# claude-hud | Jarrod Watts | Knowledge Base | Instagit

A Claude Code plugin that shows what's happening - context usage, active tools, running agents, and todo progress

GitHub Stars: 6.2k

Repository: https://github.com/jarrodwatts/claude-hud

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## Articles

### [How Claude HUD Validates and Applies Element Order in the Expanded Layout](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-element-order-is-validated-and-applied-in-expanded-layout)

Learn how Claude HUD validates and applies element order in its expanded layout. Discover the `validateElementOrder` and `renderExpanded` functions for safe, deduplicated ordering.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Reads CLAUDE.md, Rules, MCPs, and Hook Counts from Configuration](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-claude-md-rules-mcps-hooks-counts-are-read-from-config)

Discover how Claude HUD reads CLAUDE.md, rules, MCPs, and hook counts. Learn about project-local and user-wide configuration scanning in src/config-reader.ts.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Manages Terminal Width Wrapping and Text Truncation in the Render Loop](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-render-loop-handles-terminal-width-wrapping-and-truncation)

Discover how Claude HUD manages terminal width, wrapping, and text truncation. Learn its smart approach to visual length and color code preservation.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Implements HTTPS_PROXY Support for the Anthropic Usage API](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-proxy-support-works-for-usage-api-requests)

Learn how Claude HUD implements HTTPS_PROXY support using a custom Node.js HTTPS agent to route Anthropic API requests through an HTTP CONNECT tunnel. Get detailed insights from the source code.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Custom API Endpoints (`ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`) Disable Claude HUD’s Usage Display](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-custom-api-endpoints-bypass-usage-display)

Learn how custom API endpoints like ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL disable Claude HUD's usage display by bypassing OAuth data fetching, removing the usage percentage from your terminal.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Resolves OAuth Credentials: Prioritizing macOS Keychain Over Legacy Files](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-oauth-credentials-are-resolved-mac-keychain-vs-file)

Discover how Claude HUD resolves OAuth credentials, securely prioritizing macOS Keychain over legacy files for robust authentication. Learn more.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Handles Config Migration for Legacy Upgrades](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-config-migration-handles-legacy-config-format-upgrades)

Learn how Claude HUD automatically migrates legacy config formats by converting obsolete layout properties to the current HudConfig schema during initialization.

- Tags: migration-guide
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Resolves and Parses the Transcript Path on Every Render Cycle](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-transcript-path-is-resolved-and-parsed)

Learn how Claude HUD resolves and parses the transcript path on every render cycle. Discover its efficient line by line streaming to keep your display updated with the latest session activity.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Extracts Path Levels (1-3 Directories) from the Current Working Directory](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-path-levels-are-extracted-from-cwd)

Discover how Claude HUD extracts 1-3 directory levels from your current working directory. Learn about its path splitting and slicing techniques for efficient path management.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Color Overrides Are Validated and Applied in Claude HUD: A Complete Guide](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-color-overrides-are-validated-and-applied)

Learn how Claude HUD validates and applies color overrides using a whitelist and the resolveAnsi helper. Discover fallbacks for invalid entries in this comprehensive guide.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Usage API Caching TTL in Claude HUD: Success vs Failure Handling](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-usage-api-caching-ttl-works)

Understand Claude HUD's usage API caching TTL. Learn how 5-minute success and 15-second failure caches balance rate limits with data freshness for optimal performance.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Claude HUD Context Value Display Modes: Percent, Tokens, and Remaining Explained](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-context-value-display-modes-work)

Understand Claude HUD context display modes percent, tokens, and remaining. Learn how each mode calculates usage in your settings.json file for better Claude token management.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Claude HUD Autocompact Buffer Mode: Logic for Stable Layout Switching](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-autocompact-buffer-mode-automatically-switches-layouts)

Discover the logic behind Claude HUD's autocompact buffer mode. Learn how it stabilizes layout switching by smoothing context-usage percentages and preventing jittery UI transitions.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Calculates Session Duration and Tracks Elapsed Time](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-session-duration-tracking-calculates-elapsed-time)

Discover how Claude HUD calculates session duration and tracks elapsed time using timestamps and a flexible now callback for precise terminal status line rendering.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Git Status Features Work: showDirty, showAheadBehind, and showFileStats Explained](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-git-status-features-work)

Explore how Claude HUD's git status features like showDirty, showAheadBehind, and showFileStats work. Understand the Git commands and configuration behind real-time repository state.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Claude HUD Compact vs Expanded Line Layouts: Rendering Pipeline Differences](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-compact-vs-expanded-line-layouts-differ)

Explore Claude HUD's compact vs expanded rendering pipelines. Understand the differences in how each layout displays session data and context for efficient analysis.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [When Does Claude HUD Show the Token Breakdown Display at 85% Context Usage?](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-token-breakdown-display-is-triggered-at-high-context-levels)

Discover when Claude HUD displays the token breakdown at 85% context usage. Learn how to configure this helpful feature for tracking token counts.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Determines Usage Rate Limits from the Anthropic OAuth API](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-usage-rate-limits-are-fetched-from-anthropic-oauth-api)

Learn how Claude HUD calculates Anthropic API usage rate limits for subscriber tiers using the OAuth API and caching strategies.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Claude HUD Context Bar Color Thresholds: Green, Yellow, and Red Levels Explained](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-context-bar-color-thresholds-are-applied)

Understand Claude HUD context bar color thresholds green yellow and red. Learn how these visual cues indicate your context window usage and when to optimize.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [Agent Tracking with Task Subagent Types in Claude HUD: A Deep Dive into Transcript Parsing](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-agent-tracking-works-with-task-subagent-types-parsed-from-transcript-entries)

Discover how Claude HUD tracks agents by parsing transcript entries for Task subagent types. Learn about the JSON-L parsing and AgentEntry map for real-time updates.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Tool Activity Tracking Works in Claude HUD: Extracting tool_use and tool_result Blocks from Transcript JSONL](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-tool-activity-tracking-extracts-tool-use-and-tool-result-blocks-from-transcript-jsonl)

Discover how Claude HUD tracks tool activity by parsing transcript JSONL for tool_use and tool_result blocks. See how it extracts and updates tool completion status.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18

### [How Claude HUD Parses Context Usage from stdin JSON and Native Percentage Fields](/jarrodwatts/claude-hud/how-claude-hud-parses-context-usage-from-stdin-json-and-native-percentage-fields)

Learn how Claude HUD parses context usage from stdin JSON and native percentage fields. Discover its efficient token aggregation and fallback calculation methods for older Claude Code versions.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-03-18