The problem
Many follow-ups are one line: "also update the changelog", "push when the tests pass", "use the staging config, not prod". To send one, you switch to the app, find the chat, wait for its window to load, type, and then find your way back to what you were doing. Across several chats in two apps, that's a lot of window-hopping for a sentence.
It's also easy to forget: you think of the extra instruction while the agent is busy, and by the time it's finished you've moved on.
How Pairbar solves it
- Find the chat in the listUse the list or search (⌘K over Claude or Codex). The chat doesn't need to be open.
- Open its menuClick ⋯ on the row or right-click it, then choose Send message…, or press M.
- Type the follow-upFor example: "When the tests pass, open a draft PR titled 'Rate limit /login'."
- Send itCodex confirms queue receipt and offers Open in Codex. The receipt does not prove the desktop has started processing the message. For Claude, Pairbar continues the session in the background when the chat isn't working, and the reply shows in Claude.
Claude and Codex handle it differently
| Codex | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's sent | queued on the thread (codex queue) | the session is continued in the background (claude -p --resume) |
| While the chat is working | queue receipt confirms submission; check processing in Codex | only when the chat isn't working |
| Where the reply appears | in the Codex thread once processed; queue receipt alone does not confirm this | in the chat in Claude |
| Needs | codex installed and logged in | claude installed and logged in |
If sending fails, a notice under the search field has Details with the tool's full output. Common causes are a CLI that isn't logged in, or a chat folder that no longer exists.
When to use something else
- Same message, again and again ("check CI, fix if red"): a check-in re-sends it on a timer until the reply ends with a stop word.
- A different direction without losing the original: fork the chat instead.
- Continue in the other app: hand it off with its conversation and repo state.
Without Pairbar
Without Pairbar you can send a follow-up by:
- Opening the chat in the Claude or Codex app and typing it there, the usual way.
- Resuming headlessly in a terminal:
claude -p --resume <session-id> "your message"runs one turn in an existing Claude Code session and prints the reply. - Resuming interactively:
claude --resumeorcodex resumepicks an earlier session in the terminal and continues it.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I send a message while the chat is still working?
- For Codex, Pairbar can submit it to the queue while the chat works. A receipt confirms submission, not when processing starts; use Open in Codex to check. For Claude, Pairbar only sends it once the chat isn't working.
- Where does the reply show up?
- In the chat itself once processed. For Codex, the queue receipt is separate from processing; the Open in Codex link lets you check. Claude's reply appears in its chat, and the list reflects the recorded activity.
- What do I need installed?
- The app's command-line tool, logged in:
claudefor Claude chats andcodexfor Codex chats. - Can I schedule the same follow-up to repeat?
- Yes, with a check-in: ⋯ → Check in every… sends a message every 5–60 minutes, up to 3–48 times, until the reply ends with your stop word.
Related
- DocsWorking across chatsHandoff, fork from a message, sending a message without opening a chat
- Use caseRe-prompt a Claude Code or Codex chat on a timer until CI is greenA check-in re-sends a message into a chat every 5–60 minutes, up to 3–48 times, and stops when the reply ends with your stop word.
- Use caseFork a Claude Code or Codex conversation from any replyFork from latest or from a chosen reply; Claude forks natively, Codex copies history into a native draft, or uses a handoff that stops at that reply.
- GlossaryHeadless modeRunning Claude Code (`claude -p`) or Codex (`codex exec`) from a command or script, with no interactive interface.
- GuideInstall the claude, codex and gh command-line tools for PairbarWhat `claude`, `codex` and `gh` unlock in Pairbar, and how to install, sign in and check each tool on macOS.
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.