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For Claude Code · macOS 26+

Know when Claude Code runs out. Before it does.

HowlAlert is a tiny Mac menu bar app that watches your Claude Code usage. It learns your real limit, shows how much you’ve used and how much is left in reserve, and warns you before you run out — on your Mac now, your iPhone and Apple Watch next.

Download for MacSee how it works

Free · Open source · Reads your Mac locally · macOS 26+ · Apple Silicon

Open source · GPLv3Signed & notarized by Apple Your prompts never leave your Mac

What it watches

Three windows. One quiet wolf.

Claude Code limits move and Anthropic doesn't print a number. HowlAlert reads your own usage history and tells you where you stand.

The 5-hour window

Your rolling 5-hour block, anchored to first activity. See the percent used and a plain-language time-to-empty.

How the window works

Your real limit

No hard-coded plan numbers. HowlAlert estimates your limit from the P90 of your own completed windows, with a remote override when limits change.

Why P90

Per-model usage

See which models ate the window — Sonnet, Opus, and the rest — with a small sparkline so spikes are obvious.

See every feature

The 5-hour window

A number you can trust, in plain words.

HowlAlert parses your local Claude Code transcripts, rebuilds the 5-hour window the same way the limit does, and turns it into a sentence: “Runs out in 47m.” You see both numbers at a glance — what you’ve used and what’s left in reserve. No raw token counts to decode, no dashboard to refresh.

Read how the window is built
12% usedFresh · 4h 24m left
61% usedOK · 1h 56m left
84% usedLow · runs out in 47m
96% usedAlmost out · 11m

HowlAlert

16% of your 5-hour window left · resets in 47m

Alerts

A nudge at the edge, not a stream of noise.

HowlAlert stays quiet until the window crosses into low or almost-out, then sends one local notification — and re-arms only after you recover. You choose the thresholds. Push to iPhone and Apple Watch is coming.

See alert settings

Built for the Apple ecosystem

The menu bar today. Your wrist next.

Native Swift, Liquid Glass, no Electron. The Mac app ships now. iPhone and Apple Watch — with Live Activities and the Dynamic Island — are on the way.

Mac menu bar

Available now

Always visible, one click for the full popover. Free, signed, and notarized.

iPhone

Coming soon

A Live Activity and Dynamic Island that count your window down on the Lock Screen.

Apple Watch

Coming soon

A complication that turns amber before you run out, so a glance is enough.

Honest comparison

Better than guessing.

The usual options are checking the CLI by hand or hitting the wall mid-task. HowlAlert just watches.

What you getHowlAlertChecking by handHitting the wall
Time left at a glance
Warns you before you run out
Auto-detects your real limit
Apple Watch + iPhone (soon)
Open source & fully local

Your usage stays yours.

HowlAlert reads the usage files already on your Mac under ~/.claude. It never connects to Anthropic’s services, and your prompts, code, and usage history never leave your machine. The free Mac app is fully local. When you add the iPhone and Apple Watch apps, the usage summary — the percent left and reset time — passes through our relay to reach your devices. We store only your device tokens, never your prompts, code, or usage history.

Local-only readsNo telemetryNo account neededOpen source

Pricing

The Mac app is free.

Download it today at no cost. Pro and Max unlock the iPhone and Apple Watch apps when they ship — both with a 7-day free trial.

Mac app

Free

Forever

  • Menu bar app
  • 5-hour window + per-model
  • Local notifications
  • Open source
Download for Mac
BEST VALUE

HowlAlert Max

$29.99 / year

Save $30 vs Pro

  • Everything in Free
  • iPhone app + Live Activity
  • Apple Watch complication
  • Push alerts to all your devices
Start 7-day free trial

Coming with the mobile apps

HowlAlert Pro

$4.99 / month

Same features, monthly

  • Everything in Free
  • iPhone app + Live Activity
  • Apple Watch complication
  • Push alerts to all your devices
Start 7-day free trial

Coming with the mobile apps

Pro and Max unlock the same features — pick monthly or yearly. No third tier, no upsells.

Questions, answered

Anything else?

The short answers. Longer ones live in the docs.

Does HowlAlert connect to my Claude account?
No. It reads the usage files Claude Code already writes to ~/.claude on your Mac. It never signs in to Anthropic and never sends your prompts anywhere. The Mac app works fully offline; only the optional iPhone and Apple Watch push uses our relay, and only to forward the usage summary in the notification.
How does it know my limit if Anthropic doesn't show one?
It estimates from your own history — the P90 of your completed 5-hour windows — and can pull a remote override when limits change. There are no hard-coded plan numbers to go stale.
Is it really free?
The Mac menu bar app is free and open source. Paid Pro and Max tiers will unlock the iPhone and Apple Watch apps when they ship, each with a 7-day free trial.
Which Macs are supported?
macOS 26 (Tahoe) or newer on Apple Silicon. HowlAlert uses Liquid Glass and modern APIs with no pre-26 fallback.
Is this an official Anthropic app?
No. HowlAlert is an independent, open-source project by MrDemonWolf, Inc. and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. “Claude” and “Claude Code” are trademarks of Anthropic, PBC.
How do updates work?
The Mac app updates through Sparkle with signed appcasts, or via brew upgrade --cask if you install through Homebrew.

More questions? Read the full FAQ or ask in Discord.

Stop guessing.
Let the wolf watch.

Download HowlAlertRead the docsStar on GitHub

Free · macOS 26+ · Apple Silicon · Built by @MrDemonWolf