actual "gas in the tank" (billing/account balance)—no, my tool doesn't show that either.
Since `claude-devtools` strictly parses your local `~/.claude/` logs and makes zero network calls, it doesn't have access to your Anthropic account to pull your actual dollar balance.
What it does provide is high-resolution context usage. Instead of just a total session count, it breaks down tokens per-turn (e.g., how many tokens were eaten by reading a specific file vs. the tool output). It helps you manage your context window locally, but for billing, you're unfortunately still stuck checking the web dashboard.
khoury•1h ago