Claude Code Statusline Generator

Description

This skill helps you configure the Claude Code terminal statusline -- the information bar displayed during interactive sessions. It supports multi-line layouts, dynamic variables for cost tracking, model identification, token counts, and custom formatting. Makes it easy to monitor session cost and model usage while working.

Instructions

1. Choose Layout: Select a statusline layout (single-line, multi-line, minimal)
2. Pick Variables: Select which metrics to display from available variables
3. Configure: Generate the settings.json configuration
4. Apply: Merge into your Claude Code settings

Rules

• Keep statuslines concise -- too much information creates visual noise
• Use the most relevant metrics for your workflow
• Multi-line layouts should not exceed 3 lines
• Test the statusline in your actual terminal width to avoid wrapping
• Use Unicode box-drawing characters for clean separators

Available Variables

Variable	Description	Example
{model}	Current model name	claude-opus-4-6
{cost}	Session cost so far	$0.42
{tokens.input}	Input tokens used	12,450
{tokens.output}	Output tokens used	3,200
{tokens.cache_read}	Cache read tokens	8,100
{cwd}	Current working directory	/home/user/project
{profile}	Active profile name	default

Layout Presets

Minimal

Copy
{
  "statusline": "{model} | ${cost}"
}

Output: claude-opus-4-6 | $0.42

Standard

Copy
{
  "statusline": "{model} | Cost: ${cost} | In: {tokens.input} Out: {tokens.output}"
}

Output: claude-opus-4-6 | Cost: $0.42 | In: 12,450 Out: 3,200

Detailed Multi-Line

Copy
{
  "statusline": "Model: {model} | Profile: {profile}\nCost: ${cost} | Tokens: {tokens.input}↓ {tokens.output}↑ | Cache: {tokens.cache_read}\n{cwd}"
}

Output:

Model: claude-opus-4-6 | Profile: default
Cost: $0.42 | Tokens: 12,450 in 3,200 out | Cache: 8,100
/home/user/project

Cost-Focused

Copy
{
  "statusline": "{model} | ${cost} ({tokens.input}+{tokens.output} tokens)"
}

Output: claude-opus-4-6 | $0.42 (12,450+3,200 tokens)

Configuration

Add to your Claude Code settings:

Project-level (.claude/settings.json)

Copy
{
  "statusline": "{model} | Cost: ${cost} | In: {tokens.input} Out: {tokens.output}"
}

User-level (~/.claude/settings.json)

Copy
{
  "statusline": "{model} | ${cost} | {tokens.input}↓ {tokens.output}↑"
}

Tips

• Use arrow symbols (↓↑) for input/output to save space
• The pipe character (|) makes a clean visual separator
• Cost tracking helps you stay within budget during long sessions
• Cache read tokens show how effectively you're using context caching
• Profile display is useful when switching between project configurations

Examples

"Set up a statusline showing model and cost"
"Configure a multi-line statusline with token tracking"
"What variables can I use in the Claude Code statusline?"
"Create a minimal statusline that just shows cost"