claude-limits-bar

Claude Code limits and their reset times, always visible in the macOS menu bar.

If you keep hitting "Too many requests, please try again later", this shows you exactly how close you are to the limit and when it resets — before Claude Code cuts you off.

The menu bar shows two ring gauges — the session (5-hour) limit in green and the 7-day limit in purple, percent used inside each — plus the countdown until the session limit resets:

◔66 ◔12  3h 26m

Click it for the full picture: a large donut for the session limit (weekly as a thin outer arc) and one row per limit with its reset time:

✳ Claude Limits          ($) (↻)
        ╭─── 66% Used ───╮
◔66  5-Hour Limit     Today 6:10 PM
◔12  7-Day Limit         Sep 5 1 AM
◔18  7-Day (Fable)       Sep 5 1 AM

Rings turn orange at 80% or when Anthropic reports elevated severity, and red with ! at 100% — the session (5-hour) limit is the one that usually triggers "Too many requests".

How it works

Claude Code stores its OAuth token in the macOS Keychain (service Claude Code-credentials). This app reads that token and polls the same official endpoint the Claude apps use (api.anthropic.com/api/oauth/usage) once a minute. The token is sent only to api.anthropic.com — nowhere else, nothing is logged or stored.

Works on Pro and Max plans. Requires being signed in to Claude Code (claude → /login).

Install

Requires macOS.

Homebrew

brew install tilbertbalaban/tap/claude-limits-bar

uv / pipx (needs Python 3.9+)

uv tool install claude-limits-bar

(or pipx install claude-limits-bar)

Then:

claude-limits-bar                # run the menu bar app
claude-limits-bar autostart on   # start automatically at login (LaunchAgent)
claude-limits-bar autostart off  # remove the login item
claude-limits-bar status         # print current limits to the terminal

Updating

The app checks GitHub once a day and shows an Update available item in the menu when there's a newer version. To update:

brew upgrade claude-limits-bar        # Homebrew
uv tool upgrade claude-limits-bar     # uv
pipx upgrade claude-limits-bar        # pipx

Then quit the app from its menu and start it again (claude-limits-bar, or log out/in if you use autostart on).

Support

If this app saves you from surprise rate limits, you can support development via the $ button in the app or at base.monobank.ua/tilbertbalaban.

Development

git clone https://github.com/TilbertBalaban/claude-limits-bar
cd claude-limits-bar
python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v
python3 -m claude_limits_bar.cli status

The data layer (claude_limits_bar/limits.py) is stdlib-only and fully unit-tested; only the menu bar shell (claude_limits_bar/menubar.py) depends on PyObjC (AppKit).

Troubleshooting

• ✳ ? in the menu bar — open the menu for the reason: no credentials (sign in to Claude Code), an expired token (use Claude Code once — it refreshes the token itself), or no network.
• Too many requests still happens at <100% — the API reports utilization rounded to whole percent and with a small delay; treat the orange ring as "wrap up what you're doing".