Tools: /statusline: Build Your Dream Status Bar for Claude Code

The Problem ## The Solution ## How to Use It ## Built-in Information Types ## Custom Commands and Scripts ## Pro Tips ## Real-World Use Case ## Building Your Perfect Setup ## Conclusion Git info? Token count? Bitcoin price? Prayer times? Wordle streak? Whatever you need, the statusline delivers. Every developer has their own definition of "essential information." Some need to know their current git branch at all times. Others obsess over token usage. And some — let's be honest — want to keep an eye on Bitcoin while they code. The beauty of Claude Code's statusline feature is that it doesn't judge. Whatever information makes you more productive (or just happier), you can put it right there at the bottom of your terminal. Today, we're exploring the customizable status bar that lets you turn Claude Code into your Claude Code. Standard terminals and AI interfaces give you what they think you need. The problem is, they're often wrong. Or at least, incomplete. Maybe you're working across multiple git branches and need constant visibility into which one you're on. Maybe you're budget-conscious and want to track token usage in real-time. Maybe you're a freelancer tracking billable time. Maybe you work across time zones and need to know what time it is in Tokyo before you send that message. The default answer to all of this is: "Open another terminal tab" or "Check a different app" or "Just remember it." None of these are good. They all require context switching. They all add friction. They all make you do work that your tools should be doing for you. Claude Code's /statusline command puts a customizable information bar at the bottom of your interface. You decide what goes there. The possibilities are genuinely endless. This opens the statusline configuration. From here, you can define what information appears and how it's formatted. Quick configuration example: Now your statusline shows: Claude Code comes with several built-in statusline components: Example configuration: Here's where it gets fun. You can add any command output to your statusline: Prayer times (for those who observe): Yes, really. If you can get it from a command line, you can put it in your statusline. 🎯 Tip 1: Keep it scannable. The statusline is most useful when you can glance at it and get info in under a second. Don't cram too much. 🎯 Tip 2: Use separators wisely. Pipe characters (|) and spaces make sections visually distinct. Example: git:branch | tokens | time 🎯 Tip 3: Create context-specific statuslines. Different projects need different info. Save configurations and switch between them: 🎯 Tip 4: Refresh intervals matter. For dynamic data (like API prices), consider the refresh rate. You probably don't need second-by-second Bitcoin updates while debugging code. 🎯 Tip 5: Combine with tmux/screen. If you're already using terminal multiplexers, coordinate your statuslines to avoid redundant information. Let's look at three different developers and their statusline setups: Alex — The DevOps Engineer: Alex's statusline shows: Always knows the current branch, which Kubernetes cluster is active, and how many pods are running. Essential for someone who could accidentally deploy to production. Jordan — The Freelance Developer: Jordan's statusline shows: Tracks the session, token usage for cost estimates, billable time, and current calculated rate. Invoicing just got easier. Morgan — The Focused Developer: Morgan's statusline shows: Minimal distractions. Just the branch, the model, and a focus timer to encourage deep work. Here's a process for building your ideal statusline: Start minimal. Begin with just git branch and tokens. Use it for a day. Notice what you're checking manually. Every time you switch to another window for information, ask: "Could this be in my statusline?" Add incrementally. One new component at a time. See if it adds value or just noise. Iterate ruthlessly. If you haven't looked at a statusline component in a week, remove it. Context switch your statusline. Different projects might need different setups. That's fine. The /statusline feature embodies a philosophy: your tools should adapt to you, not the other way around. Whether you need practical git information, token tracking for budget management, or yes, your Wordle streak — Claude Code's statusline puts it where you need it. No extra windows. No context switching. Just a glance and you know. The best statusline is the one you build for yourself. So build it. Tomorrow in Day 15: We're going full no-limits. What if Claude Code never asked for permission again? Enter YOLO mode: --dangerously-skip-permissions. It's powerful. It's risky. It has "danger" right in the name. Let's talk about when to use it. ⚠️ What's on your statusline? Share your setup and follow along for the rest of the 31 Days of Claude Code Features! Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse CODE_BLOCK: /statusline Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline CODE_BLOCK: /statusline CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch model tokens Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch model tokens CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch model tokens CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch git:status | model | tokens | time Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch git:status | model | tokens | time CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch git:status | model | tokens | time CODE_BLOCK: main ● | claude-3-opus | 12,847 tokens | 14:32 Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: main ● | claude-3-opus | 12,847 tokens | 14:32 CODE_BLOCK: main ● | claude-3-opus | 12,847 tokens | 14:32 CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(curl -s wttr.in/?format=%t)" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(curl -s wttr.in/?format=%t)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(curl -s wttr.in/?format=%t)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "BTC: $(curl -s api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice.json | jq -r '.bpi.USD.rate')" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "BTC: $(curl -s api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice.json | jq -r '.bpi.USD.rate')" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "BTC: $(curl -s api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice.json | jq -r '.bpi.USD.rate')" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Load: $(uptime | awk -F'load average:' '{print $2}' | cut -d, -f1)" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Load: $(uptime | awk -F'load average:' '{print $2}' | cut -d, -f1)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Load: $(uptime | awk -F'load average:' '{print $2}' | cut -d, -f1)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(cat ~/.pomodoro_status 2>/dev/null || echo 'No timer')" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(cat ~/.pomodoro_status 2>/dev/null || echo 'No timer')" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "$(cat ~/.pomodoro_status 2>/dev/null || echo 'No timer')" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Next prayer: $(~/.scripts/next_prayer.sh)" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Next prayer: $(~/.scripts/next_prayer.sh)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "Next prayer: $(~/.scripts/next_prayer.sh)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "🟩 Wordle: $(cat ~/.wordle_streak)" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "🟩 Wordle: $(cat ~/.wordle_streak)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline "🟩 Wordle: $(cat ~/.wordle_streak)" COMMAND_BLOCK: # In your shell config alias statusline-work="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch jira-ticket model tokens" alias statusline-personal="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch weather time" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode COMMAND_BLOCK: # In your shell config alias statusline-work="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch jira-ticket model tokens" alias statusline-personal="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch weather time" COMMAND_BLOCK: # In your shell config alias statusline-work="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch jira-ticket model tokens" alias statusline-personal="/path/to/claude statusline git:branch weather time" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | "k8s: $(kubectl config current-context)" | "pods: $(kubectl get pods --no-headers | wc -l)" | time Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | "k8s: $(kubectl config current-context)" | "pods: $(kubectl get pods --no-headers | wc -l)" | time CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | "k8s: $(kubectl config current-context)" | "pods: $(kubectl get pods --no-headers | wc -l)" | time CODE_BLOCK: main | k8s: prod-cluster | pods: 47 | 16:22 Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: main | k8s: prod-cluster | pods: 47 | 16:22 CODE_BLOCK: main | k8s: prod-cluster | pods: 47 | 16:22 CODE_BLOCK: /statusline session | tokens | "$( ~/.scripts/billable_time.sh)" | "Rate: $$(~/.scripts/hourly_rate.sh)" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline session | tokens | "$( ~/.scripts/billable_time.sh)" | "Rate: $$(~/.scripts/hourly_rate.sh)" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline session | tokens | "$( ~/.scripts/billable_time.sh)" | "Rate: $$(~/.scripts/hourly_rate.sh)" CODE_BLOCK: client-acme-api | 8,234 tokens | 2h 34m billable | Rate: $127.50 Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: client-acme-api | 8,234 tokens | 2h 34m billable | Rate: $127.50 CODE_BLOCK: client-acme-api | 8,234 tokens | 2h 34m billable | Rate: $127.50 CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | model | "Focus: $(($(date +%s) - $(cat ~/.focus_start))) seconds" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | model | "Focus: $(($(date +%s) - $(cat ~/.focus_start))) seconds" CODE_BLOCK: /statusline git:branch | model | "Focus: $(($(date +%s) - $(cat ~/.focus_start))) seconds" CODE_BLOCK: feature/auth | claude-3.5-sonnet | Focus: 2847 seconds Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: feature/auth | claude-3.5-sonnet | Focus: 2847 seconds CODE_BLOCK: feature/auth | claude-3.5-sonnet | Focus: 2847 seconds - Current git branch - Active Claude model - Token usage for the session - Start minimal. Begin with just git branch and tokens. Use it for a day. - Notice what you're checking manually. Every time you switch to another window for information, ask: "Could this be in my statusline?" - Add incrementally. One new component at a time. See if it adds value or just noise. - Iterate ruthlessly. If you haven't looked at a statusline component in a week, remove it. - Context switch your statusline. Different projects might need different setups. That's fine.