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tiennm99 6494740fd1 docs: tighten the README
Merge the overlapping feature, audience, requirements and usage sections, give updates their own section, fold the file tables into one, and drop the v0.5.0 migration notes.
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# Usage Monitor
A floating, draggable circular bubble that shows your Claude Code and/or
Codex usage on Windows and Linux — inspired by the floating "memory boost
ball" UX of 360 Security and IObit Advanced SystemCare.
A floating, see-through bubble that shows how much of your Claude Code and
Codex limits you have used, on Windows and Linux x86_64. Linux ARM64 and macOS
are not supported yet; see [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md).
Drop it anywhere on screen, drag it around, snap it to a monitor edge,
left-click for a panel with both your 5-hour and 7-day windows, right-click
for the menu.
## Features
Linux ARM64 and macOS are not supported yet; see [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md).
## Acknowledgements
Inspired by [CodeZeno/Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor](https://github.com/CodeZeno/Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor),
which solves the same "how close am I to the Claude Code limit?" problem
with a horizontal taskbar widget. This project takes the UX in a different
direction — a floating, draggable circular bubble that the user can place
anywhere on screen — and is a clean-room implementation: the HTTP client,
provider polling, credential discovery, tray rendering, and
self-updater are all written from scratch against the same public APIs
(Anthropic, ChatGPT, GitHub Releases).
## What you get
- A see-through floating bubble: a round head showing your current 5-hour
Claude Code or Codex usage as a percentage and a colored progress ring,
with a slimmer tail holding the 7-day usage and reset bars
- Drag anywhere — the bubble snaps to monitor work-area edges when
released
- Resize with `Ctrl + MouseWheel` on the bubble, or use **Controls** →
**Make smaller / Make larger / Reset size** from the right-click menu
(140–360 logical pixels)
- Left-click the bubble for an expanded panel with both **5h** and **7d**
bars plus reset countdowns
- Right-click for refresh, displayed providers, update frequency, startup,
**Reset position**, updates, **Show widget**, **Click-through**,
**Restart** and **Exit**
- A system tray icon per enabled provider, with a usage badge
- Desktop notifications when usage crosses a threshold, when a sign-in
expires and after an update was applied
- Auto-hide when a fullscreen app is in the foreground (games, video,
presentations) — reappears when you leave fullscreen
- Bubbles stay above other always-on-top windows, such as chat
notifications: on Windows a bubble goes back on top the moment another
app shows such a window over it, and on every platform shown bubbles are
put back on top every minute, so nothing can keep them covered or hidden
## Who this is for
Windows 10/11 and Linux x86_64 users who already have **Claude Code (CLI or
App) installed and signed in** on the same machine. Codex support is
optional — install and sign in to the Codex CLI, then enable Codex from the
right-click **Providers** menu.
- **The bubble:** a round head with your 5-hour usage and a progress ring,
and a tail with the 7-day usage and time to reset. Left-click it for a
panel with both windows and their countdowns.
- **Place it anywhere:** drag it, and it snaps to a screen edge when you let
go near one. Resize it with `Ctrl` + mouse wheel.
- **Always on top:** it stays above other windows, chat notifications
included, and hides while a fullscreen app (a game, a video, slides) is
in front.
- **Click-through:** an option to let clicks pass through the bubble to the
window below.
- **One bubble per provider:** Claude Code is on by default; Codex is
optional.
- **Tray and alerts:** a tray icon with a usage badge per provider, and
desktop notifications when usage crosses a threshold or a sign-in expires.
- **Updates itself:** new releases install automatically.
## Requirements
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, or Linux x86_64 (see below)
- Claude Code (CLI or App) installed and authenticated
- The `claude` CLI, for automatic token refresh. The app looks for it on
`PATH`, and on Linux also in `~/.local/bin` and `~/.claude/local`. Without
it an expired sign-in is not refreshed and you have to sign in again.
- Optional: Codex CLI installed and authenticated, if you want Codex usage.
Its token is refreshed through the `codex` CLI, found the same way.
### Windows
The app draws its windows with the Microsoft Edge **WebView2 runtime**.
Windows 11 ships it, and most up-to-date Windows 10 machines already have it.
If it is missing, the app shows a message with the download link and exits;
install the
[Evergreen WebView2 runtime](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/)
and start the app again.
### Linux
- **Runtime libraries:** WebKitGTK 4.1 (`libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0` on
Debian/Ubuntu) and, for the tray icons, `libayatana-appindicator3-1`.
The `.deb` pulls these in. Without an AppIndicator library the app runs
without tray icons.
- **A compositing window manager.** The bubble is a transparent window;
without a compositor its corners are drawn opaque.
- **X11 is the supported session.** Under Wayland the app runs through
Xwayland, where positioning, snapping and always-on-top work. Without
Xwayland (or with `GDK_BACKEND=wayland` set) the bubbles still show, but
they cannot be positioned, snapped, kept on top or saved where you drop
them.
- **Tray limits:** Linux tray icons (AppIndicator) only open the menu. They
show no tooltip, and a left click does not toggle the bubble; use the
menu instead.
- Windows 10/11, or Linux x86_64.
- Claude Code (CLI or app), installed and signed in. The `claude` CLI must
be on `PATH` (on Linux, `~/.local/bin` and `~/.claude/local` work too) so
the app can refresh an expired sign-in.
- For Codex: the Codex CLI, installed and signed in.
- **Windows:** the
[WebView2 runtime](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/).
Windows 11 and most up-to-date Windows 10 machines have it; if not, the
app tells you and exits.
- **Linux:**
- WebKitGTK 4.1 and `libayatana-appindicator3-1` for the tray icons. The
`.deb` installs both.
- A compositing window manager, or the bubble's corners are drawn
opaque.
- An X11 session. Under Wayland the app runs through Xwayland. Without
Xwayland the bubbles show, but cannot be positioned, snapped or kept on
top.
## Install
### Windows
Download from the
[latest release](https://github.com/tiennm99/usage-monitor/releases/latest).
Grab `usage-monitor.exe` from the
[Releases page](https://github.com/tiennm99/usage-monitor/releases/latest).
Put it in a folder of its own that you can write to (e.g.
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\`) and run it. The app is portable: it keeps
`settings.json` next to the exe, so moving the folder keeps your settings. It
updates itself from the same Releases feed: when a check finds a new
release, it installs it and restarts on its own, with no click needed.
- **Windows:** `usage-monitor.exe`. Put it in a folder you can write to,
such as `%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\`, and run it. The exe is unsigned:
when SmartScreen warns, click **More info** → **Run anyway**.
- **Linux AppImage:** `usage-monitor_X.Y.Z_amd64.AppImage`. Put it in a
folder you can write to, run `chmod +x` on it, and run it.
- **Linux .deb:** `sudo apt install ./usage-monitor_X.Y.Z_amd64.deb`.
**First-run note:** the binary is unsigned, so SmartScreen will show
"Windows protected your PC". Click **More info** → **Run anyway**. Code
signing is on the roadmap.
The exe and the AppImage are portable: they keep `settings.json` next to
themselves.
### Linux x86_64
## Use
From the same
[Releases page](https://github.com/tiennm99/usage-monitor/releases/latest),
pick one:
- **Left-click** the bubble for the details panel.
- **Right-click** the bubble or the tray icon for the menu:
- **Refresh**
- **Update frequency:** how often usage is fetched.
- **Providers:** which bubbles to show.
- **Settings:** start at login, **Reset position**, **Check for updates**
and the **Auto-update check** interval.
- **Controls:** resize.
- **Show widget**
- **Click-through**
- **Restart** and **Exit**
- **Tray icon:** a left click shows or hides the bubbles. On Linux any click
opens the menu, and there is no tooltip.
- **With click-through on**, the bubbles ignore the mouse. Turn it off from
the tray menu.
- `usage-monitor_X.Y.Z_amd64.AppImage`: make it executable
(`chmod +x`) and run it. Like the Windows exe it is portable and keeps
`settings.json` next to the AppImage file, so give it a folder you can
write to. The AppImage updates itself in place, the same way. If you turned on "Start
at login" in v0.6.0 or earlier and the AppImage path contains a space,
turn it off and on again once: those releases wrote the path unquoted,
so the app never started at login.
- `usage-monitor_X.Y.Z_amd64.deb`: install it with
`sudo apt install ./usage-monitor_X.Y.Z_amd64.deb`. The app
still checks for updates, but installing one is left to you: download the
new `.deb` and install it the same way.
Timers follow your local clock. Every 5 minutes means :00, :05, :10 and so
on; hourly means the top of the hour, daily means midnight, and weekly means
Monday at midnight.
### Build from source
### Updates
Prerequisites: the [Rust toolchain](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install)
and [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) with npm. The Tauri CLI is a local dev
dependency, so `npm ci` installs it.
The app checks GitHub Releases on the **Auto-update check** schedule
(hourly by default). At launch it checks only if a scheduled time has passed
since the last check. A failed check is retried after 1, 2, 4… minutes, but
never later than the next scheduled time.
On Windows:
When a check finds a new release, the exe and the AppImage install it and
restart on their own. The `.deb` only tells you; install the new `.deb` the
same way you installed the first.
```powershell
git clone https://github.com/tiennm99/usage-monitor
cd usage-monitor
npm ci
npm run tauri build -- --no-bundle
```
## Files and diagnostics
The binary lands at `target\release\usage-monitor.exe`.
Run with `--diagnose` to write a log, which is cleared on each start.
On Linux x86_64, install the build dependencies first (Debian/Ubuntu):
| What | Windows | Linux |
|------|---------|-------|
| Log (`--diagnose`) | `%TEMP%\usage-monitor.log` | `~/.local/state/usage-monitor/usage-monitor.log` |
| Settings | `settings.json` next to the exe | next to the AppImage; for the `.deb`, `~/.config/UsageMonitor/settings.json` |
| Update downloads, `update-error.log` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\updates\` | `~/.local/share/UsageMonitor/updates/` |
| Web view cache | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\io.github.tiennm99.usagemonitor\` | `~/.local/share/io.github.tiennm99.usagemonitor/` |
On Linux the `XDG_*` variables move these folders when they are set. On
Windows the app also writes `%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\icon.png` and an
`HKCU\Software\Classes\AppUserModelId` entry, which notifications from a
portable exe need.
## Privacy
- **Reads:** your Claude Code credentials (`~/.claude/.credentials.json`)
and, with Codex on, your Codex credentials (`$CODEX_HOME/auth.json` or
`~/.codex/auth.json`).
- **Sends:** usage requests to Anthropic and, with Codex on, to ChatGPT,
plus update checks to GitHub Releases. Nothing else: no analytics, no
backend, and no credentials sent to any third party.
- **Runs:** when a sign-in has expired, `claude -p .` or `codex exec .`
runs hidden in the temp folder, so the CLI refreshes its token. Codex runs
with `--skip-git-repo-check` and a read-only sandbox. Each run sends one
tiny prompt, which counts toward your usage.
- **Stores:** bubble positions and size, the menu choices, and the time of
the last update check.
## Build from source
You need [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) and
[Node.js](https://nodejs.org/). On Debian/Ubuntu, install the build
dependencies first:
```bash
sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file \
libxdo-dev libssl-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev
```
Then:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/tiennm99/usage-monitor
cd usage-monitor
npm ci
npm run tauri build -- --no-bundle
```
The binary lands at `target/release/usage-monitor`. To build the
`.deb` and AppImage instead, also install `patchelf` (the AppImage needs it)
and run `npm run tauri build -- --bundles deb,appimage`; they land under
`target/release/bundle/`.
Local builds carry no updater signature (`createUpdaterArtifacts` is off in
`tauri.conf.json`), so they cannot be published as an update. Only the
release workflow signs builds; see
The binary lands in `target/release/`. For the `.deb` and AppImage, install
`patchelf` and run `npm run tauri build -- --bundles deb,appimage` instead.
Local builds are unsigned, so they can't be published as updates; see
[docs/release-process.md](docs/release-process.md).
## Use
## Acknowledgements
Run the app. The bubble appears near the bottom-right corner of your
primary monitor on first launch. Drag it where you want it, release to snap
to the nearest edge if you let go close to one.
- **Left-click** the bubble to open the expanded panel (5h + 7d + countdowns)
- **Update frequency** sets how often usage is fetched. Fetches follow
your local clock: every 5 minutes means :00, :05, :10 and so on, and
every hour means the top of the hour
- **Right-click** for **Refresh**, **Update frequency**, **Providers**,
**Settings**, **Controls**, **Show widget**, **Click-through**,
**Restart** and **Exit**.
**Settings** holds "Start with Windows" ("Start at login" on Linux),
**Reset position**, a manual **Check for updates** and the
**Auto-update check** interval (Disabled / Hourly / Daily / Weekly)
- **Drag** anywhere — it floats on top of all other windows
- **Ctrl + MouseWheel** on the bubble, or **Controls** in the right-click
menu, to resize it
- **Tray icon:** left-click toggles the bubble visibility, right-click opens
the same menu (on Linux, any click opens the menu)
- **Click-through:** when checked, the bubbles ignore the mouse, so clicks
reach the windows underneath. You can't drag, resize or right-click a
bubble then; uncheck it from the tray icon's menu
### Providers
Use the right-click **Providers** menu to choose what is shown:
- **Claude Code** is enabled by default
- **Codex** can be enabled alongside Claude Code or shown by itself
When multiple providers are shown, each gets its own bubble that you can position
independently.
### Changes from the v0.5.0 Windows build
The app moved from a hand-written Win32 UI to Tauri. Most behaviour is the
same; these differences are visible:
- The transparent corners around the round bubble no longer pass clicks
through to the window below; they just ignore clicks.
- Alerts are Windows toast notifications instead of tray balloons, so they
no longer use a warning or info icon.
- Proxy auto-configuration (PAC scripts and WPAD) is no longer used. A
static system proxy, its bypass list and the `HTTPS_PROXY`-style
environment variables still are, including a SOCKS `ALL_PROXY` such as
`socks5h://127.0.0.1:7890`, for usage requests and updates alike.
- Only one copy runs per signed-in user session, instead of one per machine.
## Diagnostics
```text
usage-monitor.exe --diagnose # Windows
usage-monitor --diagnose # Linux .deb (pass the same flag to the AppImage)
```
This writes a log file, truncated on each start, to:
| OS | Log file |
|----|----------|
| Windows | `%TEMP%\usage-monitor.log` |
| Linux | `$XDG_STATE_HOME/usage-monitor/usage-monitor.log`, usually `~/.local/state/usage-monitor/usage-monitor.log` (readable by your user only) |
Settings are saved to:
| OS | Settings file |
|----|---------------|
| Windows | `settings.json` next to `usage-monitor.exe` |
| Linux AppImage | `settings.json` next to the `.AppImage` file |
| Linux `.deb` | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/UsageMonitor/settings.json`, usually `~/.config/UsageMonitor/settings.json` |
Other files the app writes:
| What | Windows | Linux |
|------|---------|-------|
| Update downloads and `update-error.log` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\updates\` | `~/.local/share/UsageMonitor/updates/` |
| Web view profile (cache, storage) | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\io.github.tiennm99.usagemonitor\` (WebView2) | `~/.local/share/io.github.tiennm99.usagemonitor/` (WebKitGTK) |
On Windows the app also writes its notification icon to
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\UsageMonitor\icon.png` and registers it under
`HKCU\Software\Classes\AppUserModelId\io.github.tiennm99.usagemonitor`,
which Windows needs to show toasts from a portable exe.
## Privacy and security
What the app reads:
- Your local Claude Code OAuth credentials from `~/.claude/.credentials.json`
- If Codex is enabled, your local Codex credentials from `$CODEX_HOME/auth.json`
or `~/.codex/auth.json`
What the app sends over the network:
- Requests to Anthropic's Claude endpoints to read your usage
- Requests to ChatGPT's Codex usage endpoint, if Codex is enabled
- Requests for `latest.json` from GitHub Releases, hourly by default. Checks
run on your local clock: hourly at the top of each hour, daily at
midnight, weekly at midnight on Monday. At launch the app checks only if
such a time passed since its last check. A failed check is retried
sooner, starting after a minute and backing off, but never past the next
scheduled time. Set **Settings** → **Auto-update check** to
**Disabled** in the right-click menu to stop them; **Check for updates**
still works when you click it.
What the app runs:
- When a usage request is rejected because the sign-in has expired, the app
runs `claude -p .` for Claude Code and `codex exec .` for Codex, for each
provider that was rejected. They run hidden in the background, so the CLI
refreshes its token. Each run sends one tiny prompt, which counts toward
your usage. The runs use the system temporary folder as their working
folder, and Codex runs with `--skip-git-repo-check` and a read-only
sandbox.
What the app stores locally:
- Bubble position(s) per model
- Bubble size
- Whether the bubbles are shown (**Show widget**)
- Whether the bubbles let clicks through (**Click-through**)
- Polling frequency
- Auto-update check interval
- Last update check time
- Displayed provider preferences
What it does **not** do: send credentials to any third-party server, run a
backend service, collect analytics, upload your project files, or write to
your Codex `auth.json` directly.
Inspired by
[CodeZeno/Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor](https://github.com/CodeZeno/Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor),
a taskbar widget for the same problem, and by the floating "boost ball" of
360 Security and IObit Advanced SystemCare. This is a clean-room
implementation against the same public APIs.
## License
Apache License 2.0 — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
Apache License 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).