Show HN: I built a tool to un-dumb Claude Code's CLI output (Local Log Viewer)

Show HN: I built a tool to un-dumb Claude Code's CLI output (Local Log Viewer)github.com/matt1398/claud...

Hi HN,

I built this because I got tired of the Claude Code CLI hiding details from me.

Recent updates have replaced critical output with summaries like "Read 3 files" or "Edited 2 files". To see what actually happened, I was forced to use `--verbose`, which floods the terminal with unreadable JSON and system prompts.

I wanted a middle ground: *Full observability without the noise.*

`claude-devtools` is a local Electron app that tails the session logs in `~/.claude/` to reconstruct the execution trace in real-time.

*Unlike wrappers, it solves the visibility gap in your native terminal workflow:* 1. *Real Diffs:* It shows inline diffs (red/green) the moment files are edited, instead of just a checkmark. 2. *Context Forensics:* It breaks down token usage by File vs Tool Output vs Thinking (so you know exactly why your context window is full). 3. *Agent Trees:* It visualizes sub-agent execution paths which are usually interleaved and confusing in the CLI.

It’s 100% local, and works with the logs already on your machine. No API keys required.

Repo: https://github.com/matt1398/claude-devtools (Screenshots and diff viewer demo are in the README)

Why not just use something sane by default? It's not like there are not better alternatives to Claude Code.

Opencode is great as a full replacement. Works out of the box.

Pi code agent[1] is even better, if you spend some time in it, you can customize is to your liking. It's a vi and Emacs combined for agents.

[1] https://pi.dev

azuanrb · 23 days ago

Based on their Terms of Service, we are not allowed to use a Claude Code subscription outside of Claude Code itself. Although it may work with tools like pi or other harnesses, doing so puts your account at risk of being banned.

Claude Code is not developer friendly.

quikoa · 23 days ago

Given how Anthropic changes Claude Code and forces everyone with a subscription to use it (if you pay much more with the API you can avoid it). I think it's fair to say that Claude Code is not an asset but a liability.

eurekin · 23 days ago

OpenCode works nicely, I wish it web mode would be developed more. Currently, as it stands, you have to work on the same host in order to pass the full OAuth login flow (it redirects to localhost) for subscription based providers (Claude, ChatGPT). I wish it used some BASE_URL variable I could set, so it would be used instead.

zontyp · 23 days ago

i had the exact same problem as op , CC showed razzmatazing , analyzing and other B.S i was bit irked. then i tried pi agent after @mitsuhiko suggested it on YT , X and this issue went away. now pi tells me or shows me the entire action that the model takes. i would still want the actions to be summarized or the harness explain me a concept that i missed (evident from my context) - but thats probably too far fetched.

bjt12345 · 23 days ago

Sometimes it states "Gittifying...", the first time it happened to me I was smashing the Ctrl+C keys in panic.

kzahel · 23 days ago

I think you're not supposed to use your claude max plans etc with external harnesses. In theory your account could get banned.

mentalgear · 23 days ago

Are there any good benchmarks comparing CC with openCode and Pi ?

syabro · 23 days ago

Nothing can compare for me with $200 Max CC subscription

miroljub · 23 days ago

cjonas · 23 days ago

All these coding agents should support custom otel endpoints with full instrumentation (http, mcp, file system access, etc).

matt1398 · 23 days ago

True. They actually do support basic OTel now, but it's mostly limited to high-level metrics like token usage and session counts. Until then, parsing the local files seem to be pretty much the only way to get real observability.

khoury · 23 days ago

Does it also show usage? I think it's pretty ridiculous we have to install 3rd party packages/implement it ourselfs just to see how much gas is left in the tank basically. Or constantly check the usage tab on the web, but still.

To clarify on what the others mentioned: `/usage` and `/status` in the CLI do give you basic session token counts.

But regarding khoury's original point about the actual "gas in the tank" (billing/account balance)—no, my tool doesn't show that either.

Since `claude-devtools` strictly parses your local `~/.claude/` logs and makes zero network calls, it doesn't have access to your Anthropic account to pull your actual dollar balance.

What it does provide is high-resolution context usage. Instead of just a total session count, it breaks down tokens per-turn (e.g., how many tokens were eaten by reading a specific file vs. the tool output). It helps you manage your context window locally, but for billing, you're unfortunately still stuck checking the web dashboard.

Thx for the clarification :)

Deleted Comment

itsmevictor · 23 days ago

Why not just /usage?

virtualritz · 23 days ago

/status?

Oh, wow. I was debugging the same in copilot (the only "work approved" agent) in Intellij, which showed that copilot didn't return commands output at all. I wrote a comment under relevant issue, if you're curious.

I think there are quite a few bugs lingering in those agent-cli's and observability, would help a lot with reporting. Taking yours for a spin this evening, thank you!

Yeah, debugging swallowed command outputs is definitely a pain.

Thanks for giving it a spin tonight! Let me know if you run into any issues.

KingMob · 23 days ago

For those who don't want to install yet another wrapper, you can just use the `--verbose` flag: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference#cli-flags

The problem with `--verbose` is that it floods the terminal, making real-time debugging a headache.

Also, this isn't a wrapper—it’s a passive viewer. I built it specifically to keep the native terminal workflow intact.

It’s especially useful when you're running multiple parallel sessions. Have you ever tried digging through raw JSON logs to retroactively debug passed sessions at once, since the session is already shut down? It’s nearly impossible without a proper UI. This tool is for those "post-mortem" moments, not just for watching a single stream.

joelschw · 23 days ago

You could also use braintrust here https://github.com/braintrustdata/braintrust-claude-plugin

jimmySixDOF · 23 days ago

there was also this last year not updated in a while but the view handling is better than native verbose :

"claude-trace" Record all your interactions with Claude Code as you develop your projects. See everything Claude hides: system prompts, tool outputs, and raw API data in an intuitive web interface.

https://github.com/badlogic/lemmy/tree/main/apps/claude-trac...

iamleppert · 23 days ago

I don't want a different interface than the CLI. I just want the exact same interface as the CLI, but with infinite scroll.