Free macOS Menu Bar App Monitors Claude Usage in Real-Time

What It Is
A developer has created a free macOS menu bar application that monitors Claude AI usage in real-time. The entire project was built in a single Claude Code session using the Opus model, demonstrating the capabilities of AI-assisted development for creating functional desktop applications.
Key Features
- Usage Monitoring: Displays 5-hour and 7-day session usage bars directly in the macOS menu bar
- Context Window Tracking: Shows context window fill percentage with auto-compact threshold
- Notifications: Alerts users when approaching usage limits
- Global Hotkey: Keyboard shortcut to toggle the panel
- Monochrome Mode: Option for simplified display
- Native Implementation: Built with SwiftUI using Liquid Glass on macOS Tahoe
- Localization: Supports both French and English languages
- No Account Required: Only needs your existing Claude login
Development Details
The app was created entirely within Claude Code using the Opus model. The developer completed the entire project in one session, generating and iterating on multiple components live including:
- SwiftUI application framework
- OAuth integration for authentication
- Context window monitoring system
- Notification implementation
- Localization setup
- Landing page creation
- DMG packaging for distribution
Availability
The application is free, open source, and available for download. No additional accounts are required beyond your existing Claude login credentials.
Website: https://jeremy-prt.github.io/claude-usage-mini
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/jeremy-prt/claude-usage-mini
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
👀 See Also

Open-source CLI tool sdf uses Claude to manage stacked GitHub PRs
sdf is a free, MIT-licensed CLI tool that automates stacked pull request workflows using git and gh, with Claude CLI handling complex tasks like diff analysis and conflict resolution.

OpenClaw Implements Agent History Compression to Reduce Context Usage
OpenClaw now compresses agent history by replacing completed subtask logs with structured summaries, reducing ~1M tokens to ~30K. The system uses a 4-pass scanner to identify task lifecycles and generates masked summaries that maintain agent compatibility.

Building a Sub-500ms Voice Agent: Architecture and Performance Insights
A developer built a voice agent from scratch achieving ~400ms end-to-end latency with full STT → LLM → TTS streaming. Key insights include treating voice as a turn-taking problem, using semantic end-of-turn detection, and colocating all components for minimal latency.

Claude Code Skill Refactors React Components Using 'Don't Make Me Think' Principles
A new Claude Code skill automatically refactors React components for usability based on Steve Krug's principles — cuts happy talk, surfaces primary CTAs, fixes empty/error states, and tightens labels.