[HN Gopher] Show HN: macOS menu bar app to track Claude usage in...
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Show HN: macOS menu bar app to track Claude usage in real time
I built a macOS menu bar app to track Claude usage in real time via
API after hitting limits mid-flow too often. Signed and notarised
by Apple. Open source.
https://github.com/richhickson/claudecodeusage
https://x.com/richhickson
Author : RichHickson
Score : 51 points
Date : 2026-01-08 18:24 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (github.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
| dewey wrote:
| Alternatively there's also this with 1.7k stars already and
| supporting more services (Despite the name):
| https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar (https://codexbar.app)
| RichHickson wrote:
| Good shout. CodexBar covers a lot more ground. This one is
| intentionally minimal and Claude focused because that is all I
| personally needed.
| ttoinou wrote:
| Is it safe ? It needs to reads Keychain. Like the OP app
| RichHickson wrote:
| The app only reads ONE specific keychain entry:
| Service: "Claude Code-credentials" This is the
| entry created by the official Claude Code CLI when you log
| in. The app: 1. Only reads - never writes,
| modifies, or deletes any keychain data 2. Only accesses
| this one service name - cannot read any other passwords,
| keys, or credentials 3. Extracts only the OAuth access
| token - used to call api.anthropic.com/api/oauth/usage
| 4. Sends data only to Anthropic's API - no analytics, no
| third-party servers The token never leaves your
| machine except to Anthropic's own API endpoint. You can
| verify this yourself - the entire source is ~400 lines of
| Swift: https://github.com/richhickson/claudecodeusage
| macOS will also prompt you the first time the app tries to
| access this keychain entry, giving you control to allow or
| deny.
| realharo wrote:
| Or just vibe code your own. Seems fitting.
| kingkongjaffa wrote:
| If I wanted to vibe code my own macOS menu bar apps is this a
| good starter project to use as a template?
|
| Are there any others?
|
| Do I just not need one (claude code can do it without a starter
| template at all)?
| RichHickson wrote:
| That is exactly what I did. Claude scaffolded it from scratch
| based on behaviour, then I iterated and had Codex review it for
| safety.
| realharo wrote:
| Speaking of the macOS menu bar, is there some way to make it
| overflow into a hidden area behind an "expand" button that
| would appear when there is no more room, like the notification
| area in Windows does?
|
| The macOS UI decision of _" just pretend that whatever doesn't
| fit to the right of the notch doesn't exist"_ is baffling.
|
| I've seen a few apps that claim to do that, but it's always
| done in some really hacky way (such as needing screen recording
| permissions), and the behavior is never that of simple overflow
| handling. Instead they have "always hidden" sections and things
| like that, which is not what I want.
| bartvk wrote:
| I decrease the spacing that macOS applies between menubar
| icons: % defaults -currentHost write
| -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding -int 8 %
| defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing
| -int 8
| RichHickson wrote:
| I used to use Bartender, which worked really well, until the
| newest version, which had so many issues. Since then, I've
| just basically put up with it.
| Etheryte wrote:
| Use Hammerspoon [0][1], it comes with a lot of macOS
| integrations out of the box and you write Lua, which takes zero
| effort to pick up and use. For me a big benefit is that you
| don't need to touch Xcode at all.
|
| [0] https://www.hammerspoon.org
|
| [1] https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.menubar.html
| codepoet80 wrote:
| Love it, installed and set it to run at Login. Can I follow you
| on any social media that isn't Xitter?
| RichHickson wrote:
| Thanks, appreciate it. Honestly, I am only really on X at the
| moment.
| dionian wrote:
| i like it, thanks for sharing
| RichHickson wrote:
| Thanks, Glad you like it!
| diimdeep wrote:
| Is there app in macOS menu bar to track how many times I
| scratched my left heel, because it would be very useful as useful
| as any other app in macOS menu bar and I desperately need it to
| satisfy my daily dopamine hit of macOS menu bar apps /s seriously
| people, grow up already.
| arondeparon wrote:
| Very constructive comment, the "grow up already" really was the
| cherry on top.
|
| (Yes, this is sarcasm)
| rootlocus wrote:
| "Follow me on X"
|
| Why... just why? Why do people keep insisting on using it?
| rootusrootus wrote:
| The charitable explanation is "because that is where most
| people are." Network effect is real.
| platevoltage wrote:
| Was that ever true, even during the Twitter days?
| bigyabai wrote:
| Form over followers over function, the 21st century design
| ethos.
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