The problem
Depending on its permission mode, Claude Code asks before it runs a shell command, edits a file or carries out a plan. That's what you want, but the question only shows inside the chat. If you switched to a browser while it worked, it waits there, quietly, sometimes for most of an hour.
Finishing is the easy case: you'll get back to it eventually. The costly case is a chat that's blocked on you two minutes in, so this page is about that moment: knowing it happened, knowing what's being asked, and getting there in one click.
How Pairbar solves it
- Allow notificationsThe welcome asks for the Notifications permission. macOS asks only once; after that, Settings → General → Permissions → Notifications has Open Settings… to turn it on in System Settings.
- Turn on alerts for Claude chatsIn Settings → Notifications, turn on Claude chats, and choose Notification banner and Sound. If you want to read the question on the banner itself, turn on Include what the chat is asking (off by default, because banners show on the lock screen).
- Optional: make it instant with live statusSettings → Integrations → Live status for Claude (hooks) → Install… has Claude Code tell Pairbar each permission request the moment it happens. Without it, Pairbar reads the same thing from the files Claude already writes. See live status for Claude.
- Work somewhere elseWhen a chat stops for you and you're not looking at it, the banner arrives, and the menu-bar icon shows how many chats need you. In Pairbar's list, the chat's row shows what it's asking.
- Answer it in ClaudeClick the banner, the chat in ⌃⌥K quick search, or its row in Pairbar: the chat opens in the Claude app, where you allow, deny or answer as usual.
What counts as needing you
| The chat is… | Shows as | How Pairbar knows |
|---|---|---|
| asking to run a command | Needs you · "Bash · git push" | a hook event (with live status), or Claude Code's own record of the running session in ~/.claude/sessions |
| asking a question or presenting a plan | Needs you with the question | at once, from the conversation |
| waiting on a quick tool with no answer (an edit, a file read) | Needs you | treated as a permission prompt after about 12 seconds (about 20 for an MCP tool) when there's no record or event |
| running a subagent that asks you something | Needs you on the parent chat | the subagent's own status |
Commands are shown only as their program and subcommand (git push), never with arguments, which could contain passwords. A chat stays in Needs you until it's answered or its Claude process ends (without Claude's record, for up to 7 days), so it can't slip down the list while you're away. See how the status is worked out.
Every signal, and where it's set
| Signal | Where it's set |
|---|---|
| Needs you section at the top of the list, orange ? on the icon | always on |
| Banner (click to open the chat) | Settings → Notifications → Claude chats, Notification banner |
| Sound | Settings → Notifications → Sound |
| Count next to the menu-bar icon | always on |
Without Pairbar
Without Pairbar, Claude Code users wire this up in a few ways:
| Approach | How | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
A Notification hook | a Claude Code hook that runs osascript or terminal-notifier when Claude needs permission or input | you write and maintain the script; a banner, but no list of what's waiting |
| The terminal bell | Claude Code in a terminal can ring the bell, which many terminals turn into a notification | terminal sessions only, one tab at a time |
| Keep the chat visible | leave the Claude window on screen and glance at it | works until you switch to another app |
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need Codex or live status for this?
- No. It works with the Claude app alone, and without the hooks Pairbar reads the status from the files Claude Code already writes. Live status makes it instant and shows the exact tool the moment Claude asks.
- How is this different from a notification when Claude Code finishes?
- Both are covered by the same settings. A finished chat gets a banner and an unread dot; a chat that needs you also moves to the Needs you section, shows its question, counts on the menu-bar icon and stays there until answered. See notifications when a chat finishes.
- Can I approve the permission from the notification?
- No. The banner opens the chat in Claude, where you allow or deny it. Pairbar never answers Claude's permission prompts for you.
- Will the banner show my command on the lock screen?
- Only if you turn on Include what the chat is asking. By default a banner shows the app, the chat title and the project.
Related
- DocsStaying informedNotifications, sounds, the menu-bar badge
- Use caseKnow the moment Claude Code or Codex stops to ask for your approvalOptional hooks for Claude and Codex show Needs you the instant a chat asks for approval, the tool a chat is running, and when it finishes.
- Use caseGet notified when Claude Code or Codex finishes or needs your inputBanners, sounds and a count on the menu-bar icon tell you when a Claude or Codex chat finishes or needs you.
- GuideSet up live status hooks for Claude and CodexTurn on instant status from Claude Code and Codex hooks: what Install writes, what is sent, how to check events arrive, repair and uninstall.
- GlossaryPermission modeThe Claude Code setting that decides which actions Claude may take in a session without asking you first.
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.