Watchbird · the notch for AI coding agents on Windows 10 & 11Stop babysittingterminals.
Watchbird adds a small black notch to the top of your Windows screen. It shows what Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI and seven other agents are doing — and lets you approve their edits, answer their questions and review their plans without switching windows.
Tour
See it in 20 seconds.
See the diff. Press Ctrl+Alt+Y.
When an agent wants to edit a file or run a command, the notch opens with a card: the diff or the command, where it runs, and what else is waiting. Allow it once, deny it with a note, or always allow it for this project — from any window.
- Risky commands are never approved automatically.
- Rather answer in the terminal? One click takes you there.
- If Watchbird isn’t running, agents ask in the terminal as usual.
02 — Questions & plans
Answer questions. Review plans. Stay where you are.
Pick an answer with 1–3 or type your own. Read the whole plan, approve it, let the agent auto-accept its edits, or send it back with feedback.
03 — Sessions
Every session at a glance.
Status, project, terminal and context of every running agent. The collapsed notch shows the one thing that matters right now, and one click jumps to the right terminal or editor window — down to the pane in WezTerm and tmux.
Ten agents. One notch.
Watchbird connects through each agent’s official hook settings. It backs up every config file before changing it and removes its entries again with one click. Agents running in WSL work too.
- Claude Code Approve in the notch
- Codex CLI Approve in the notch
- GitHub Copilot CLI Approve in the notch
- OpenCode Approve in the notch
- Qwen Code Approve in the notch
- Devin Approve in the notch
- Cursor Shell & MCP approvals
- Factory Droid Approvals (opt-in)
- Gemini CLI Status & jump
- Cline Status & jump
The agents are installed separately. Watchbird is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by their makers; all product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
05 — New tasks
Start a task from anywhere.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Space, pick agent, folder and mode, paste a screenshot, go. Drop files on the notch to hand them to a running session, or send it a follow-up that arrives when the agent is ready.
06 — Usage & history
Know your limits before you hit them.
Claude and Codex plan windows (five hours and week), context per session and an estimated API value, updated live — with a warning at 80 %. At the end of the day: finished tasks, approvals and active time, stored only on your PC.
Local only.No account.No telemetry.
- 01
No server in between
The hook bridge talks to the app through a local pipe on your PC. Prompts, code and diffs stay there.
- 02
Undo in one click
Every agent config file is backed up before it is changed, and Watchbird removes its entries again when you ask.
- 03
Opt-in only
Phone notifications through your own Telegram bot or ntfy are off until you set them up.
08 — Price
Buy it once.
- 15-day free trial
- All 1.x updates included
- Windows 10 (21H2 or later) and Windows 11
- English, German, Spanish and French
Sold through the Microsoft Store.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Does Watchbird send my code anywhere?
No. It reads what the agents’ hooks hand it on your PC and keeps it there. It only goes online for the usage limits of Claude and Codex (with the login you already have), for optional phone notifications, and for updates from the Store.
What does it change on my PC?
It adds its hook entries to each agent’s settings file — after a backup — and puts a small bridge program into %USERPROFILE%\.watchbird. Settings → Agents → Remove takes the entries out again.
What if Watchbird isn’t running?
Your agents ask in the terminal as usual. Nothing gets stuck: every hook lets the agent carry on within milliseconds when the app isn’t there.
What happens after the trial?
You buy it once in the Store. Without a license Watchbird keeps showing your sessions and jumping to their terminals, but answering in the notch, new tasks, drag & drop, phone notifications and usage are locked.
Which agents can I approve from the notch?
Claude Code, Codex CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenCode, Qwen Code and Devin. Cursor supports shell and MCP approvals, Factory Droid optionally. Gemini CLI and Cline show when they are waiting for you and take you to the terminal or editor.
Does it work with WSL and ARM PCs?
Agents in WSL connect through the same bridge. Watchbird is an x64 app; ARM-based PCs with Windows 11 run it through emulation.
How do I get notified when Claude Code is waiting for me on Windows?
Install Watchbird and connect Claude Code in the setup. When Claude wants to edit a file, run a command, asks a question or has a plan ready, the notch opens with a card over any window — with a sound if you like, a Windows notification while the notch is hidden, and optionally a message on your phone.
Does it work with the Claude desktop app, VS Code and Windows Terminal?
Yes. Watchbird works with Claude Code in a terminal, in the Claude desktop app and in editors such as VS Code and Cursor. One click jumps to the right window — in WezTerm and tmux down to the exact pane.
Does Watchbird replace my terminal?
No. Your agents keep running where you started them. Watchbird shows what they are doing and lets you answer their requests quickly; you can always answer in the terminal instead.