Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications for Claude Code on Windows

The source is a Windows taskbar utility, so I’ll stick to its real commands and numbers and check each section’s length before the article is final.Claude Notify is a small Windows taskbar program that posts a notification when Claude Code finishes a reply. github.com's report says that text is a summary of up to 30 words, or the start of the message if the summary is off or fails. A click raises the project's VS Code window and opens the matching conversation.

This piece is for people who run Claude Code on Windows 10 or 11, as the VS Code extension or from the command line, including Cursor and Code - Insiders. It covers the Haiku summary, the companion window, the Stop hook, startup with Windows, and removal.

What shipped in Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications

Claude Notify ships as ClaudeNotify.exe. Running it does not require an installer or administrator permissions. The current file is the latest Release, and every code change creates a new version automatically. Windows 10 and Windows 11 are the stated systems, and both already include .NET Framework 4.8. Claude Code has to be present as the VS Code extension or the command-line tool. Default editor processes are Code, Code - Insiders, and Cursor. The license is MIT, in the LICENSE file.

A right-click on the taskbar icon turns Claude Notify off or on, which is separate from removing the program entirely. Settings open by double-clicking that icon, or by running ClaudeNotify.exe again. The program stays quiet when the editor window is visible on screen, fully or partly. If that window is minimized, or if another window covers it completely, the notification is shown. The toast carries the summary, or the opening of the message when the summary is off or fails.

What improved in Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications

The summary changes both the text and the wait. With it on, Claude Notify runs claude -p with Haiku. The call takes about 15 seconds and is counted on the subscription. The settings window labels this option as the message summary. With it off, the start of the message appears immediately, and the same fallback is used if the summary fails. A word-count setting accepts any value from 5 to 60. The summary in the notification is up to 30 words.

The companion notification window is a window in the corner of the screen that does not interrupt work. A click on it switches to VS Code, and its timer pauses while the mouse is over the window. Display time can be set from 2 to 60 seconds, default 8, and that control works only while the companion window is enabled. The ordinary Windows notification is controlled by Windows and ignores this value. Position is bottom right by default, or bottom left.

What you gain from Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications

The click lands on one conversation. Claude Notify raises the VS Code window that belongs to the project and opens the conversation that just finished in that window. It still does that when several VS Code windows are open at the same time. A reply you can already see does not get a toast, because a fully or partly visible editor suppresses the notification. A minimized window, or a window covered completely by something else, is the case that shows it.

The Stop hook applies to every project, while the rest of the Claude Code settings stay put. The connection writes that hook into %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json only after saving settings.json.bak, and other settings in the file are not changed. The program copy used for the connection is stored at %LOCALAPPDATA%\ClaudeNotify. The log at %APPDATA%\ClaudeNotify\log.txt stores counts only, not message content. Right-click does not remove the hook. The notification window follows the light or dark theme selected in VS Code or Cursor, not Windows.

How to get Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications

Run ClaudeNotify.exe from the latest Release. No administrator permissions are required. In the settings window, click "התקן חיבור ל-Claude Code" (Install connection to Claude Code). That button copies the program to %LOCALAPPDATA%\ClaudeNotify and adds a Stop hook to %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json. It creates settings.json.bak, leaves other settings alone, and applies the hook to all projects. Check "הפעל עם Windows" (Run with Windows) and save to start with Windows. Display time defaults to 8 seconds, from 2 to 60, and the corner defaults to bottom right.

If no notification appears after a reply, type /hooks once inside Claude Code, or restart Claude Code. With the message summary enabled, Claude Notify runs claude -p with Haiku. That call takes about 15 seconds and is counted on the subscription. Compile from the src folder by running build.cmd instead of using the Release exe. The Stop hook covers all projects. To remove Claude Notify, click "הסר חיבור" (Remove connection), exit from the taskbar icon, and delete the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\ClaudeNotify.

ClaudeNotify.exe

/hooks

claude -p

build.cmd

What to watch after Claude Notify – Desktop Notifications

Duration and position do not apply to every toast. The range of 2 to 60 seconds, default 8, applies only when the companion window is enabled, and the countdown pauses while the pointer rests on that window. A standard Windows notification ignores the number because Windows controls it. Position is companion-only as well: bottom right by default, or bottom left. A Haiku summary takes about 15 seconds and is counted on the subscription. The summary text stays up to 30 words, with a word-count setting from 5 to 60.

The exe is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may warn on the first run. The warning path is "מידע נוסף" (More info), then "הפעל בכל זאת" (Run anyway). If a toast still does not pop, turn off Do not disturb and Focus assist. %APPDATA%\ClaudeNotify\log.txt records counts only, never the reply. The source code is in the src folder. Every code change publishes a new Release automatically. .NET Framework 4.8 is already built into Windows 10 and 11, and the license is MIT, in LICENSE.