Claude Code Context Status Line for AWS Bedrock Users

Custom Claude Code status line to restore context window visibility for AWS Bedrock users by displaying token usage. Specifically designed for AWS Bedrock users who have lost access to the /context command in Claude Code and need to restore visibility into their context window usage.

What It Does

Problem Statement: AWS Bedrock users in Claude Code lost access to the built-in /context command, making it impossible to see how much of the context window is being used during conversations.

Solution: This tool restores that visibility by parsing Claude Code's transcript files and displaying token usage directly in the status line.

How It Works: The tool reads JSONL transcript files generated by Claude Code, extracts token usage data (input + cache read + cache creation tokens), and formats it for display in the status line.

Output Examples

Normal Operation:

• Opus (125k) - 125,000 total tokens with Claude 3.5 Opus
• Sonnet 4 (1.2M) - 1.2 million tokens with Claude 3.5 Sonnet
• Claude (50.5k) - 50,500 tokens with default model name

Error States:

• - (-) - Error reading transcript or no data available

Quick Start

Choose Method 1 if: You want automatic updates and minimal maintenance Choose Method 2 if: You need offline access or want to modify the script

Method 1: NPX (Recommended)

Add this to your Claude Code settings (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "npx -y @this-dot/claude-code-context-status-line"
  }
}

Verification:

# Test the installation
echo '{"transcript_path":"/tmp/test.jsonl","model":{"display_name":"Test"}}' | npx @this-dot/claude-code-context-status-line
# Expected output: Test (-)

Method 2: Manual Installation

1. Download the script:

curl -o context-status.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thisdot/claude-code-context-status-line/main/src/context-status.js
chmod +x context-status.js

2. Add to your ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "node /absolute/path/to/context-status.js"
  }
}

Settings File Location

Finding your Claude Code settings:

• macOS: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Status line shows "- (-)" constantly:

1. Check Claude Code version: claude --version
2. Verify settings.json syntax with a JSON validator
3. Test the script manually:

   echo '{"transcript_path":"/path/to/transcript.jsonl"}' | npx -p @this-dot/claude-code-context-status-line claude-code-context-status-line

Node.js not found errors:

• Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed: node --version
• Check PATH includes Node.js installation
• On macOS: Try brew install node if using Homebrew

Permission denied errors:

• Check Claude Code has access to the script location
• Use absolute paths in Claude Code configuration

Status line doesn't update:

• Claude Code caches status line output - restart Claude Code to see changes
• Verify your conversation is generating token usage data
• Check that transcript files are being created in the expected location

Getting Help

1. Check the Issues page for similar problems

Security & Privacy

Local Operation Only:

• All processing happens locally on your machine
• No data is sent to external servers
• Transcript files are read with restricted access

File Access:

• Script only reads transcript files provided by Claude Code
• Path traversal protection prevents access outside project directories
• No modification of transcript files - read-only access

Data Handling:

• Token counts extracted from conversation metadata only
• No conversation content is processed or stored
• Minimal memory footprint with automatic cleanup

Performance

Designed for Efficiency:

• Processes 10,000+ conversation entries in <100ms
• Memory usage stays under 10MB during processing
• Optimized for frequent status line updates

Scaling Characteristics:

• Small conversations (< 50 entries): >10 updates/second
• Large conversations (10,000+ entries): >1 update/second
• No performance degradation over time

Resource Usage:

• CPU: Minimal - optimized for quick parsing
• Memory: < 10MB peak usage
• Disk: Read-only access to transcript files

Compatibility

Node.js:

• Minimum: Node.js 18.0.0
• Recommended: Node.js 20+ for optimal performance
• Tested on: 18.x, 20.x, 22.x

Claude Code:

• Minimum: Any version with status line support
• Tested with: Claude Code 1.0.80+
• Status line API: Stable across versions

Operating Systems:

• ✅ macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon)
• ✅ Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, other distributions)
• ✅ Windows 10/11 with WSL or native Node.js

Dependencies:

• Zero runtime dependencies
• Built-in Node.js modules only

Understanding Token Counts

What tokens are counted:

• Input tokens: Your messages and conversation context
• Cache read tokens: Previously cached content being reused
• Cache creation tokens: New content being cached for future use
• Total: Sum of all three token types

Status Line Behavior:

• Updates when Claude Code processes new messages
• Shows cumulative token count for entire conversation
• Reflects the most recent conversation state

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.