AgentPeek vs the terminal.

Watching agents in the terminal

The default is to read what the CLI prints: the live transcript, a usage command when you remember to run it, and scrollback for what happened earlier. It is free, always available, and exact. For a single Claude Code or Codex session it is often all you need.

The limits show up once you run more than one agent. Usage is pull-based, so you only see it when you stop and ask. There is no alert before a limit. And parallel sessions mean parallel terminals or tmux panes to babysit, each showing raw output rather than agent state.

Where AgentPeek is different

AgentPeek reads the same local data the CLIs already report and makes it ambient. Instead of one transcript per pane, you get one agent-aware view in the notch and menu bar: every Claude Code and Codex session with live state, recent activity, and usage, side by side.

The trade-off, point by point

What the terminal does well:

• Free, always there, and exact for a single session.
• Full transcript and scrollback, nothing hidden.
• No extra app to install or trust.

What AgentPeek adds on top of the same local data:

• Push, not pull: usage and attention stay visible without a command.
• Budget alerts before you hit a 5-hour or 7-day limit.
• Many sessions in one view instead of many panes to babysit.
• Inline permission and plan prompts so nothing waits silently.
• A local dev server manager for ports 3000 through 9999, grouped by project.

You do not have to choose

AgentPeek does not replace the terminal; you still run claude or codex exactly as before. It sits alongside, turning the data those tools already produce into an ambient surface. Keep the transcript in the terminal for depth, and let AgentPeek carry usage, session state, prompts, and dev servers up top. For how it compares to tmux and generic menu bar monitors, see the alternatives page.

Frequently asked questions