I use Claude Code on a Max plan, and the usage limits, like for all of us (and esp. with dedicated Fable limits now) dictate how I will plan my day/sessions. It was super goddamn annoying clicking the usage wheel (perhaps this frustration is shared with /usage in terminal or CLI but I only use the desktop app), so I built this to poll Anthropic endpoint every 60 seconds and stay in my menu bar so I can always just glance up to see where I'm at.

build stuff: native Swift/AppKit, a single binary under 1 MB, no Electron or Node, negligible CPU/RAM. It reads the same usage metadata endpoint the usage wheel and /usage use, so it never invokes a model and spends zero tokens, observing the budget doesn't consume it. No telemetry, no analytics, no network calls except to Anthropic's own endpoints. The source is included in the download and the installer compiles it locally, so you can read exactly what runs. Auth reuses your existing Claude Code CLI login from the Keychain and refreshes via Anthropic's official OAuth refresh flow, the same thing Claude Code itself does, that step is opt-in, and there is a long-lived-token-file alternative that never involcves Keychain.

ofc this is unofficial and not affiliated with Anthropic, so if they change the usage endpoint it needs an update (the parser is defensive, updates are free). macOS 13+ only. Needs a Pro or Max subscription and the Claude Code CLI logged in, it does not work with raw API keys, Bedrock, or Vertex.

It is €2.99 one-time on Gumroad with a 30-day refund. First thing I have ever shipped for sale, so I would really appreciate feedback, especially on the auth handling. Considering open sourcing and then just selling the installer and updates/support etc but as I said I'm new to this!