Claude HUD is a free, open-source macOS menu-bar app that shows Claude Code's questions and permission prompts in the MacBook notch, so you can answer them without switching windows.
When a Claude Code session stops to ask you something — a multiple-choice question, "Allow this command?", or the next-step box of the Claude desktop app — a card drops out of the notch (or floats at the top right). Pick an answer with a click or a shortcut and keep working.
Claude HUD is an independent project. It is not made, endorsed or supported by Anthropic. "Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC; the name here only says which tool the app works with.
What it does
| Card | Comes from | Your answer goes back through |
|---|
| Multiple-choice question (single or several in a row) | Claude Code's AskUserQuestion tool | a PreToolUse hook — Claude receives the answers directly |
| Permission prompt: Allow / Always allow / Deny | Claude Code's PermissionRequest hook (opt-in) | the same hook; "Always allow" adds the rule Claude itself suggested |
| "Next step" question of a Claude desktop session | the session transcript in ~/.claude/projects | typed into that session's reply box and sent, like you would (needs Accessibility) |
No answer within two minutes? The card steps aside and Claude asks in its own window as usual. Nothing is ever answered without your click or key press.
Features
- Notch or top-right placement, with a live preview on a drawn MacBook screen in the settings window.
- Queue with depth: one layer per waiting card under the current one and an "N more" counter.
- Global shortcuts while a card is on screen — no Accessibility needed:
⌃⌥1…9 pick · ⌃⌥↵ choose / next / submit · ⌃⌥⎋ skip · ⌃⌥→ next card · ⌃⌥O open the session · ⌃⌥C copy · ⌃⌥Space focus the panel. All but the number keys can be rebound.
- Compact pill: show a waiting card as one line, open it on hover.
- Swipe a card with two fingers (left skips, right shows the next), with trackpad haptics.
- Sounds per card type (questions, permission prompts, next-step asks): any macOS system sound or your own audio file, with volume and preview.
- Quiet: snooze for 15 min / 1 hour / until tomorrow, no sounds while the mic is in use, hidden from screen sharing.
- Free-text replies with dictation, and drop files on a card to add their paths.
- Card transitions: card deck, fly right, toss up, flip, drop in, fade, or none.
- Scanner line along the card edge: 10 patterns, 12 color presets plus any custom color, speed, thickness, beam, glow, trail, direction.
- Lives in the menu bar; Show in Dock is a switch. First launch walks you through setup.
Screenshots
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|---|
| |
| Multiple-choice questions, step by step | Permission prompts: Allow once · Always allow · Deny |
| |
| Claude desktop next-step questions, with a free-text reply | First-launch welcome |
| |
| Snooze, quiet during calls, replies | Scanner line patterns and colors |
| |
| Global shortcuts you can rebind | |
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (a MacBook with a notch is best; any Mac works in top-right mode)
- Claude Code (CLI or the Claude desktop app)
- To build from source: the Swift toolchain from Xcode or the Command Line Tools (
xcode-select --install). Xcode 26+ also compiles the new-style app icon; older toolchains fall back to the classic icon.
Install
Download (recommended)
Get the latest files from Releases:
| File | For |
|---|
Claude-HUD-<version>.dmg | Any Mac — universal (Apple Silicon + Intel). Open it and drag Claude HUD to Applications. |
Claude-HUD-<version>-universal.zip | Same app as a zip |
Claude-HUD-<version>-arm64.zip | Apple Silicon only (smaller) |
Claude-HUD-<version>-x86_64.zip | Intel only (smaller) |
SHA256SUMS.txt | Checksums: shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS.txt |
The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.
Homebrew
Each release also carries a Homebrew cask (claude-hud.rb). Once it is published in a tap, install with:
brew install --cask nsozturk/tap/claude-hud
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/nsozturk/claude-hud.git
cd claude-hud
./scripts/build-app.sh # builds "build/Claude HUD.app" for this Mac
cp -R "build/Claude HUD.app" /Applications/
open "/Applications/Claude HUD.app"
./scripts/package-release.sh builds every release file above (universal DMG and zips, per-architecture zips, checksums, cask) into build/release/.
The build is signed ad hoc. To keep macOS permissions across rebuilds, sign with your own certificate:
SIGN_IDENTITY="Apple Development: Your Name (TEAMID)" ./scripts/build-app.sh
First launch
On first launch Claude HUD shows a short welcome:
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
