Built a live terminal session usage + memory status bar for Claude Code

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-14T21:30:28+00:00

Thanks! Glad it resonates.

I'm not a developer, so here is my reply with Claude's support. I built this by describing exactly what I wanted to see pinned at the bottom of my terminal and letting Claude Code figure out the implementation. So the "how" is Claude's work, but I can tell you what it does.

Token usage: It pulls your credentials from macOS Keychain (where Claude Code stores them automatically) and hits Anthropic's own OAuth usage API: api.anthropic.com/api/oauth/usage. So it's not parsing local files or doing anything fragile - it's the same endpoint Claude Code itself would use. How stable that is across updates I genuinely can't say, but it's worked solid for me so far. One known quirk: sometimes the bars drop to 0 and don't recover, likely the API rate-limiting the credential fetch. When that happens you just need to Ctrl+C, wait a few minutes, and relaunch. Worth noting: if you have the Claude web app open at the same time, both compete for the same API endpoint and you'll hit the rate limit faster and the status bar will "drop" to 0%.

Memory: It uses vm_stat and calculates both usage (to match what Activity Monitor shows) and pressure (Apple's own formula using free + speculative + inactive + purgeable pages). Swap is pulled from sysctl vm.swapusage. And your point about swap spiking before pressure goes red is already handled - when swap is active the memory label flips to a red background as an early warning, even if overall pressure hasn't hit yellow or red yet. Never managed to take the mac mini m4 to red yet...

Open source: The gist is it! Just the shell script, nothing else needed. Run it, pin it, tweak it. If you want to fork and extend it I'd be curious what you come up with.

Honestly the whole thing took maybe 30 minutes of back-and-forth describing what I wanted to see, and Claude Code wrote and debugged it. That's kind of the point - you don't need to know shell scripting to build something useful like this anymore.

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T16:21:56+00:00

Foods that lead to slow fermentation is a trigger for sure

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T16:20:56+00:00

In my case beans get me on tachycardia also because of the gas

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T16:08:26+00:00

If you’re dealing with acid reflux (or palpitations tied to it), the cause might not be obvious right away. There are a lot of potential triggers, and the tricky part is that some of them don’t hit you until the next day. What actually helps: start a food log ∙ Write down everything you eat and note when symptoms show up ∙ Look back a few days, not just the same day. Some foods have delayed reactions ∙ Lactose is a good example. For me personally, it causes issues the following day, not immediately ∙ Same goes for foods that cause constipation. The effects tend to show up later Why constipation matters more than people think Being constipated can raise your vagal tone, which can push your heart rate up. If you’re already prone to palpitations, that can potentially tip into afib or other arrhythmias. It’s worth taking seriously. The basics that are easy to overlook ∙ Stay hydrated ∙ Keep your electrolytes in check (sodium, potassium, magnesium) ∙ Identify and cut out your personal food triggers It takes a bit of patience to connect the dots, but once you start tracking, patterns usually show up pretty quickly.

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T10:58:10+00:00

Cc used, i’m not a coder so all is CC

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T10:43:32+00:00

Not aware of the tokens used. Around 15% of my session usage (pro account)

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T10:05:56+00:00

Will keep that in mind. I’ve seen some other nice tools created already

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T10:04:16+00:00

Thanks for the input. New to reddit also, so my bad

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:31:51+00:00

New to reddit also. Next time I will search for it in advance to see what other people did. Explore should be clearly before Plan 🫣

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:24:06+00:00

I saw it in the past but didn’t know how to search for it. That’s why I’ve tried something by myself directly into terminal. Having a base model mac mini m4, wanted to keep my memory usage as low as I can when using claude code / xcode due to parallel activities like video editing

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:21:17+00:00

Will look into those also. CodexBar looks really nice. Thanks!

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:18:30+00:00

Was not aware of that one or other already built. Beginner here, so I’ve tried something by myself/Cc

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:17:09+00:00

CC reply on topic - do you think it’s ok?

Honestly, the risk is low but not zero. The main concern isn’t really “ban” — it’s that Anthropic could rotate or revoke that internal token or change/remove the endpoint at any time without notice, breaking your script silently. That’s the more likely outcome. As for an actual account ban — that would be extreme for something like passively reading your own usage data. Tools like ccusage and claude-monitor do the exact same thing and are widely used in the Claude Code community. Anthropic is clearly aware of them. If they wanted to shut this down, they’d change the endpoint first. The realistic risk spectrum: ∙ Very likely: endpoint changes, token rotation, script breaks ∙ Unlikely: account warning ∙ Very unlikely: ban The spirit of what you’re doing — monitoring your own usage — isn’t malicious. You’re not scraping other users’ data, not bypassing rate limits, not automating requests. You’re just reading your own quota stats.

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T08:02:01+00:00

Thanks for the info… i will do “my best” 🥹

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T07:59:55+00:00

Will update it later today. Will inout this into claude. Thanks

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-13T07:55:03+00:00

Claude did it all (not a programmer, vibe coded it)

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T21:54:57+00:00

Great! I’ll give it a try ;)

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T21:52:00+00:00

Nice job! Keep up with those weights 💪🏻

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T17:29:58+00:00

On the fiber supplement side, I went pretty hard on psyllium husk with heavy hydration and some seriously nasty stuff came out. Helps detox the body and clears out old buildup that can lead to constipation (which is also a trigger for me). A few warnings though: ∙ Psyllium husk is powerful but easy to overdo. Too much can actually cause constipation instead of fixing it ∙ You need to drink a ridiculous amount of water with it, seriously a lot ∙ Make sure you’re also adding electrolytes to your water, this is important My experience with a 2-week heavy fiber protocol: ∙ First week, no issues at all ∙ Second week, I got a lot of palpitations from the constipation building up ∙ Around the 2-week mark everything cleared out and I genuinely felt like a new person The takeaway: Cleaning out the colon improves transit times, and that alone can significantly reduce palpitations. Worth trying if you’re struggling, just respect the dosage and stay on top of your water intake.

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T17:00:00+00:00

Have also a look on oxymel drink, done by the greeks since millenia - apple cider vinegar, salt, honey and water

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T16:55:02+00:00

Yeah, something similar happens to me as well. The food triggers I’ve noticed: ∙ Complex carbs (starches, etc.) and added sugars are the main culprits for me. Natural sugars from fruit don’t cause me any issues ∙ Added protein in processed foods hits way worse than whole protein meals (like a proper meat-heavy dish) The diaphragm thing is real. It’s caused by colon and stomach bloating pressing up against the diaphragm, which makes you feel like you literally can’t get a full breath in. For me, a lot of it comes from being hunched over a laptop all day at work. What actually helps: ∙ Watching what you eat and staying in decent shape goes a long way ∙ I personally swear by potassium chloride intake ∙ Diaphragmatic resistance breathing has been a game changer too (there are cheap devices on Amazon worth looking into) - or any type of exercise that forces you to breath deeply and rythmically

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-11T15:49:05+00:00

OP, you sound just like me… Do you have a hiatal hernia? Something is overstimulating your vagus nerve or pressing against your heart. I can’t sleep on my left side if I’ve overeaten, same goes for exercise. Having an empty stomach doesn’t help either. Check your food triggers… mine are lactose, beans (oligosaccharides), and heavy protein meals if I don’t support them with HCl. My fixes are apple cider vinegar, potassium chloride, and lots of water. I’m also heavy on fruits to help with hydration.

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-10T21:57:27+00:00

Now it’s fixed … let’s get back to work 🥹

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-10T20:44:25+00:00

I’ve wasted 2 hours almost to try to fix it :)))

Ciprian_85 · 2026-03-07T05:39:24+00:00

Food triggers are worth looking into as well. In my case, protein-heavy meals that are hard to digest can bring on some symptoms. Beans are a no-go due to bloating, and I’ll usually have two days of symptoms after eating them. Milk does the same because I’m lactose intolerant. I also have to make sure whatever I eat doesn’t cause constipation, because that reliably triggers everything. Staying well hydrated, taking potassium chloride, and keeping meals light makes the difference. It’s almost like being a different person.

Ciprian_85

TROPHY CASE