FAQ

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 that appears 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. See how it works.

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. See the disclaimer.

How do updates work?

The Mac app updates through Sparkle with signed appcasts, or via brew upgrade --cask if you installed through Homebrew.

What does the Stop hook do?

It's an opt-in Claude Code hook that pings HowlAlert the instant a turn finishes, so the window updates with no delay. Enable it in Settings → Integration — no manual JSON editing. HowlAlert backs up your settings file first and refuses to touch malformed JSON.