Your Claude Code is slow. Here's why.
Menu Bar App • Features • Install • CLI • Deep Diagnostics
Stop guessing why Claude Code is eating your CPU. Claude Trace gives you instant visibility into every Claude process running on your machine—CPU spikes, memory leaks, runaway file watchers, orphaned processes—all in your menu bar.
A native macOS app that lives in your menu bar. Always watching, never in the way.
See all your Claude sessions at a glance
- Live CPU & Memory — Real-time stats for every Claude session
- Project Names — Know which project each session belongs to
- Native Notifications — Get alerted before your fans spin up
- One-Click Kill — Stop runaway processes instantly
- Orphan Detection — Find and clean up zombie sessions
- Version Detection — Know which sessions are running outdated Claude Code
- Launch at Login — Set it and forget it
Configure thresholds to match your workflow
Spot processes running old versions of Claude Code. Claude Trace compares each running session against your installed version and flags any that need updating.
See which sessions are running old Claude versions
Set thresholds for CPU and memory. Claude Trace watches in the background and alerts you when something's wrong—before your laptop becomes a space heater.
Know immediately when Claude goes rogue
Double-click any process to open a detailed view with full diagnostics, file descriptors, and thread info.
Deep dive into any session
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Real-time Monitoring | Polls every 2 seconds (configurable) |
| Project Detection | Shows project name for each Claude session |
| Aggregate Stats | Total CPU and memory across all sessions |
| Orphan Detection | Identifies Claude processes without a parent |
| Outdated Detection | Flags sessions running old Claude versions |
| Threshold Alerts | Configurable per-process and aggregate limits |
| Process Tree | Visualize parent-child relationships |
| One-Click Kill | Stop individual processes or kill all |
| JSON Export | Pipe to jq for custom analysis |
| Launch at Login | Auto-start with macOS |
# Clone
git clone https://github.com/joemccann/claude-trace.git ~/claude-trace
cd ~/claude-trace
# Build and install everything
./dev.sh deployThis builds the CLI and installs the menu bar app to /Applications.
- macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
- Xcode 15.0+ (for building)
For quick checks without opening the app:
# See all Claude processes
claude-trace
# Watch mode — live updates every 2 seconds
claude-trace -w
# Verbose mode — includes project name and working directory
claude-trace -v
# JSON output for scripting
claude-trace -j | jq '.totals.cpu_percent'
When you spot a high-CPU process, use the Rust-powered diagnostics tool:
# Stack sampling + file descriptor analysis
./cli/target/release/claude-diagnose --pid <PID> -d -s
# Generate a flamegraph
sudo ./cli/target/release/claude-diagnose --pid <PID> -D --flamegraph -o debug.svgSee Deep Diagnostics for the full toolkit.
| Doc | Description |
|---|---|
| CLI Reference | All flags, output fields, and scripting examples |
| Deep Diagnostics | Stack sampling, DTrace, flamegraphs |
| Development | Building, testing, contributing |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and fixes |
Claude Code runs multiple Node.js processes. Sometimes they spin. Sometimes they leak memory. Sometimes they get orphaned. Claude Trace makes the invisible visible—so you can kill what needs killing and get back to work.
Built with Bash + Rust + Swift
Zero dependencies. Native performance.
MIT