Statusline creator

Statusline Creator

Instructions

A Claude Code statusline is a bash script that Claude runs after every response. It reads session metadata on stdin and prints a colored line to stdout — giving you live, contextual data without leaving the session.

The key design challenge: the statusline must render instantly, every time. There are two valid execution models — choose based on measured speed:

• Inline execution: run the command directly in the script. Only viable if the operation reliably completes in under ~300ms (fast HTTP endpoints, local file reads, cheap shell commands). Must be benchmarked first — never assume an operation is fast.
• Background + cache: the script always renders from cache; a background process refreshes it on a TTL. Required for any operation that is slow, variable, or potentially blocking (CLI scanners, external APIs, network calls to remote services).

Before choosing a model, benchmark the operation — see Step 1.

Read references/protocol.md at the start of every session — it covers the stdin JSON schema, the settings.json format, and ANSI output rules. The authoritative reference for the protocol is the official Claude Code statusline documentation at https://code.claude.com/docs/en/statusline.md — check it for new fields or behaviors not yet reflected in the reference files. Read references/implementation-patterns.md when writing or debugging the script — it covers the caching pattern, exit code handling, state machine, and jq recipes.

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Step 1: Understand what the user wants to show

Ask the user what data source they want in their statusline. Common categories:

• Security tools — snyk test, trivy, semgrep, SAST/SCA/IaC scanners
• Git/project state — branch, dirty files, CI status, PR state
• Resource usage — API quotas, context window, cost, rate limits
• Build/test state — last test run result, coverage, lint status
• Cloud/infra — Kubernetes pod state, deploy status, environment

For each data source, establish:

1. What CLI command or HTTP request produces the data?
2. Benchmark its actual runtime — run it 3 times and record the wall-clock time:

   time <command>   # run 3× and note the range
   

   • Under ~300ms consistently → inline execution is viable
   • Over ~300ms, variable, or potentially blocking → use background + cache
3. What output format does it produce? (JSON, plain text, exit code only?)
4. What states should the statusline show? (clean, issues found, scanning, unavailable, auth error)

Done when: You have a concrete data source, its command, its output format, and a list of states.

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Step 2: Design the output line

Plan the display format before writing any code. A good statusline line has:

• A label identifying the tool (e.g. 🔒 snyk, 🌿 git, ☁ k8s)
• Segments separated by │ — one per logical data group
• Color-coded counts or status — use severity/urgency to drive color choice
• A scan age indicator when results come from a cache (· 5m ago)
• A spinner ⟳ when a background refresh is running

Design the full set of states the script will display:

label │ <primary result> │ <secondary result> │ <project> · <age> ⟳
label │ ✔ clean │ project · 2m ago
label │ scanning...
label │ no supported files
label │ ⚠ auth required  run: <cmd>

Use ANSI RGB colors. Standard palette for security tools (see references/implementation-patterns.md):

• Critical → Red \033[38;2;255;85;85m
• High → Orange \033[38;2;255;165;0m
• Medium → Yellow \033[38;2;255;215;0m
• Clean/OK → Green \033[38;2;80;250;123m
• Label/dim → \033[38;2;100;170;255m / \033[38;2;128;128;128m

Done when: Every state the script can be in has a corresponding output line designed.

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Step 3: Implement the script

Create statusline.sh in the project root. The structure depends on the execution model chosen in Step 1 (based on the benchmark results).

If using inline execution (operation benchmarked at <300ms):

1. Configuration block — env vars with defaults (TOOL_BIN, display toggles)
2. Color constants — define all ANSI codes as variables; never inline raw escapes
3. Read stdin — SESSION=$(cat) — captures Claude's JSON; parse fields as needed
4. Run the operation directly — execute the command and capture its output/exit code
5. Build segment functions — one per data source; handle unavailable/auth error states
6. Compose final output — printf the assembled line with separators

If using background + cache (operation benchmarked at >300ms or variable):

1. Configuration block — env vars with defaults (TOOL_BIN, CACHE_TTL, display toggles)
2. Color constants — define all ANSI codes as variables; never inline raw escapes
3. Read stdin — SESSION=$(cat) — captures Claude's JSON; parse fields as needed
4. Determine project root — git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd
5. Cache paths — hash the project path with cksum for stable, per-project cache keys
6. file_age() helper — returns age in seconds of any file; 999999 if missing
7. trigger_scan_bg() function — atomic mkdir-based lock, runs scan in subshell, captures exit code explicitly, writes noscan sentinel on exit 3
8. Trigger stale scans — compare age to TTL; call trigger functions
9. Build segment functions — one per data source; check cache/noscan/lock states and return the formatted string for that segment
10. Compose final output — printf the assembled line with separators

See references/implementation-patterns.md for full patterns for both models.

Critical rules:

• Use || exit_code=$? to capture exit codes — never || true, which loses them
• Some CLI tools use exit code 3 to mean "no supported project/files" (distinct from a scan error) — detect this and write a .noscan sentinel rather than retrying indefinitely
• Use mkdir for locking (POSIX-atomic), not flock or file touches
• Make a single jq call per cache file — multiple calls on the same file are slow
• The script runs in Claude's cwd — use pwd / git rev-parse to find the project

Make the script executable: chmod +x statusline.sh

Configuration env vars — naming convention: Every user-tunable knob should be an env var with a sane default. Use a consistent naming prefix so vars are discoverable:

# In statusline.sh — configuration block at the top
TOOL_BIN="${TOOL_BIN:-tool}"                   # path to the CLI binary
TOOL_STATUSLINE_TTL="${TOOL_STATUSLINE_TTL:-300}"  # cache TTL in seconds
TOOL_SHOW_LOW="${TOOL_SHOW_LOW:-false}"        # boolean display toggle
TOOL_SCAN_ARGS="${TOOL_SCAN_ARGS:-}"           # extra args forwarded to scan command

Users can set these in their shell profile or in ~/.claude/settings.json under "env" — document both paths. The TOOL_BIN var is especially important on macOS where tools installed via nvm, fnm, rbenv, or pyenv are only in PATH in interactive shells; background subshells run by the statusline may not inherit that PATH. Always document the TOOL_BIN override and recommend pinning it if the tool is installed via a version manager:

export TOOL_BIN=$(which tool)   # resolve once in your shell profile

Done when: The script runs without errors from echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh in the project directory.

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Step 4: Install into Claude Code

Add the statusline to ~/.claude/settings.json. The value must be an object, not a string — a plain string path will cause a settings error on startup:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "/absolute/path/to/statusline.sh"
  }
}

Use jq to update non-destructively (preserves all other settings):

jq --arg p "/absolute/path/to/statusline.sh" \
   '.statusLine = {"type": "command", "command": $p}' \
   ~/.claude/settings.json > ~/.claude/settings.json.tmp \
   && mv ~/.claude/settings.json.tmp ~/.claude/settings.json

Done when: cat ~/.claude/settings.json shows the statusLine object with the correct absolute path.

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Step 5: Create install.sh

Always create an install.sh in the project root. This is not optional — every statusline needs one so users can install and uninstall it without manually editing JSON. Use assets/install.sh.template as the starting point and fill in the placeholders.

A correct installer must:

1. Use colored output — define R/GREEN/YELLOW/RED/BOLD ANSI variables and ok()/info()/die() helpers that use them; use printf not echo; print a bold tool name header at the start
2. Check that required CLI tools are installed (with install hints if missing)
3. Run an auth preflight — verify the tool is authenticated before touching settings
4. Update ~/.claude/settings.json non-destructively using jq
5. Support --remove to cleanly uninstall
6. Print the env vars users can set to configure behavior

Auth preflight — important distinction: there are two different commands for every authenticated tool:

• A check command (e.g. tool whoami, gh auth status) — safe to run anytime; exit 0 = authenticated
• A do-auth command (e.g. tool auth, gh auth login) — only run this if not authenticated; on some tools re-running when already authed resets or replaces credentials

The installer should run the check command and only instruct the user to run the do-auth command if the check fails. Never silently run the auth command unconditionally.

Make it executable: chmod +x install.sh

Done when: ./install.sh runs cleanly with colored output and ./install.sh --remove cleanly removes the statusLine entry.

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Step 6: Test every state

Do not rely on the live statusline alone — seed the cache manually to exercise every state:

CACHE_DIR="$HOME/.cache/<tool>-statusline"
HASH=$(printf '%s' "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" | cksum | cut -d' ' -f1)

# Test: clean/no issues
echo '<valid empty result JSON>' > "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.json"
echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh

# Test: issues found
echo '<valid result JSON with findings>' > "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.json"
echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh

# Test: no supported project
printf '3' > "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.noscan"; rm -f "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.json"
echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh

# Test: scanning in progress
mkdir "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.lock" 2>/dev/null
rm -f "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.json" "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.noscan"
echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh
rmdir "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.lock"

# Test: auth error
echo 'Authentication failed' > "$CACHE_DIR/${HASH}.err"
echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh

Check the raw output for correct ANSI escape codes:

echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh | cat -v

^[[38;2;...m in the output means ANSI is working correctly.

Repeat testing in the project directory where the data source is valid, and in a directory where no supported files exist, to confirm the noscan path works.

Done when: All designed states produce the expected output line with correct colors and content.

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Step 7: Write documentation

Create a README.md covering:

1. What it shows — annotated output line explaining every token
2. Why it's useful — the problem it solves for a developer, not a feature list
3. What scans/data sources run — and why those specifically
4. Prerequisites — tools required, accounts, authentication
5. Quick start — clone → auth check → ./install.sh (three steps max)
6. Manual installation — direct settings.json snippet for users who don't want the installer
7. Uninstall — ./install.sh --remove and how to clear the cache
8. Configuration — table of env vars with defaults, and example of setting them via settings.json "env" block
9. Troubleshooting — how to read the error log, force a cache refresh, fix auth; include the binary PATH pinning note for tools installed via version managers

See assets/README.md.template for a ready-to-fill skeleton with all sections pre-structured.

Annotate the output line token by token — users shouldn't have to guess what H:4 M:2 (6↑) means:

🔒 snyk │ deps H:4 M:2 (6↑) │ code H:2 M:3 │ test-project · 5m ago ⟳
          ^^^^ ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^   ^^^^ ^^^  ^^^   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^
          [A]  [B]  [C]  [D]   [E]  [F]  [G]       [H]          [I]   [J]

[A] scan type label, [B][C] severity counts, [D] fixable, [E–G] same for second scan, [H] project name, [I] cache age, [J] background scan active

Done when: A developer unfamiliar with the project can install and use the statusline using the README alone.

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Examples

Example 1: Building a security statusline from scratch

User says: "I want to see Snyk vulnerability counts in my Claude statusline."

Actions:

1. Confirm data source: snyk test --json (SCA) and snyk code test --json (SAST)
2. Run both commands in the test project to capture real output; note JSON structures, exit codes (0=clean, 1=vulns, 3=no manifest), and scan duration
3. Design two segments: deps H:N M:N (N↑) and code H:N M:N, plus · Xs ago ⟳
4. Implement statusline.sh with two background scan functions and separate caches; parse SCA with .vulnerabilities[] and SAST with .runs[0].results[] (SARIF)
5. Install into ~/.claude/settings.json using the {type, command} object format
6. Test all states by seeding cache files; verify ANSI codes with cat -v
7. Write README with annotated output line and troubleshooting section

Result: A single status bar line showing live dep and code security status, refreshing every 5 minutes in the background, with zero impact on Claude's response time.

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Example 2: Adding a second data source to an existing statusline

User says: "My statusline shows git branch — can I also add the last CI run status?"

Actions:

1. Read the existing statusline.sh to understand its cache and output structure
2. Identify the CI data source (e.g. gh run list --limit 1 --json status,conclusion)
3. Add new cache variables (CI_CACHE, CI_LOCK, CI_NOSCAN) following the existing pattern
4. Add a trigger_ci_bg() function using the same atomic-lock pattern
5. Add a build_ci_segment() function; handle the case where gh is not authenticated
6. Compose the new segment into the existing printf output line
7. Test: seed CI cache with a passing result, a failing result, and no GH auth

Result: The statusline now shows both git state and CI status on one line, each refreshing independently, without either scan blocking the other.

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Example 3: Debugging a statusline stuck on "scanning..."

User says: "My statusline has been saying 'scanning...' for 20 minutes."

Actions:

1. Check whether the lock directory is still present: ls ~/.cache/<tool>-statusline/*.lock
2. If the lock exists but no background process is running, it's a stale lock from a crashed scan — remove it: rmdir ~/.cache/<tool>-statusline/*.lock
3. Run the scan command manually in the project dir to check for errors: snyk test --json 2>&1 | head -20
4. Check the error log: cat ~/.cache/<tool>-statusline/*.err
5. Common root causes: auth expired (re-run snyk auth), no manifest in directory (statusline should show "no manifest" not "scanning"), background process killed
6. Force a fresh scan by deleting the cache: rm -rf ~/.cache/<tool>-statusline/
7. Re-run echo '{}' | ./statusline.sh and watch for the "initializing..." → "scanning..." → result progression

Result: Root cause identified and resolved; statusline shows current data.

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Troubleshooting

Error: Settings Error: statusLine: Expected object, but received string Cause: settings.json has "statusLine": "/path/to/script" as a plain string. Solution: Change it to the object format: "statusLine": {"type": "command", "command": "/path/to/script"}. Run the jq update command from Step 4.

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Error: Statusline stuck on "scanning..." indefinitely. Cause: A stale lock directory left by a crashed background scan process. Solution: Delete the lock: rmdir ~/.cache/<tool>-statusline/*.lock. The next render will trigger a fresh scan.

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Error: Statusline shows "initializing..." after every Claude restart. Cause: The cache TTL has expired between sessions, or the cache directory is being cleared on restart. Solution: Increase CACHE_TTL (e.g. export TOOL_STATUSLINE_TTL=3600), or check whether something is clearing ~/.cache on startup.

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Error: Colors don't render — raw escape codes like ^[[38;2;... show in the bar. Cause: The terminal or Claude Code version doesn't support RGB ANSI. Less likely: escape codes are being double-escaped. Solution: Verify codes are defined as $'...' literals (e.g. RED=$'\033[38;2;255;85;85m'), not as regular strings with \033. Use cat -v to inspect raw output.

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Error: Background scan never completes — cache file never appears. Cause: The scan command is failing silently. The || true pattern suppresses the exit code, so errors go undetected. Solution: Run the scan command manually. Check the .err file in the cache dir. Ensure exit code 3 ("no supported project") writes a .noscan sentinel instead of being treated as a generic failure — otherwise the script retries every render.