Claude Code has a built-in status line, but it’s off by default — and most people never turn it on. Even if you do, configuring it to show everything useful takes time.
So I built a pre-configured one that just works out of the box.
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No config. No setup. Always visible.
Here's what you get at a glance:
- Current model
- Context usage — visual progress bar, color-coded (green → yellow → red)
- Token count (input/output)
- Git branch + line changes (+added / -removed)
- Project name
- Session cost
- Session duration + API response time
All in one line.
Install it (~10 seconds)
Note: This works with the Claude Code CLI in your terminal. Not the VS Code extension.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jitender-saini/claude-code/main/statusline/install.sh | bash
Restart Claude Code and you're done. There's also a manual install option and a jq-based variant in the repo if you prefer.
Why context matters more than cost
Most people watch the cost.
That's not the real problem. Context is.
Once you hit the limit:
- Responses degrade silently
- The model forgets earlier instructions
- Outputs get inconsistent
And you usually don't realise why things stopped working.
The status line makes this visible before things break — the context bar shifts from green to yellow to red as you approach the limit.
One habit that keeps sessions sharp: /compact
When my status line hits ~50%, I run:
/compact
That clears unused context and frees up room. Combine this with the status line and you:
- Catch context pressure early
- Keep prompts sharp
- Extend long sessions without restarting
Customise it by just talking
The best part? You customise it by talking to Claude Code:
- "move context percentage to the front"
- "remove cost"
- "change the icons"
No config files. No scripting. It updates the status line for you.
Repo
github.com/jitender-saini/claude-code/tree/main/statusline
Found it useful? Star the repo.
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