Claude Code Statusline Development

Claude Code Statusline Development

Create custom status lines that display contextual information at the bottom of Claude Code.

Quick Reference

You MUST read the reference files for detailed schemas and examples:

• [JSON Schema](./references/json-schema.md) - Complete input structure documentation
• [Example: Simple](./references/example-simple.md) - Basic bash statusline
• [Example: Git-Aware](./references/example-git-aware.md) - Git branch and status
• [Example: Context Usage](./references/example-context-usage.md) - Context window percentage
• [Example: Cost Tracking](./references/example-cost-tracking.md) - Session costs and tokens

Configuration

Add to .claude/settings.json:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "~/.claude/statusline.sh",
    "padding": 0
  }
}

How It Works

• Status line updates when conversation messages change
• Updates run at most every 300ms
• First line of stdout becomes the status line text
• ANSI color codes supported
• JSON context passed via stdin

JSON Input (Quick Reference)

| Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | model.display_name | Model name (e.g., "Opus") | | workspace.current_dir | Current working directory | | workspace.project_dir | Original project directory | | cost.total_cost_usd | Session cost in USD | | cost.total_lines_added | Lines added this session | | cost.total_lines_removed | Lines removed this session | | context_window.context_window_size | Max context tokens | | context_window.current_usage | Current token usage object |

See [JSON Schema](./references/json-schema.md) for complete structure.

Script Template

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)

# Extract values using jq
model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name')
dir=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.current_dir')

# Colors via tput
blue=$(tput setaf 4)
reset=$(tput sgr0)

echo "${blue}[$model]${reset} ${dir##*/}"

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/.claude/statusline.sh

Tips

• Keep output concise - single line only
• Use tput for portable ANSI colors
• Test with mock JSON: echo '{"model":{"display_name":"Test"}}' | ./statusline.sh
• Cache expensive operations (git status) if needed

Important

After creating or modifying statuslines, inform the user:

> No restart needed. Statusline changes take effect immediately - Claude Code reads settings fresh on each update.

Attribution

Based on Claude Code Status Line Configuration.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: dwmkerr
• Source: dwmkerr/claude-toolkit
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://www.skills.sh/dwmkerr/claude-toolkit

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.