In my [[20250119 Three Apps I Can't Live Without|previous post about three apps I can't live without]], I mentioned being a daily Claude user. Not ChatGPT, not Grok, though I do a *lil bit* with Gemini. Claude has become my go-to AI companion for development work, writing, and complex problem-solving.
Today I stumbled upon a tool that's already changing how I work with Claude Code: **claude-monitor**. But wait—there's more. The installation process introduced me to something equally exciting: **uv**.
## The Claude Monitor Discovery
Simply put, claude-monitor tracks your Claude token usage in real-time. Think of it as your personal dashboard for monitoring how much of your Claude session you've consumed.
The tool provides:
- **Real-time token tracking** - Watch your usage as it happens
- **Burn rate analysis** - See how quickly you're consuming tokens
- **Smart session predictions** - Know when your 5-hour Claude Code session will expire
- **Multiple plan support** - Works with Pro, Max5, Max20, and custom limits
## What the Hell? UV is Incredible
Here's where things got interesting. The recommended installation method uses something called **uv**:
```bash
uv tool install claude-monitor
```
What the hell? This is game-changing.
UV feels like Homebrew but specifically designed for Python. No virtual environment headaches. No "externally-managed-environment" errors. No Python version conflicts. Just clean, isolated installations that work everywhere.
Think about it:
- **No system conflicts** - Each tool gets its own environment
- **Zero configuration** - Works out of the box
- **Cross-platform** - Same commands on Linux, macOS, Windows
- **Lightning fast** - Faster than traditional pip workflows
This is exactly what Python tooling needed. Package management that just works.
## Why I'm Loving Both Tools
**Claude Monitor Benefits**: As someone who regularly pushes Claude to its limits during development sessions, visibility into my usage patterns has been transformative.
The Custom Plan feature is brilliant. The tool analyzes your historical usage and automatically detects your actual token limits using machine learning. No more guessing whether you're on Pro or Max5.
**UV Benefits**: Installation becomes effortless. No more virtual environment setup. No dependency conflicts. Just install and run.
## Real-World Impact
Yesterday, I was deep in a complex refactoring session. Without monitoring, I would have hit my token limit mid-task. The burn rate analysis showed I was consuming tokens faster than usual, so I adjusted my approach and completed the work within my session window.
This kind of awareness transforms how you work with Claude Code. Strategic session planning instead of wondering "how much do I have left?"
## Quick Start (The Easy Way)
Installation with uv is refreshingly simple:
```bash
# Install uv first (one-time setup)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Install claude-monitor
uv tool install claude-monitor
# Run from anywhere
claude-monitor
```
Done. No virtual environments. No system package conflicts. It just works.
## Technical Excellence
The claude-monitor v3.0.0 release represents serious engineering:
- Modular architecture with Single Responsibility Principle
- Machine learning-based predictions using P90 percentile calculations
- Pydantic validation for type-safe configuration
- Comprehensive test suite with 100+ test cases
Combined with uv's elegant package management, this represents the future of Python tooling.
## Connect and Explore
If you're a regular Claude user, especially for development work, I highly recommend trying claude-monitor. The uv installation method makes adoption friction-free.
Two discoveries in one day. Both immediately indispensable.
The project is open source and actively maintained. Check out the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/Maciek-roboblog/Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor) for full documentation.
---
_Have you discovered tools that transform your workflow? I'd love to hear about your game-changing finds._
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