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Customize Your Claude Code Status Line

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Introduction

If you use Claude Code, you've probably noticed the status line that appears at the top of each response. The default version is functional but basic—it shows minimal information without much visual appeal.

Good news: Claude Code lets you fully customize this status line. You can add useful information, apply colors, and style it however you want.

In this guide, I'll show you how to create a custom status line that's both informative and visually appealing.

Why Customize Your Status Line?

A custom status line gives you:

• More context - See model name, git branch, time, directory at a glance
• Visual appeal - Add colors and icons to make it stand out
• Better workflow - Know your environment without running extra commands
• Zero cost - Custom status lines don't consume tokens or usage

What Information Can You Display?

Your status line can show anything you want:

• Current time
• Claude model name
• Username and hostname
• Current directory
• Git branch with status (clean or uncommitted changes)
• Output style
• Python virtual environment
• Node version
• Docker container indicator
• Anything else you can script

How It Works

The setup is simple:

1. Create a shell script that outputs your status line
2. Configure Claude Code to use your script
3. The script runs before each response and displays your custom status

Your script receives JSON input with context information (model, directory, etc.) and outputs formatted text with ANSI color codes.

Example: Feature-Rich Status Line

Here's a complete example that shows time, model, user info, directory, and git status with colors:

Step 1: Create the Script

nano ~/.claude/statusline-command.sh

Step 2: Add This Code

#!/bin/bash

# Read JSON input from stdin
input=$(cat)

# Extract values from JSON
model_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name // "Claude"')
current_dir=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.current_dir // ""')
output_style=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.output_style.name // ""')

# Get current time
current_time=$(date +%H:%M:%S)

# Get username and hostname
username=$(whoami)
hostname=$(hostname -s)

# Get current directory (fallback to pwd if JSON doesn't provide it)
if [ -z "$current_dir" ]; then
    current_dir=$(pwd)
fi

# Get git branch if in a git repo
git_branch=""
if git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
    branch=$(git -c gc.autodetach=false -c core.useBuiltinFSMonitor=false branch --show-current 2>/dev/null)
    if [ -n "$branch" ]; then
        # Check if there are uncommitted changes
        if ! git -c gc.autodetach=false diff-index --quiet HEAD -- 2>/dev/null; then
            git_branch=$(printf ' \033[38;5;208m(\033[38;5;214m%s\033[38;5;208m *\033[38;5;208m)' "${branch}")  # Orange with asterisk for dirty
        else
            git_branch=$(printf ' \033[38;5;77m(\033[38;5;83m%s\033[38;5;77m)' "${branch}")  # Green for clean
        fi
    fi
fi

# Build output style indicator if present
style_indicator=""
if [ -n "$output_style" ] && [ "$output_style" != "default" ]; then
    style_indicator=$(printf ' \033[38;5;141m[\033[38;5;147m%s\033[38;5;141m]' "${output_style}")
fi

# Build the status line with colors
printf '\033[38;5;51m⏱ %s\033[00m \033[38;5;141m│\033[00m \033[38;5;135m🤖 %s\033[00m%s \033[38;5;141m│\033[00m \033[01;32m%s@%s\033[00m:\033[01;34m%s\033[00m%s\n' \
    "$current_time" \
    "$model_name" \
    "$style_indicator" \
    "$username" \
    "$hostname" \
    "$current_dir" \
    "$git_branch"

Step 3: Make It Executable

chmod +x ~/.claude/statusline-command.sh

Step 4: Configure Claude Code

Edit your settings:

nano ~/.claude/settings.json

Add this configuration:

{
  "statusline-command": "~/.claude/statusline-command.sh"
}

Step 5: Test It

claude

You'll see your colorful status line with all the information!

Understanding the Color Codes

The script uses ANSI escape codes for colors:

• \033[38;5;51m - Cyan for time
• \033[38;5;135m - Magenta for model name
• \033[01;32m - Bold green for username/hostname
• \033[01;34m - Bold blue for directory
• \033[38;5;77m - Green for clean git branch
• \033[38;5;208m - Orange for uncommitted changes
• \033[00m - Reset to default

Important: Use printf instead of echo to properly render the colors.

No Token Usage

Here's the best part: custom status lines don't consume tokens or count toward your usage limits.

The script runs locally on your machine before Claude generates a response. You can make your status line as detailed as you want without worrying about costs.

Customize It Your Way

The example above is just a starting point. You can customize your status line to show:

Minimal Version

printf '%s @ %s\n' "$model_name" "$current_dir"

Different Colors and Icons

Replace emojis, change colors, or use different separators—it's completely up to you.

Conclusion

Customizing your Claude Code status line is easy and powerful. With a simple shell script, you get:

• More context about your environment
• Visual appeal with colors and formatting
• Zero token usage
• Complete control over what's displayed

Start with the example above, then modify it to show the information that matters most to your workflow. Your Claude Code experience will be more productive and visually satisfying.