Claude Code and Codex usage trackers for Mac, compared
At least ten Mac apps now show how much of your Claude Code and Codex limits is left. They differ in where they sit, how many services they cover and, most of all, what they read from your Mac to get the numbers.
Short answer. For the most providers and the most mature app, pick CodexBar (menu bar, free, MIT). For a notch island inside a full utilities suite, Vorssaint. For limits plus spending, CodeBurn. For a notch app that only does Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode Go and never reads their tokens for the first two, CapaTheNotch.
The trackers at a glance
| App | Where it lives | Price, licence | Providers | How it gets Claude / Codex limits | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CodexBar | Menu bar, widgets | FreeMIT | Dozens, incl. Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, Gemini | Claude: OAuth API, then CLI, then web cookies (opt-in). Codex: OAuth or CLI | Yes |
| Vorssaint | Notch island in a utilities app | FreeGPL-3.0 | Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot | Claude: a usage file written by the Claude desktop app. Codex: runs the CLI | Yes |
| Codenotch | Pill at the screen edge; also Windows | FreeMIT | Claude, Codex, Cursor, Copilot and more | Claude: desktop app cache, then claude /usage, then keychain token. Codex: local sign-in file | Release builds |
| CodeBurn | CLI, menu bar, screen-edge dock | FreeMIT | Dozens | Local session logs for cost; stored credentials for live quota | Yes |
| FavTray | Menu bar | Free tier; Pro $4.99 once | 30+ | “Reads the logins already on your Mac, read-only” | Yes |
| AgentLimits | Menu bar, widgets | FreeMIT | Codex, Claude Code, Copilot | You sign in to claude.ai and chatgpt.com inside the app | Not stated |
| Limita | Menu bar and a hover pill | FreeMIT | Claude Code, Codex | Claude: keychain OAuth token. Codex: codex app-server | No |
| UsageBar | Menu bar | FreeMIT | Claude Code, Codex | Claude: keychain OAuth token. Codex: codex app-server | Yes |
| claude-codex-limits | Menu bar; also Linux | FreeMIT | Claude Code, Codex | Keychain token and Codex auth.json, refreshed by the app | No |
| LimitChecker | Menu bar | FreeMIT | Claude Code, Codex | Runs the CLIs’ own /usage and /status | No |
| CapaTheNotch | The MacBook notch | FreeMIT | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode Go (two at a time) | Claude: claude /usage. Codex: codex app-server. OpenCode: its key, with consent | No |
“Signed” means signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it without a Gatekeeper warning. Provider lists and methods change quickly; check each project before you install.
Four ways a tracker can read your limits
None of the services publishes a public “how much is left” API for subscriptions, so every tracker borrows access you already have. Which kind it borrows is the main privacy difference between them.
1. The CLI’s own commands
The app runs what you would run yourself: claude /usage, Codex’s /status or its local codex app-server. The credentials stay inside the official tool. Slower, but nothing new touches your token. LimitChecker and CapaTheNotch work this way; CodexBar and Codenotch use it as one of their routes.
2. The token in your keychain
Claude Code keeps its OAuth token in the macOS keychain. Several trackers read it and call Anthropic’s usage endpoint directly. Fast and accurate, but a third-party app now holds your Claude credentials, and some refresh the token themselves.
3. A web session
You sign in to claude.ai or chatgpt.com inside the tracker, or it reuses your browser’s cookies. It sees what the website sees.
4. Local files
Session logs in ~/.claude and ~/.codex, or a usage file the Claude desktop app writes. Good for history and cost, and no credentials are involved; live limits depend on another app having fetched them recently.
Which one to pick
- You use many AI tools: CodexBar. It covers the most providers, is signed, installs with Homebrew and is updated almost daily.
- You want a notch island that does everything: Vorssaint. Limits are one section of a large utilities app; Claude limits rely on the Claude desktop app.
- You care about spending as much as limits: CodeBurn, a cost tracker first, with live quota on top.
- You work on Windows too: Codenotch or claude-codex-limits (Linux).
- You don’t want anything reading your tokens: LimitChecker or CapaTheNotch.
Where CapaTheNotch fits, honestly
CapaTheNotch does fewer things on purpose. It shows any two of Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode Go in the notch, with five-hour and weekly windows, reset times and one notification below 10%. It reads Claude Code through claude /usage (with an optional status line bridge for instant updates) and Codex through its own App Server, so it never touches their credentials; OpenCode is the one exception, read only with your consent. Next to the limits it has a teleprompter under the camera and on-device dictation, each off until you turn it on.
The trade-offs: three providers, two at a time; Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later only; not notarized, so the first launch needs a trip to Privacy & Security; and it is a young project with a small community.
Try CapaTheNotch
Free and open source (MIT). Your Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode Go limits in the notch, without handing their tokens to another app.
Download for macOSSources
- CodexBar
- Vorssaint and its privacy notes
- Codenotch
- CodeBurn
- FavTray
- AgentLimits
- Limita
- UsageBar
- claude-codex-limits
- LimitChecker
- CapaTheNotch
FAQ
What is the most popular Claude Code usage tracker for Mac?
CodexBar, a free MIT menu bar app with over 22,000 GitHub stars that covers dozens of providers. Vorssaint, a free utilities app with a notch island, has a similar following.
Do usage trackers need my Claude login?
Many read the OAuth token Claude Code keeps in the macOS keychain. Some avoid credentials entirely: LimitChecker and CapaTheNotch run Claude Code’s own /usage command, and Vorssaint reads a file the Claude desktop app writes.
Which tracker shows limits in the MacBook notch?
Vorssaint and CapaTheNotch draw in the notch; Codenotch and Limita use a pill at the top edge of the screen.
Which tracker supports OpenCode Go?
CodexBar, Vorssaint and CapaTheNotch list OpenCode among their providers.