[Feature Request] Context usage indicator for Claude Desktop

[MauriceCalvert]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Claude Desktop provides no visibility into context window usage until auto-compaction occurs, typically around 95% capacity. This causes:

• Unexpected mid-task compaction losing conversation context
• Inability to plan work around context limits
• No way to determine when to start new conversations vs continue
• Particularly problematic for multi-file operations and complex debugging sessions

Proposed Solution

Add a persistent, visible context usage indicator in Claude Desktop UI showing:

• Current context usage percentage (e.g., "72% context used")
• Or remaining tokens (e.g., "56k tokens remaining")

Similar to how claude.ai web interface shows usage warnings, but visible continuously rather than only at critical threshold.

Alternative Solutions

• Third-party tools like ccusage don't read Desktop session data
• Claude Code CLI has /context command and statusline - Desktop needs equivalent
• Browser extensions only work for claude.ai web, not Desktop app

Related Issues
Claude Code CLI has multiple requests for this (#5547, #5720, #5739, #15247). Desktop users need the same visibility.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

No response

Additional Context

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. Feature Request: Restore Time & Token Indicators + Add Context Usage Display #7111
2. [BUG] Token Limit Hard-Stop Without Warning or Auto-Compaction #18705
3. Feature Request: Usage Limit Visibility and Threshold Alerts #17431

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[MauriceCalvert]

Those 'duplicate issues' all refer to Claude Code, not Claude Desktop.

[barwadruk-ui]

agreed, it is frustrating that Windows is always behind, no Cowork also.
I dont want to use Claude Code CLI i like Claude Desktop but it has limited funcjonality.

[github-actions]

Closing for now — this doesn't appear to be about Claude Code. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.