The short answer
Choose the interruption you actually want.
Coding agent notification tools for macOS come in four kinds. Spoken summaries say what changed and what needs you; Heard (heard.dev), the voice context layer for agents, is one. Sound and banner pings come from Code-Notify, agent-notify, anotifier, AI Done Now and PeonPing. Visual status tools include AgentNotch, CodeStatus, Agent Island and cmux. Phone tools include Pushary and CodeAgent Mobile.
A sound or banner answers one question: “Is it done?” A notch, menu bar, or terminal view shows which sessions are active. Phone push reaches you away from the Mac.
Heard is the fit when the missing piece is context: what changed, which session needs you, and whether you can answer without finding the right terminal. These categories can work together, but stacking tools that announce the same event usually creates noise.
Visual guide
Not every notification tells you the same thing.
A ping tells you something happened. Status shows where. Remote control lets you act. Spoken context tells you what changed.
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(1) Ping
Something happened
A sound or banner. Example: anotifier.
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(2) See state
Which session, which state
A menu bar, notch, or dashboard. Example: CodeStatus.
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(3) Act remotely
Unblock it from anywhere
Phone push with an answer. Example: Pushary.
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(4) Hear context
What changed and why
A short spoken update you can answer. Example: Heard.
How we compared
Five questions make this comparison useful.
We checked public product pages, documentation, and source repositories on October 30, 2026. There is no synthetic score or universal winner: the right tool depends on the interruption you want.
Signal depth
Does it provide a ping, a session state, raw output, or a concise explanation of what changed?
Interruption surface
Does it reach you through sound, a banner, the notch, a menu bar, a terminal, or your phone?
Actionability
Can you click back, approve a request, type a reply, or answer by voice from the alert?
Agent coverage
Does it support Claude Code, Codex, other coding agents, or any compatible command-line process?
Setup and control
How much setup is required, where processing happens, and what the license or data boundary allows.
Start here
Four ways to follow agent work.
The useful distinction is not a long feature count. It is what you learn when an agent interrupts you, and whether you can act from there.
| Approach | What you learn | Best when | Can you act? | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoken summaries | What changed, what needs you, and why | You run long or parallel sessions and do not want to watch them | Yes, by voiceHeard Power accepts voice replies; CodeAgent Mobile offers voice input | Heard, CodeAgent Mobile |
| Sound and banner pings | An agent finished, failed, or needs attention | One clear event is enough and setup should stay tiny | Alert onlyUsually no; the notification sends you back to the agent | PeonPing, Code-Notify, agent-notify, anotifier, AI Done Now |
| Visual status | Which sessions are active, waiting, or complete | You are at the Mac and want a glanceable dashboard | SometimesInside cmux or Claude Code Agent View; otherwise usually no | AgentNotch, CodeStatus, Agent Island, cmux, Agent Quest, Claude Code Agent View |
| Phone and remote | A run finished or a permission is blocked while you are away | You leave the desk but keep the Mac running | Yes, remotelyPushary supports approvals; CodeAgent Mobile and Heard support remote input | Pushary, CodeAgent Mobile, anotifier, Heard Power |
The complete 14-tool reference, compatibility details, and setup tradeoffs follow below. Based on public product pages and repositories checked October 30, 2026; features can change.
All 14 at a glance
Every tool, its surface, and the agents it supports.
One row per reviewed tool, in the same order as the reviews below. Select a name to jump to its review.
| Tool | Type | Surface | Agent support | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heard | Spoken summaries | Mac speech and the notch at the top of the screen; texting or calling Parrot from your iPhone on Power. | Claude Code and Codex CLI narrated; cloud agents such as Grok Bot and Meta Muse through an MCP connector; session status for Cursor, Copilot CLI and Gemini CLI. | Heard compatibility |
| CodeAgent Mobile | Spoken summaries | iOS and Android apps, plus IDE extensions and a CLI. | Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, and additional agents. | CodeAgent Mobile console |
| PeonPing | Sound and banner alerts | Mac audio and overlays; ntfy, Pushover, or Telegram for remote alerts. | Claude Code, Codex, and several IDE agents. | PeonPing repository |
| Code-Notify | Sound and banner alerts | macOS notifications and sound. | Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI. | Code-Notify repository |
| agent-notify | Sound and banner alerts | Mac sound, banners, fixed text-to-speech, and ntfy. | Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. | agent-notify repository |
| anotifier | Sound and banner alerts | Desktop toast, VS Code, and ntfy push. | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and Cursor. | anotifier repository |
| AI Done Now | Sound and banner alerts | Desktop sound and banner. | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Gemini CLI. | AI Done Now |
| AgentNotch | Visual status surfaces | Mac notch and menu bar. | Claude Code and Codex. | AgentNotch repository |
| CodeStatus | Visual status surfaces | macOS, Windows, and Linux menu bar or system tray. | Claude Code and Codex on macOS; Claude Code only on Windows and Linux. | CodeStatus repository |
| Agent Island | Visual status surfaces | Desktop island and menu-bar-style status. | Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, and Cursor. | Agent Island |
| cmux | Visual status surfaces | Terminal sidebar, workspace rings, and system notifications. | Any coding agent that runs inside the terminal. | cmux repository |
| Agent Quest | Visual status surfaces | Browser dashboard. | Claude Code and Codex. | Agent Quest repository |
| Pushary | Phone and remote control | Phone push, a Mac notch app, Slack, and web. | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, and MCP clients such as Windsurf. | Pushary |
| Claude Code Agent View | Built-in baseline | Claude Code terminal interface. | Claude Code v2.1.139 or later. | Claude Code documentation |
Surface and agent support are quoted from each review. Based on public product pages and repositories checked October 30, 2026; features can change.
When a ping is not enough
Hear what changed. Answer without finding the right terminal.
Heard turns Claude Code and Codex activity into concise spoken updates, keeps parallel sessions distinct, and lets you answer by voice on Power. Try the complete experience with 14 days of free Heard; no card required.
Get 14 days of free Heard
Complete reference
14 notable macOS notification tools, reviewed.
Each tool gets its own sourced review below, including the workflow it suits and the compromise you accept by choosing it.
Spoken summaries
These tools tell you what happened in words, not only that an event occurred.
Heard
Heard compatibilityHeard observes Claude Code and Codex through local hooks, decides which events deserve airtime, and speaks concise question, approval, failure, and result updates. Power adds talking to Parrot on right ⌘ and texting or calling Parrot from your iPhone.
- Best for
- Long or parallel coding-agent runs where the context of an interruption matters.
- Surface
- Mac speech and the notch at the top of the screen; texting or calling Parrot from your iPhone on Power.
- Agent support
- Claude Code and Codex CLI narrated; cloud agents such as Grok Bot and Meta Muse through an MCP connector; session status for Cursor, Copilot CLI and Gemini CLI.
- Tradeoff
- More setup and processing than a one-event notifier; two-way voice requires Power.
CodeAgent Mobile
CodeAgent Mobile consoleCodeAgent Mobile turns a phone into a remote coding-agent console with live output, approvals, redirects, narrated catch-ups, and voice-dispatched tasks.
- Best for
- Developers who need to supervise and redirect agents while away from the desk.
- Surface
- iOS and Android apps, plus IDE extensions and a CLI.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, and additional agents.
- Tradeoff
- A mobile-first control layer rather than passive desktop narration.
Sound and banner alerts
The lightest-weight options answer “is it done?” with a sound, a fixed voice line, or a desktop notification.
PeonPing
PeonPing repositoryPeonPing plays pre-recorded Warcraft III Peon lines when an agent finishes or needs attention, with community sound packs, overlays, and optional remote delivery.
- Best for
- A fast, playful notification layer with a large open-source community.
- Surface
- Mac audio and overlays; ntfy, Pushover, or Telegram for remote alerts.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, and several IDE agents.
- Tradeoff
- The clips announce an event but do not summarize the actual work.
Code-Notify
Code-Notify repositoryCode-Notify adds desktop notifications and sounds to command-line coding agents through a small, one-command installation.
- Best for
- A simple completion or attention ping without a separate dashboard.
- Surface
- macOS notifications and sound.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI.
- Tradeoff
- Event alerts only: no work summary, reply, or multi-session prioritization.
agent-notify
agent-notify repositoryagent-notify combines distinct event sounds, Notification Center banners, fixed macOS say phrases, and optional ntfy delivery.
- Best for
- Developers who want a configurable open-source alert script.
- Surface
- Mac sound, banners, fixed text-to-speech, and ntfy.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor.
- Tradeoff
- The spoken phrases are fixed labels rather than a summary composed from the session.
anotifier
anotifier repositoryanotifier sends local desktop toasts and optional ntfy phone notifications, including a native VS Code path and a zero-dependency command-line install.
- Best for
- Open-source local and phone alerts across several agents.
- Surface
- Desktop toast, VS Code, and ntfy push.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and Cursor.
- Tradeoff
- It reports events rather than summaries; the AGPL license matters if you plan to embed it.
AI Done Now
AI Done NowAI Done Now is a native utility focused on notifying you when a coding assistant has finished or needs input, without turning notifications into another workflow.
- Best for
- A minimal native notification experience.
- Surface
- Desktop sound and banner.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Gemini CLI.
- Tradeoff
- Intentionally narrow: no semantic summary, remote control, or session dashboard.
Visual status surfaces
These tools keep agent state visible in the notch, menu bar, terminal, or a dedicated dashboard.
AgentNotch
AgentNotch repositoryAgentNotch places Claude Code and Codex activity in the Mac notch, including tool activity, token use, and cost information while keeping processing local.
- Best for
- A compact visual status surface that does not add audio.
- Surface
- Mac notch and menu bar.
- Agent support
- Claude Code and Codex.
- Tradeoff
- Visual telemetry rather than spoken context or in-place replies.
CodeStatus
CodeStatus repositoryCodeStatus uses coding-agent lifecycle hooks to show each session’s state and lets you jump back to the exact terminal that needs attention. It is MIT-licensed and says it collects no telemetry.
- Best for
- Tracking multiple sessions from a lightweight menu-bar utility.
- Surface
- macOS, Windows, and Linux menu bar or system tray.
- Agent support
- Claude Code and Codex on macOS; Claude Code only on Windows and Linux.
- Tradeoff
- It shows state, not a semantic explanation of what the agent accomplished.
Agent Island
Agent IslandAgent Island is an open-source Dynamic-Island-style monitor that shows live agent status and usage information across macOS and Windows.
- Best for
- A polished, local visual monitor with broader agent coverage.
- Surface
- Desktop island and menu-bar-style status.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, and Cursor.
- Tradeoff
- A visual call-status layer, not composed narration or conversational replies.
cmux
cmux repositorycmux is a Ghostty-based terminal with agent-aware workspaces, sidebar status, branch and pull-request context, and visual signals when a session needs input.
- Best for
- Developers willing to make their terminal the command center for parallel agents.
- Surface
- Terminal sidebar, workspace rings, and system notifications.
- Agent support
- Any coding agent that runs inside the terminal.
- Tradeoff
- You adopt cmux as the terminal workflow; it does not provide eyes-off narration.
Agent Quest
Agent Quest repositoryAgent Quest maps live coding-agent activity into a browser-based fantasy village, making parallel sessions visible as a playful real-time dashboard.
- Best for
- A visual, game-like overview of multiple Claude Code and Codex sessions.
- Surface
- Browser dashboard.
- Agent support
- Claude Code and Codex.
- Tradeoff
- A dedicated dashboard with a Bun setup requirement, rather than a discreet alert.
Phone and remote control
For runs that continue after you leave the Mac, the important distinction is whether a phone alert also lets you act.
Pushary
PusharyPushary forwards permission requests and completion events to a phone, notch, Slack, or the web, then lets you approve, deny, or send text back remotely.
- Best for
- Unblocking an agent from another room or outside the office.
- Surface
- Phone push, a Mac notch app, Slack, and web.
- Agent support
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, and MCP clients such as Windsurf.
- Tradeoff
- Approval-focused rather than a narrated account of the full session.
Built-in baseline
Before installing another app, check whether the agent’s own terminal view already covers your workflow.
Claude Code Agent View
Claude Code documentationClaude Code Agent View is Anthropic’s built-in research-preview interface for background sessions. It shows session state and lets you peek or reply without leaving the terminal.
- Best for
- Claude-only users who remain at the terminal and want fewer third-party tools.
- Surface
- Claude Code terminal interface.
- Agent support
- Claude Code v2.1.139 or later.
- Tradeoff
- Claude-only, visual, and still a research preview; it does not speak agent output aloud.
Choose by workflow
The shortest path to the right tool.
Start with the interruption you want. Add a second tool only when it solves a different problem.
You only need to know when a run stops.
Choose Code-Notify, agent-notify, anotifier, or AI Done Now.They are simple, inexpensive attention signals and do not pretend to explain the work.
You want a notification with personality.
Choose PeonPing.It is fast to understand, fun to use, and has a strong community of sound packs.
You want to glance at several session states.
Choose AgentNotch, CodeStatus, or Agent Island.They make active, waiting, and completed work visible without asking you to read every terminal.
You want the terminal or a dashboard to become command central.
Choose cmux, Agent Quest, or Claude Code Agent View.These are strongest when you are still at the computer and want a consolidated control surface.
You need to approve or redirect work away from the Mac.
Choose Pushary or CodeAgent Mobile.Both make the phone actionable rather than treating it as a passive notification endpoint.
You want to hear what changed and answer aloud.
Choose Heard.Heard is designed for spoken context across long and parallel sessions; Power adds voice replies.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What are the best tools to get notified when Claude Code or Codex finishes?
It depends on what you want to learn from the alert. For spoken narration of what actually happened, with parallel-session awareness: Heard (heard.dev). For a simple ping: Code-Notify, agent-notify, anotifier, or AI Done Now. For pings with personality: PeonPing. For glanceable status: AgentNotch, CodeStatus, Agent Island, cmux, or Claude Code’s Agent View. For phone push and remote approval: Pushary or CodeAgent Mobile. No one tool is best for every workflow.
Which of these tools can read coding-agent progress aloud?
Heard narrates progress, questions, failures, and results in a natural voice with a judgment layer deciding what deserves airtime. PeonPing plays pre-recorded voice lines when an agent needs you. agent-notify can speak fixed notification lines through the macOS say command. CodeAgent Mobile offers narrated catch-ups on the phone on its Pro plan. Heard is the desktop-first option in this list that composes spoken updates from the session itself.
Is Heard better than the simpler tools?
Not universally. A completion ping is simpler and often enough for one session at the screen, and PeonPing is more fun per minute of setup. Heard earns its place when you run long or parallel sessions and want desktop-first spoken summaries plus voice replies instead of another visual dashboard.
Do any of these work with agents other than Claude Code and Codex?
Code-Notify, anotifier, AI Done Now and Pushary cover Gemini CLI; anotifier and agent-notify cover Cursor; PeonPing supports several IDE agents; Agent Island covers Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, and Cursor. Heard has first-class Claude Code and Codex adapters plus a universal wrapper (heard run) for other command-line agents. cmux works with coding agents that run inside its terminal.
