A native macOS menu bar app that shows your Claude app usage in real-time with Smart Quota Refresh to minimize wait times — works with the Claude desktop app or claude.ai in your browser.
✅ No API keys required — ClaudeMeter reads usage from your Claude account session (desktop or browser).
❌ This is not a tool for the Claude API.
- Automatic Setup — Detects your Claude Desktop or browser session
- Menu Bar Integration — Ring indicator with real-time usage
- Real-Time Updates — Refreshes every 60 seconds
- Smart Quota Refresh — Keep your 5-hour quota window active automatically
- Launch at Login — Toggle from the menu
- Modern UI — SwiftUI, native macOS 13-26 interface
- Built-in Logs — Debug directly from the menu
git clone https://github.com/decryptu/claude-meter.git
cd claude-meter
./run.shThe app will auto-detect your Claude Desktop or browser session and begin monitoring.
- macOS 13+
- Swift 5.9+ (Xcode or CLI tools)
- A logged-in Claude account on the desktop app or claude.ai in a browser
No API key needed.
./run.shswift build -c release
./.build/release/ClaudeMeter./Scripts/install.shOn first launch, ClaudeMeter shows a welcome dialog offering two options:
Try Auto-Detection — Automatically detects your Claude session from:
- Claude Desktop cookies
- Brave Browser cookies
- Chrome cookies
You'll be asked to grant Keychain access to decrypt cookies securely.
Configure Manually — Skip auto-detection and enter credentials yourself.
If auto-detection succeeds, monitoring starts automatically.
If you choose manual setup or auto-detection fails:
- Click the menu bar icon
- Open "Settings"
- Enter credentials manually
To manually retrieve session details:
- Visit https://claude.ai/settings/usage while logged in
- Open Developer Tools → Network
- Refresh, inspect the usage request
- Copy:
- Organization ID from the URL
- Session Key from the Cookie header
- Current usage + reset timer
- Refresh (Cmd+R)
- Launch at Login
- Settings (Cmd+,)
- Logs
- Quit (Cmd+Q)
Claude's quota works on a rolling 5-hour window that starts when you send your first message. If you don't use Claude for 5+ hours, the window expires and goes into a "null state."
Smart Quota Refresh automatically keeps your quota window active by:
- Detecting when your quota period expires
- Sending a minimal message (~2-5 tokens) in a private conversation that doesn't clutter your history
- Running silently in the background
Enable it in Settings → Smart Quota Refresh toggle.
This ensures you always have an active quota period ready to use, without wasting tokens or leaving traces in your chat history.
Claude's quota system operates on a rolling 5-hour window that only starts when you send your first message. Understanding this mechanism is key to optimizing wait times.
The Core Problem:
When you hit your quota limit, you must wait for the 5-hour window to reset. The wait time depends on when the window started relative to when you hit the limit.
Real-World Scenario:
Without Smart Quota Refresh:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 10:00 AM: Idle (no active window, "null state") │
│ 12:00 PM: You start using Claude → Window STARTS │
│ 2:00 PM: You hit quota limit (used for 2 hours) │
│ 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: WAITING (3 hours) │
│ 5:00 PM: Window resets (12:00 PM + 5h) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Wait Time = 5h - 2h = 3 hours
With Smart Quota Refresh:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 10:00 AM: Auto-refresh triggers → Window STARTS │
│ (~2-5 tokens spent in private conversation) │
│ 12:00 PM: You start using Claude (window already 2h old) │
│ 2:00 PM: You hit quota limit (used for 2 hours) │
│ 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: WAITING (1 hour) │
│ 3:00 PM: Window resets (10:00 AM + 5h) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Wait Time = 5h - 2h - 2h = 1 hour
Time Saved = 3h - 1h = 2 hours (66.7% reduction)
The Mathematical Formula:
Let:
W= Window duration (5 hours)L= Time to hit quota limit after you start using ClaudeΔ= Lead time (hours between auto-refresh and when you actually use Claude)
Without Smart Refresh:
Wait Time = W - L
With Smart Refresh:
Wait Time = W - L - Δ
Time Saved:
Savings = Δ
Percentage Reduction = (Δ / (W - L)) × 100%
Example Calculation:
For W=5h, L=2h, Δ=2h:
- Without: 5 - 2 = 3 hours wait
- With: 5 - 2 - 2 = 1 hour wait
- Savings: 2 hours (66.7% reduction)
Optimization Visualization:
The graph shows how wait time decreases as the auto-start lead time (Δ) increases. Maximum optimization occurs when Δ = W - L, reducing wait time to zero.
Key Insights:
- Cost: ~2-5 tokens per auto-refresh trigger (using minimal prompt in private conversation)
- Benefit: Reduces wait time by up to 100% (when Δ = W - L)
- ROI: In the example above, spending ~2-5 tokens saves 2 hours of waiting
- Privacy: Uses temporary conversations that don't appear in your chat history
- Best Practice: Enable Smart Quota Refresh if you use Claude sporadically rather than continuously
When It Helps Most:
- You use Claude in bursts (e.g., morning and evening sessions)
- You frequently hit quota limits
- You want to minimize downtime between sessions
When It's Less Useful:
- You use Claude continuously throughout the day
- You rarely hit quota limits
- Your usage patterns already align with 5-hour intervals
- "Setup Required" → Make sure Claude Desktop or claude.ai is logged in
- No data → Session may have expired
- Permissions → Grant Full Disk Access if needed (for cookie access)
Logs are stored in:
~/.config/claude-meter/logs/./Scripts/build-app.sh 1.0.0Unsigned .app will be placed in dist/.
Prepare a GitHub release:
./Scripts/prepare-release.sh 1.0.0swift build
swift build -c releaseKey files:
CredentialExtractor.swiftMenuBarManager.swiftSettingsView.swiftLogger.swift
- Everything stays on-device
- Only communicates with claude.ai
- No API keys, no telemetry, no tracking
- Open source
MIT — see LICENSE
Unofficial utility — not affiliated with Anthropic or Claude.
Made with ❤️ for the Claude community.
