When Claude Code needs your input
Claude Code stops and waits when it needs permission or an answer. Here is how to catch that pause on macOS instead of finding it minutes later.
By Piotr Jura, creator of AgentNotch. Tested on macOS with AgentNotch v1.3.1.
Two different things happen at the end of a Claude Code run, and only one of them is finishing. The other is the session stopping mid-task because it wants permission to run a command, or has a question it can't answer alone. Nothing moves until you reply.
Claude Code does signal it. A Notification hook fires when the session asks for permission or sits waiting for a prompt, and you can point that at a macOS banner. Worth setting up. It still fires once, so a prompt that arrives while you're in a meeting is a prompt you find ten minutes later, with the task exactly where you left it.
Where AgentNotch fits
AgentNotch treats waiting as a state, not an event. A session that stops for permission stays flagged in the menu bar until you deal with it, so it can't quietly sit there. With several sessions open, it marks which one is asking. You can approve inline from the notch or click through to the session. Nothing to configure, no keys, and it never reads your code.
Side by side
| What it does | Its limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Notification hook | Fires when Claude Code asks for permission or waits for a prompt. | You wire it yourself, and the banner fires once. |
| Terminal bell | Rings when the session stops for you. | Says something wants you, not which session or why. |
| AgentNotch | Keeps the waiting session flagged in the menu bar until you act. | Points at the exact session; macOS only. |
Questions
- How do I get notified when Claude Code needs my input?
- Claude Code fires a Notification hook when it asks for permission or waits on a prompt, so you can wire that to a macOS banner with osascript or terminal-notifier. A menu-bar monitor like AgentNotch keeps the waiting session flagged instead, so the pause stays visible until you answer it.
- What is the difference between waiting for input and finishing?
- A finished run is done and needs nothing from you; a waiting run has stopped mid-task and cannot continue until you answer. The second one costs you time, because the work is held up for as long as the prompt sits there.
- Why does Claude Code stop and ask for permission?
- Claude Code asks before running commands or edits that fall outside what you have already allowed. The prompt is the safety boundary working as intended; the only problem is that it can go unanswered while you are in another window.
- Can I see which of several sessions is waiting?
- Not from a notification, which fires once and does not say where it came from. AgentNotch shows every session in the menu bar and marks the one that is waiting, so you click straight into 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 2026-07-18