Claude Code Custom Status Lines

Custom status lines show up right below the composer in Claude Code, letting you display model, directory, remaining context, cost, and pretty much anything else you want to see while you work.

*Source: Claude Code status line configuration

Claude Code creator Boris shares 12 ways that most people don’t know about*

Getting Started

Run /statusline inside a session and Claude will generate a statusline for you based on your .bashrc/.zshrc prompt style.

> /statusline

What You Can Display

Status lines are fully customizable. Common fields include:

Field	Description
Model name	Which Claude model is active
Directory	Current working directory
Git branch	Current branch + dirty state
Context usage	How much of the context window is used
Cost	Running session cost

Everyone’s Is Different

Everyone on the Claude Code team has a different statusline — there’s no “right” setup. Some people want minimal (just model + context %), others go full dashboard with git info, cost, and directory.

How It Works

Claude Code sends JSON to your statusline script via stdin with fields like model, context_window.used_percentage, cost.total_cost_usd, workspace.project_dir, and more. Your script reads this and outputs formatted text.

Example statusline script

#!/bin/bash
input=$(cat)

MODEL=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name')
DIR=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.project_dir' | xargs basename)
PCT=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.context_window.used_percentage // 0' | cut -d. -f1)
COST=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_cost_usd // 0')
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "no git")

printf "[$MODEL] %s | %s | Context: ${PCT}%% | \$%.2f" \
  "$DIR" "$BRANCH" "$COST"

Configuration in settings.json

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "~/.claude/statusline.sh"
  }
}

How LearnAI Team Could Use This

Share a standard statusline template across the team showing git branch, model, cost, and context usage.
Use statusline as a teaching tool to make Claude Code’s internal state visible to students during demos.
Monitor context growth and cost in real-time during long wiki review or documentation sessions.

Real-World Use Cases

Displaying git branch + model + token cost at a glance during multi-worktree parallel sessions.
Adding custom indicators (e.g., current project name, review progress) to the status bar.
Using statusline data to decide when to compact, switch models, or start a new session.

Why This Matters

Unlike traditional CLI tools where you’re flying blind, the statusline gives you constant awareness of context burn rate, cost, and environment — without leaving the conversation.