macOS
The HowlAlert macOS menu bar app monitors Claude Code's journal files.
TL;DR — Lives in your menu bar. Watches Claude Code's JSONL journal via FSEvents. Requires sandbox-scoped access to
~/.claude/.
Menu bar app
HowlAlert runs as a menu bar app (LSUIElement = YES) with no Dock icon. Click the bell icon to see your current usage summary.
FSEvents monitoring
HowlAlert uses FSEvents to watch Claude Code's journal directory for new JSONL entries. When a file changes, the app parses the new lines and updates usage state in real time.
Sandbox & permissions
The app uses a security-scoped bookmark to maintain persistent access to ~/.claude/ across launches. You'll be prompted once on first run.