The Claude Meter extension is a session bridge, not a toolbar gauge
Type “claude meter” into any store and you get a Firefox addon, a Chrome listing, two VS Code extensions, and a couple of same-named macOS apps. They all paint a gauge somewhere you can see it. The ClaudeMeter browser extension does something different, and if you came here trying to figure out which one this is, that difference is the whole point.
The ClaudeMeter browser extension is a session-forwarding bridge for the ClaudeMeter macOS menu bar app. It reads the session cookie from your logged-in claude.ai tab and POSTs that snapshot to the app over localhost:63762, so the app can read your real plan quota with no manual cookie paste. You load it unpacked from the m13v/claude-meter repo (Chrome, Arc, Brave, or Edge), not from the Chrome Web Store. Free, MIT, macOS 12+.
Why this is confusing in the first place
Claude Pro and Max run on a rolling 5-hour window, a weekly quota, and metered extra-usage billing on top. The only place to see where you stand is claude.ai/settings/usage. That single source of frustration spawned a whole shelf of tools, and a lot of them grabbed the obvious name. So a search for the extension turns up a browser toolbar gauge, an editor status-bar percentage, and more than one unrelated app called the same thing.
They are mostly variations on one idea: render a number inside the surface you are already looking at. The ClaudeMeter extension is built on a different idea. The number belongs in the macOS menu bar, where it sits over your terminal and your editor whether or not a browser tab is open. The extension is not the display. It is the thin piece that carries your already-logged-in session to the thing that is the display.
This extension vs. the toolbar namesakes
Same name, different job. Here is what actually sets the ClaudeMeter extension apart from the store-listed gauges you'll find next to it in results.
| Feature | Toolbar 'Claude Meter' extensions | ClaudeMeter extension |
|---|---|---|
| Where you get it | A browser or editor store listing | Loaded unpacked from the m13v/claude-meter repo |
| Where the numbers show | Inside the browser toolbar or editor status bar | In the macOS menu bar, over your terminal and editor |
| What the extension does | Renders a gauge in-page | Forwards your claude.ai session to a native app over localhost:63762 |
| Auditability | Packed store build | Unpacked source you read before loading |
| Quota source | Varies; some scrape the page | The internal endpoint claude.ai/settings/usage renders |
The toolbar extensions are fine tools; they just answer a different question and live in a different place. If you want the number in your browser, use one of those. If you want it in your macOS menu bar with no cookie paste, this is the one.
The hop: claude.ai cookie to menu bar, over localhost:63762
Here is the exact path your session takes. The extension runs only on the claude.ai origin, reads the same-origin session cookie, and hands it to the menu bar app over a localhost-only socket on port 63762. That number is not a detail you have to take on faith: the extension is unpacked source, so you can open it and read the POST target yourself before you ever load it.
What happens after you visit claude.ai
claude.ai tab
You are signed in; the extension detects the tab
Read cookie
Same-origin session cookie, claude.ai only
POST localhost:63762
Snapshot sent to the app, never leaves your machine
App calls usage endpoint
Same internal endpoint claude.ai/settings/usage renders
Menu bar lights up
5-hour, weekly, and extra-usage gauges, within a minute
Once the app has a session, the extension is done until the cookie rotates. The app polls the internal usage endpoint once per minute by default (configurable from 30 seconds to 5 minutes) and paints the three gauges. Because it reads the server-truth endpoint rather than your local Claude Code token logs, the 5-hour percentage matches claude.ai/settings/usage to the integer.
One session in, three gauges out
The extension forwards one thing: your session. The app turns it into the three numbers that actually decide whether your next Claude Code run finishes or hits a wall.
From forwarded session to live menu bar
Loading the extension
There is no “Add to Chrome” button to click. You install the menu bar app with one brew command, then load the extension folder unpacked. Repeat the load step for each Chromium browser you use with Claude.
Four steps, about a minute
Install the menu bar app
Run the brew cask. A small C| icon appears in the menu bar. Until the extension is loaded it shows a single ! meaning 'no session yet', which is expected.
Clone the repo and open your extensions page
Clone github.com/m13v/claude-meter. Open chrome://extensions, arc://extensions, brave://extensions, or edge://extensions and toggle Developer mode in the top-right.
Load unpacked
Click Load unpacked and select the extension/ folder inside the cloned repo. Pin the icon so the popup is reachable, though the work happens in the background page.
Visit claude.ai once and verify
Sign in to claude.ai in that browser. Within a minute the menu bar popover fills with your 5-hour, weekly, and extra-usage gauges. Open claude.ai/settings/usage and confirm the 5-hour percentage matches.
If the gauges never appear, the usual cause is that no claude.ai tab has been open since you loaded the extension. Confirm the extension is enabled, open claude.ai in any tab, and wait one refresh tick. The full walkthrough, including the extension-free Route B and the uninstall steps, lives on the install page, and the localhost socket and endpoint details are on how it works.
Not sure the extension is the right route for your setup?
Grab a few minutes and we'll walk through whether the extension, the cookie-database route, or the CLI fits how you run Claude.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ClaudeMeter extension on the Chrome Web Store?
No. You load it unpacked from source. Clone the github.com/m13v/claude-meter repo, open chrome://extensions (or arc://extensions, brave://extensions, edge://extensions), toggle Developer mode, click Load unpacked, and select the extension/ folder. The point of shipping it unpacked is that you can read every line before you run it. The half-dozen other extensions named 'Claude Meter' or 'Claude Usage Meter' are store listings; this one is not.
What does the extension actually do? Does it show usage in the toolbar?
No toolbar gauge. Its only job is to notice you are signed into claude.ai, read the session cookie from the claude.ai origin, and POST that snapshot to the macOS menu bar app over localhost:63762. The numbers render in the menu bar, not in the browser. That is the whole reason the extension exists: it removes the manual cookie paste so the native app can read your real plan quota.
Why a separate menu bar app instead of just showing numbers in the browser?
Because the surface that matters for a Claude Code user is the macOS menu bar, visible over a terminal and an editor, not a browser tab you may not have open. The extension is the thin bridge that gets your claude.ai session to that always-visible app. The app then polls the same internal usage endpoint claude.ai/settings/usage renders, so the percentages match what Anthropic enforces.
Which browsers does the extension support?
Chromium-family browsers: Chrome, Arc, Brave, and Edge. You load the same unpacked extension folder in each one you use with Claude. Safari is not supported. If you use two browsers with claude.ai, load it in both; whichever has a logged-in claude.ai tab will post the snapshot.
Can I run the menu bar app without installing the extension at all?
Yes. There is an extension-free route (Route B): the app reads Chrome's cookie database directly after you grant it access to Chrome Safe Storage in your keychain on first launch. Most people use the extension instead because the Safe Storage prompt is broad (it is also Chrome's master key for saved passwords and cards), whereas the extension reads only the claude.ai cookie.
Is this the same as ccusage or the VS Code 'Claude Meter' extensions?
No. ccusage and the local Claude Code monitors read JSONL token logs on your disk and estimate usage. The ClaudeMeter extension carries your claude.ai session to an app that reads the server-side rolling 5-hour window, the weekly quota, and the extra-usage dollar balance from Anthropic's own endpoint. Different data source. ccusage answers 'how many tokens did I burn locally'; ClaudeMeter answers 'how close am I to the wall Anthropic actually enforces'.
What leaves my machine?
The cookie hop is localhost-only: the extension talks to the app over localhost:63762, which never leaves your machine. After that, the only network egress is one HTTPS request per minute to claude.ai using your own session, plus optional anonymous health telemetry you can turn off. There is no ClaudeMeter server collecting your usage, because there is no ClaudeMeter server.
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