For Claude Code and Codex on macOS

Know when your AI agents need you.

Step away from your Mac and it becomes a quiet status board for every agent session. The moment one is waiting for you, it glows.

Join the free beta See how it works

macOS 14 or later · Free during beta · No account

Agents don't tell you when they stop.

You start a long task, go make coffee, and come back to find it has been waiting ten minutes for a yes. Afterglow reads each session and shows where it stands at a glance, from across the room.

Running tool

Running tests, editing files, executing commands.

Thinking

Working out the next step. Nothing for you to do.

Your turn

Finished its turn. It's your move.

Needs permission?

A tool call has been pending for over 30 seconds, so it's probably waiting on a permission prompt.

Fades in when you walk away

After a few idle minutes the screen shows every recent session. Move the mouse and it's gone.

ii.

Every agent, side by side

Claude Code and Codex sessions in one grid, or one big ambient view when a single agent is running.

iii.

A glance from the menu bar

A count of active sessions, with a small amber dot when something is waiting for you.

iv.

Keeps the Mac awake while agents work

Optional. The Mac won't idle-sleep mid-task, though the display can still sleep.

Make it yours

Set your own background image and the typeface for the clock. Burn-in protection slowly drifts the layout.

vi.

Built for the Mac

A native Swift app that lives quietly in the menu bar. No Electron, no browser tab.

Your code stays put.

Afterglow reads the log files your agents already write on disk. That's all it does with them.

Reads ~/.claude/projects and ~/.codex/sessions locally
Nothing leaves your Mac: no account, no analytics, no network calls
Optional privacy mode hides commands, file names and replies on screen

Questions

Which agents does it support?

Claude Code and the Codex CLI today. Tell us what you use when you join the beta, as more are on the way.

Is it a screen saver?

It works like one, but it's a regular full-screen window shown after you've been idle. On first launch Afterglow helps you turn off the macOS screen saver so it doesn't cover the view.

How does it know an agent needs me?

It follows each session's log as it's written. When an agent ends its turn, it's your turn. When a tool call sits pending for a while, it's probably asking for permission.

What does it cost?

The beta is free. A paid version with extra features may come later, and beta testers will hear about it first.

What do I need?

A Mac on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, plus Claude Code or Codex.

Does it slow my Mac down?

It's designed not to. It reads only the new lines of each log every couple of seconds, and the full-screen view runs only while you're away.