# How to monitor Claude Code and Codex usage from your Mac menu bar

> See how much Claude Code and Codex you have used without opening a dashboard. Herdbell shows usage next to each agent, read from records already on your Mac.

Canonical: https://herdbell.com/blog/monitor-claude-code-usage-mac-menu-bar
Author: Herdbell team
Published: 2026-10-27
Last updated: 2026-10-27

Usage limits arrive without warning, and checking a usage page breaks your flow. Herdbell shows each agent's usage right in the popup you already use to answer it, using records that are already on your Mac.

## Where to see it

1. Open Herdbell with your shortcut and expand the agent list.
2. Each agent has a tab with a small bar under its name. Point at the tab to see the figure.
3. The bar is calm green while there is room, amber as it fills, and red near the end.

## What you see for each agent

For Claude Code this is an estimate from your own usage on this Mac. It does not know how much quota your plan has left, because Claude Code does not share that, and Herdbell says so in the tooltip.

- **Codex:** the percentage of its limit you have used, how long the window is, when it resets, and the weekly figure when Codex reports one.
- **Claude Code:** the tokens you used in the last 5 hours and this week, and a bar that compares with your busiest 5 hours so far.

## Private by design

Herdbell reads the usage records your agents already write on your Mac. Nothing is sent anywhere, and no AI model is called.

## When you do hit the limit

Hand the chat to another agent in a second. See [what to do when you hit a usage limit](https://herdbell.com/blog/usage-limit-handoff).

## Common questions

### Does Herdbell show my exact Claude Code quota?
No. Claude Code does not share how much quota is left, so Herdbell shows your own recent token use against your busiest 5 hours. Codex does report a limit, and Herdbell shows that.

### Does monitoring usage cost tokens?
No. Herdbell reads local records and never calls an AI model, so it uses none of your tokens.

## Related
- [Herdbell: pricing](https://herdbell.com/#pricing)
- [All posts](https://herdbell.com/blog)
- [What to do when you hit a Claude Code or Codex usage limit](https://herdbell.com/blog/usage-limit-handoff)
- [How to run multiple Claude Code sessions at once and keep track of them](https://herdbell.com/blog/run-multiple-claude-code-sessions)