Does Pairbar replace the Claude desktop app?

No. Pairbar needs the Claude app (or the Codex app) and opens every Claude chat in it. It draws over the app's sidebar and never modifies the app.

If I only use Claude Code, do I need Pairbar?

Probably not for the list itself: the Claude app's Code sidebar has filters, notifications, a usage ring, worktrees, cloud sessions and routines. Pairbar mainly helps when you also use Codex, or want search inside conversations or its workflows.

Can I still see the Claude app's own sidebar with Pairbar running?

Yes. Hold ⌥ or ⌘ over Pairbar to peek at it, double-tap ⌥ to keep it showing, or press ⌃⌥S to hide Pairbar.

Does Pairbar show Claude cloud sessions?

Yes, read from the Claude app's own cache once the app has loaded its Code sessions list. There's no transcript on your Mac for them, so there's no conversation search, handoff or check-in for cloud chats.

Pairbar vs the Claude App's Code Sidebar

At a glance

The Claude app's Code sidebar and Pairbar (Anthropic facts checked September 2026) (as of September 2026)
	Pairbar	Claude desktop app (Code sidebar)
Where you chat	In the Claude app (and the Codex app); Pairbar opens each Claude chat there through its `claude://` link	Is the official app: you chat right there
Platform	macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon	macOS, Windows (x64, ARM64), Linux (beta)
Price model	$49/year, $9/month or $129 lifetime; 7-day trial	Part of the Claude app; see Anthropic for plan requirements
Chats listed	Claude Code sessions and Codex threads, local and cloud	Your Claude Code sessions (no Codex chats)
Organising	Group by project, app, status, date or label; sort; pins, labels, hide; bulk actions	Filter by status, project or environment; group by project; archive and auto-archive
Moving between chats	Click or `⌃1–9`; a chat from the other app swaps its window into the same spot, or the basket docks Claude and Codex side by side, stacked or in Focus	Ctrl+Tab cycles sessions; `⌘`-click opens a split view
Notifications	Finished or needs you, per app, banner and optional sound; menu-bar count; optional live status through Claude's hooks shows a permission request the moment it happens	OS notification when a session finishes and you aren't viewing it; CI-finished notifications
Plan-limit display	Rings for Claude and Codex; the card shows the 5-hour, weekly and per-model weekly windows	Usage ring by the model picker: context window usage and plan usage for the period
Worktree isolation	Worktree chip on a new chat; the Tasks view groups Claude and Codex chats by branch or worktree, with the PR, its checks and suggestions you approve first	Optional worktree toggle per session (in `.claude/worktrees/`)
Environments	Local chats; lists cloud sessions	Local, Cloud, SSH and WSL
Cloud sessions (Anthropic)	Listed with ☁︎ and opened in the Claude app; can't be started from Pairbar (it opens Claude's composer instead)	Start them, send a local session to the cloud with Continue in, and Remote Control from claude.ai or mobile
Scheduled work	Workflows and check-ins, Claude or Codex steps, while Pairbar is running	Routines: local ones while the app is open and the Mac awake; cloud ones even when your computer is off
Search inside conversations	Yes, both apps, plus `⌃⌥K` from any app	Not stated
Working across sessions	Send a message without opening a chat; fork from a reply; hand off to Codex; optional tools let a chat ask Pairbar about the others, and ask for a second opinion from Codex, a review or a helper chat, which runs only once you allow or approve it in Pairbar	Claude can list, read and message your other desktop sessions
Support and stability	Independent; reads undocumented local files that an app update can change	Anthropic's own, documented feature

What the Claude app already gives you

Everything in this section keeps working with Pairbar installed. Pairbar is a panel drawn over the Code sidebar, not a substitute for it, and every Claude chat you open from Pairbar opens in the Claude app.

If you only use Claude Code, the app's own Code sidebar is capable. It lists your sessions and runs several in parallel, filters them by status, project or environment, and notifies you when a session finishes while you're looking elsewhere. Sessions can run locally, in Anthropic's cloud, over SSH or in WSL, each with an optional worktree. The usage ring shows context and plan usage, Routines schedule work (cloud routines even run with your Mac off), and Claude can read and message your other desktop sessions itself.

It's also cross-platform and it's Anthropic's own feature, so it doesn't break when the app updates. Pairbar is Mac-only (macOS 26, Apple silicon), paid, and reads undocumented local files of the Claude app.

What Pairbar adds on top

Codex in the same list. Claude Code sessions and Codex threads side by side, with All · Claude · Codex filters. The Claude app can't show Codex chats.
One window spot for two apps. Click a Codex chat while Claude is in front and the Codex window moves exactly where Claude's was. See switching.
Search inside conversations of both apps, ranked by titles, then projects and branches, then what was said. See search.
Both plans' limits side by side, and a suggestion to start in whichever app has more left.
Handoff to Codex with the whole conversation and the repo's state, and Fork from a message….
Workflows that mix apps: one step on Claude, the next on Codex, with permission levels and a goal check. See workflows.
Tasks by branch: the Tasks view groups the Claude and Codex chats on one branch or worktree with the PR and its checks, and suggests next steps as plans you approve or decline.
Claude and Codex docked together in the basket: side by side, stacked or one at a time, under one sidebar.
A skills library for Claude and Codex, and a subagent transcript reader beside the sidebar.
Agents that ask, and you approve: with Pairbar's tools installed, a Claude chat can ask for a second opinion or a review from Codex, a helper chat or one of your workflows. Each request waits for your approval in Pairbar unless you've allowed that kind, an agent can never approve itself, and budgets and Pause agent actions keep it in check. See agent actions.
Labels, pins, hiding and check-ins that are Pairbar's own and never change the Claude app.

Things Pairbar doesn't do that the app does

Start a Claude cloud session: Pairbar opens Claude's new chat with your text and folder filled in, and you pick the cloud environment there.
Rename a Claude chat in Claude: a name set in Pairbar shows in Pairbar only.
Archive Claude chats (only Codex chats can be archived from Pairbar).
Show your regular (non-coding) Claude chats: hold ⌥ over Pairbar to peek at Claude's own sidebar.
SSH and WSL environments, split view, and cloud routines.

Using both

This is the normal setup: Pairbar covers the app's sidebar, and the app's own sidebar is always one gesture away. Hold ⌥ (or ⌘) over Pairbar to see it, double-tap ⌥ to keep it, or press ⌃⌥S to hide Pairbar until you want it back. Claude cloud sessions show in Pairbar once the Claude app has loaded its Code sessions list at least once.

Who each is best for

Pairbar: Mac users who use both Claude Code and Codex desktop apps and want one list, one window spot, search across both, and handoffs and workflows between them.
The Claude app's own sidebar: Anyone who only uses Claude Code, works on Windows or Linux, or needs SSH/WSL environments, cloud routines or a documented, first-party feature.

Sources

Facts about other products come from their public pages, checked September 2026. Products change quickly: check the source before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

Does Pairbar replace the Claude desktop app?: No. Pairbar needs the Claude app (or the Codex app) and opens every Claude chat in it. It draws over the app's sidebar and never modifies the app.
If I only use Claude Code, do I need Pairbar?: Probably not for the list itself: the Claude app's Code sidebar has filters, notifications, a usage ring, worktrees, cloud sessions and routines. Pairbar mainly helps when you also use Codex, or want search inside conversations or its workflows.
Can I still see the Claude app's own sidebar with Pairbar running?: Yes. Hold ⌥ or ⌘ over Pairbar to peek at it, double-tap ⌥ to keep it showing, or press ⌃⌥S to hide Pairbar.
Does Pairbar show Claude cloud sessions?: Yes, read from the Claude app's own cache once the app has loaded its Code sessions list. There's no transcript on your Mac for them, so there's no conversation search, handoff or check-in for cloud chats.

Try Pairbar free for 7 days

One sidebar for the Claude and Codex desktop apps. Everything on for 7 days, no card needed; then $49/year ($39 first year with LAUNCH), $9/month or $129 lifetime (first 200 buyers). macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon.

Download free trial See pricing