Getting Started
Introduction
What UsageNow is, why it exists, and what it can show you today.
UsageNow is a native macOS menu bar app for people who build with AI coding tools. It shows how much of your Codex and Claude Code usage limits is left, when each limit resets, and how much activity those tools have recorded on your Mac today.
Why UsageNow exists#
AI coding tools meter usage in windows, such as a 5-hour window and a weekly one. When a window runs out in the middle of a task, you have to wait for it to reset. Each tool reports its limits differently, and checking them usually means switching context: running a command, opening a web page, or waiting for a warning.
UsageNow puts that information in the menu bar, for every tool you use, one click away. See what’s left, and keep building.
Local-first#
UsageNow works from information that already exists on your Mac:
- the official Codex app-server, which comes with Codex
- the session files Codex and Claude Code write as you work
- the account profile Claude Code keeps in its own configuration
You don’t need a UsageNow account, and there’s no UsageNow server that receives your usage. The one exception is optional and off by default: if you turn on experimental Claude usage limits, UsageNow asks Anthropic, not UsageNow, for your current limits.
Privacy
UsageNow never stores or uploads your prompts, source code, or conversations. Privacy explains exactly what is read and where it goes.
Supported providers#
A provider is an AI coding tool UsageNow can report on.
| Provider | Status |
|---|---|
| Codex | Available |
| Claude Code | Available Usage limits are Experimental |
| Gemini CLI, DeepSeek, Qwen | Coming soon |
What UsageNow can show depends on what each provider exposes. See Providers for details.
Surfaces#
| Surface | Status |
|---|---|
| Menu bar | The main way to use UsageNow: a menu bar item and a popover. |
| Desktop widget | Small and medium WidgetKit widgets. |
| Command-line tool | Coming later. |
Platform#
UsageNow currently focuses on macOS. It requires macOS 15 or later and is built with Swift 6 and SwiftUI, so it looks and behaves like the rest of your Mac — including light and dark appearance.