AgentNotch vs watching the terminal
Watching the terminal while an AI agent runs is a real cost. AgentNotch shows session status from the menu bar instead.
❯ claude
● Wiring the license claim endpoint
⎿ Edited lib/license/store.ts (+38 −6)
⎿ Edited app/api/license/claim/route.ts (+21 −3)
⎿ Ran npm test (42 passed)
● Run npm run db:migrate?
❯ 1. Yes 2. No, tell Claude what to do
waiting for your approval
Most people start by just watching. You kick off an agent, then park the terminal where you can see it to catch when it finishes or stops to ask something. It works. Nothing to set up, and for a quick task you're only waiting a minute.
The cost shows up as your day fills. Keeping it in view means staring at progress you can't speed up, or splitting attention with real work. Every time you flick back, you pay to reload what you were doing. The times you don't check are worse: an agent hits a prompt and idles, waiting on approval, while you're heads-down elsewhere.
Let something else do the watching
AgentNotch holds the status so you don't have to. It watches your Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex sessions in the menu bar while you work elsewhere. It flags the one that needs you, shows a context gauge and plan usage per session, and opens the right one on a click. You still act in the terminal; AgentNotch removes the watching, so an agent never idles unnoticed.
Side by side
| Watching the terminal | AgentNotch | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | You keep the terminal in view and read it to see where the agent is. | Watches your agents and keeps their live status in the menu bar as they run. |
| Where your attention goes | On the terminal window, or split between it and whatever else you're doing. | On your work. You glance at the notch, then act only when needed. |
| Catches a waiting agent? | Only when you happen to look. An agent can idle while you're in another app. | Yes. It flags the one session waiting on approval, stalled, or done. |
| Shows context and plan usage? | You'd have to read and track it yourself, per session. | Yes. A context gauge and plan usage, per session, at a glance. |
| Handles more than one agent? | You switch windows and scan each one to keep up. | Yes. It reads Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Kimi, plus Claude Cowork, and marks the one that needs you. |
| Price | Free, but it costs your attention. | One-time $9.99. 14-day free trial, no card. |
Questions
- How do I stop watching the terminal while an AI agent runs?
- Let something else hold the status so you only look when there's a reason. AgentNotch keeps each session's state in the menu bar and flags the one that needs you, so you can work in another app and check with a glance instead of watching the window.
- What does watching the terminal actually cost?
- Two things: your focus and the agent's idle time. Every time you switch to the terminal to check, you pay to refocus on what you were doing, and when you don't check, an agent can sit waiting on approval while you work elsewhere.
- Is there a tool for people who don't run any monitoring setup?
- Yes, AgentNotch needs no scripts, hooks, or terminal config. It reads your Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex sessions on its own and shows their status in the menu bar, so it fits whether or not you use other tooling.
- Does AgentNotch read my code or keys?
- No, AgentNotch is 100% local and never reads your code or touches your API keys, tokens, or agent accounts. It watches session status on your Mac and nothing leaves it.
Keep reading
See which agent needs you.
Try AgentNotchfree for 14 days, no card. Watch Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex from your Mac's menu bar.
Updated 2026-07-17