Guides for keeping track of your AI agents on a Mac.
Short guides for Claude Code, Codex and Claude Cowork on a Mac, each checked against the official docs on the date shown.
Keeping track of AI agents on a Mac means knowing when an agent finishes or needs you, which session is waiting, and how much usage your plan has left. Claude Code, Codex and the Claude app each have built-in ways to cover part of this. Each guide gives the official steps first, then a no-setup option.
Cowork Island
macOS 14 or later.
Apple silicon and Intel.
No account needed for Free.
Know when an agent finishes or needs you.
A hook is a short command your AI agent runs at a set moment, such as when it finishes a reply.
- Get notified when Claude Code finishes or needs you (Mac)
By default, Claude Code sends a desktop notification only in Ghostty, Kitty and iTerm2. Elsewhere, use the terminal bell or a hook.
- See when Codex needs your approval, or finishes (Mac)
Codex's
notifysetting runs only when Codex finishes a turn, not when it asks for approval. For those, use its built-in terminal notifications (by default, only while the terminal is unfocused; a banner in some terminals, a bell elsewhere) or a hook. - Know when a Claude Cowork task is done or needs you
Claude can send a notification to your phone when a Cowork task is done or needs your input.
- Get a phone alert when your AI agent needs you
Claude Code: Remote Control with the Claude mobile app, on a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan. Claude Code, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI: a hook and a service such as ntfy. Topics on ntfy.sh are public: anyone who knows the topic name can read its messages, so send only fixed alert text.
Keep several sessions in view.
- Run several AI agent sessions at once and see which one needs you
Give each Claude Code session its own git worktree, so two sessions don't change the same files. The hard part is noticing which one is waiting for you.
Check your usage limits.
- How to check how much Claude usage you have left
Type
/usagein Claude Code, or open Settings > Usage on claude.ai or in the Claude app. All three share the same limits. - How to check your Codex usage limits and when they reset
/statusin the Codex CLI shows remaining limits. The usage dashboard on chatgpt.com shows current limits and reset times.
Build an alert without writing code.
- Notify-me setup generator
A free tool that runs in your browser. Pick Claude Code, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI, then a Mac banner, a sound, a spoken line, the terminal bell or a phone alert through ntfy, and it writes the snippet for you. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The no-setup option.
Cowork Island is a macOS 14+ app that keeps your AI agent sessions from supported tools in a notch panel, showing the state of each one. Claude Code connects on its own. For Codex, switch it on in Settings and allow Cowork Island's hooks in Codex.
When a session needs you, its card shows “Needs you” and, by default, the Island opens unless that session's terminal or app is already in front. For supported Claude Code requests, you can allow or deny an action, or answer a multiple-choice question, in the Island. That works on Free too. With other tools, you may need to respond in their own app or terminal.
Free shows one session card at a time. Pro shows all your sessions, lets you jump back to them and adds detailed usage meters and completion sounds. A 7-day Pro trial starts by itself, once per Mac, without payment details. Compare the plans.
Download for freeAbout these guides.
The guides rest on these official pages:
- Claude Code terminal configuration
- Claude Code Remote Control
- Claude Code worktrees
- Claude Code commands
- Claude Cowork on web, desktop and mobile
- Claude usage limits
- Claude Settings > Usage
- Claude limit resets (Settings > Usage in the Claude app)
- Codex configuration
- Codex hooks
- Codex pricing
Sources checked 18 October 2026. These guides are written by Cowork Island's maker. For corrections, email support@coworkisland.com or open an issue on GitHub.