Minimal Powerline - Statuslines

Features

• Powerline-style separators and glyphs
• Displays current AI model in use
• Shows workspace directory with home shortening
• Real-time token count tracking
• Low performance impact with minimal processing
• 256-color terminal support
• Requires jq for JSON parsing
• Optional Git branch display when in repository

Use Cases

• Quick overview of current session context
• Minimal distraction with essential information only
• Performance-conscious users with slow terminals
• Teams standardizing on Powerline aesthetic
• SSH sessions requiring lightweight statusline
• Resource-constrained environments with minimal overhead

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI installed and configured
• Bash shell available (bash 4.0+ recommended for string manipulation and arithmetic operations)
• jq command-line JSON processor (jq 1.6+ recommended for safe extraction with // defaults)
• Terminal with 256-color support (xterm-256color or screen-256color recommended for proper color display)
• Powerline-patched font or Nerd Font installed (required for Powerline separator glyphs U+E0B0-U+E0B3 to display correctly)
• Terminal font configured to use Powerline/Nerd Font (font must be set in terminal preferences)

Configuration

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/minimal-powerline.sh",
    "refreshInterval": 500
  }
}

Examples

Enhanced Minimal Powerline with Git Branch

Extended version including git branch information

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Enhanced Minimal Powerline with Git Branch

input=$(cat)

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name // .model.id // "unknown"' | sed 's/claude-//')
dir=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.current_dir // .workspace.project_dir // "~"' | sed "s|$HOME|~|")
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_tokens // .session.totalTokens // 0')

if [ "$tokens" -gt 1000 ]; then
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo $tokens)
else
  tokens_formatted=$tokens
fi

# Get git branch if in git repository
cd "$dir" 2>/dev/null || cd .
git_branch=""
if git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  git_branch=$(git symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "(detached)")
fi

SEP="\ue0b0"

MODEL_BG="\033[48;5;111m"
MODEL_FG="\033[38;5;111m"
DIR_BG="\033[48;5;246m"
DIR_FG="\033[38;5;246m"
GIT_BG="\033[48;5;28m"
GIT_FG="\033[38;5;28m"
TOKEN_BG="\033[48;5;214m"
TOKEN_FG="\033[38;5;214m"
RESET="\033[0m"

# Build statusline
statusline="${MODEL_BG} ${model} ${RESET}${MODEL_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${DIR_BG} ${dir} ${RESET}"

if [ -n "$git_branch" ]; then
  statusline="${statusline}${DIR_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${GIT_BG} ${git_branch} ${RESET}${GIT_FG}${SEP}${RESET}"
fi

statusline="${statusline} ${TOKEN_BG} ${tokens_formatted} ${RESET}${TOKEN_FG}${SEP}${RESET}"

echo -e "$statusline"

Minimal Powerline with Custom Colors

Version with configurable color scheme via environment variables

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Minimal Powerline with Custom Colors

# Configurable colors (default: powerline-default)
MODEL_BG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_MODEL_BG:-111}
MODEL_FG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_MODEL_FG:-111}
DIR_BG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_DIR_BG:-246}
DIR_FG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_DIR_FG:-246}
TOKEN_BG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_TOKEN_BG:-214}
TOKEN_FG_COLOR=${POWERLINE_TOKEN_FG:-214}

input=$(cat)

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name // .model.id // "unknown"' | sed 's/claude-//')
dir=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.current_dir // .workspace.project_dir // "~"' | sed "s|$HOME|~|")
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_tokens // .session.totalTokens // 0')

if [ "$tokens" -gt 1000 ]; then
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo $tokens)
else
  tokens_formatted=$tokens
fi

SEP="\ue0b0"

MODEL_BG="\033[48;5;${MODEL_BG_COLOR}m"
MODEL_FG="\033[38;5;${MODEL_FG_COLOR}m"
DIR_BG="\033[48;5;${DIR_BG_COLOR}m"
DIR_FG="\033[38;5;${DIR_FG_COLOR}m"
TOKEN_BG="\033[48;5;${TOKEN_BG_COLOR}m"
TOKEN_FG="\033[38;5;${TOKEN_FG_COLOR}m"
RESET="\033[0m"

echo -e "${MODEL_BG} ${model} ${RESET}${MODEL_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${DIR_BG} ${dir} ${RESET}${DIR_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${TOKEN_BG} ${tokens_formatted} ${RESET}${TOKEN_FG}${SEP}${RESET}"

Minimal Powerline Statusline Installation Example

Complete setup script with Powerline font verification and color testing

#!/bin/bash
# Installation script for Minimal Powerline Statusline

# Check for jq (required for JSON parsing)
if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Installing jq for JSON parsing..."
    if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
        brew install jq
    elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
        sudo apt-get install -y jq || sudo yum install -y jq
    else
        echo "Please install jq manually: https://stedolan.github.io/jq/"
    fi
fi

# Check terminal color support
color_count=$(tput colors 2>/dev/null || echo "8")
if [ "$color_count" -lt 256 ]; then
    echo "Warning: Terminal may not support 256 colors"
    echo "Set TERM=xterm-256color: export TERM=xterm-256color"
    echo "For tmux/screen: export TERM=screen-256color"
else
    echo "Terminal supports $color_count colors"
fi

# Test Powerline separator
if echo -e '\ue0b0' &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Powerline separator test: $(echo -e '\ue0b0')"
    echo "If separator shows as box/question mark, install Powerline-patched font:"
    echo "  - Nerd Fonts: https://www.nerdfonts.com/"
    echo "  - Powerline Fonts: https://github.com/powerline/fonts"
else
    echo "Warning: Powerline separator may not be supported"
fi

mkdir -p .claude/statuslines

cat > .claude/statuslines/minimal-powerline.sh << 'SCRIPT_EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Minimal Powerline Statusline for Claude Code
# Displays: Model | Directory | Token Count

read -r input

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.display_name // .model.id // "unknown"' | sed 's/claude-//')
dir=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.workspace.current_dir // .workspace.project_dir // "~"' | sed "s|$HOME|~|")
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_tokens // .session.totalTokens // 0')

if [ "$tokens" -gt 1000 ]; then
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo $tokens)
else
  tokens_formatted=$tokens
fi

SEP="\ue0b0"

MODEL_BG="\033[48;5;111m"
MODEL_FG="\033[38;5;111m"
DIR_BG="\033[48;5;246m"
DIR_FG="\033[38;5;246m"
TOKEN_BG="\033[48;5;214m"
TOKEN_FG="\033[38;5;214m"
RESET="\033[0m"

echo -e "${MODEL_BG} ${model} ${RESET}${MODEL_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${DIR_BG} ${dir} ${RESET}${DIR_FG}${SEP}${RESET} ${TOKEN_BG} ${tokens_formatted} ${RESET}${TOKEN_FG}${SEP}${RESET}"
SCRIPT_EOF

chmod +x .claude/statuslines/minimal-powerline.sh

# Add to settings.json
if [ ! -f .claude/settings.json ]; then
    echo '{"statusLine":{"type":"command","command":"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/minimal-powerline.sh","refreshInterval":500}}' > .claude/settings.json
else
    jq '.statusLine = {"type":"command","command":"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/minimal-powerline.sh","refreshInterval":500}' .claude/settings.json > .claude/settings.json.tmp
    mv .claude/settings.json.tmp .claude/settings.json
fi

echo "Minimal Powerline Statusline installed successfully!"
echo "Note: Install Powerline-patched font or Nerd Font for proper separator display"
echo "  - Nerd Fonts: https://www.nerdfonts.com/"
echo "  - Powerline Fonts: https://github.com/powerline/fonts"
echo "Customize colors: export POWERLINE_MODEL_BG=111 POWERLINE_DIR_BG=246"

Troubleshooting

Powerline separators showing as boxes or question marks

Install a Nerd Font (e.g., FiraCode Nerd Font, Hack Nerd Font) or Powerline-patched font and configure your terminal to use it. Verify with: echo -e '\ue0b0'. Download fonts: https://www.nerdfonts.com/ or https://github.com/powerline/fonts. For VS Code: Set 'terminal.integrated.fontFamily' to your Nerd Font. For iTerm2: Preferences > Profiles > Text > Font > Select Nerd Font.

Colors not displaying correctly

Ensure terminal supports 256 colors. Test with: tput colors (should return 256). Set TERM=xterm-256color if needed: export TERM=xterm-256color. For tmux/screen use: export TERM=screen-256color. Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc for persistence. Verify color codes work: echo -e '\033[48;5;111mTEST\033[0m' (should show colored background).

jq command not found error

Install jq: macOS (brew install jq), Linux (sudo apt-get install jq or sudo yum install jq), or download from https://jqlang.github.io/jq/. Verify installation: which jq. Test jq: echo '{"test":123}' | jq .test (should return 123). Check jq version: jq --version (should be 1.6+).

tput colors shows 8 but terminal supports 256 colors

Set TERM explicitly: export TERM=xterm-256color. Test: env TERM=xterm-256color tput colors (should show 256). For tmux/screen use TERM=screen-256color. Add to shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) for persistence. Check terminal emulator settings - some require explicit 256-color mode. Restart terminal after setting TERM.

Powerline separators misaligned or cut off at edges

Install Powerline-patched font from github.com/powerline/fonts. U+E0B0-U+E0B3 require patched fonts. For VS Code, enable GPU acceleration for better rendering. Check terminal font size and line height settings. Verify font is monospace and properly configured. Test separator: echo -e '\ue0b0' (should show right-pointing triangle).

Model name not displaying or showing 'unknown'

Check JSON input: echo '$input' | jq .model. Verify model.display_name exists: echo '$input' | jq .model.display_name. Check alternative: echo '$input' | jq .model.id. Verify sed command works: echo 'claude-sonnet-4.5' | sed 's/claude-//' (should return sonnet-4.5). Check model field structure in Claude Code JSON output.

Directory path not shortening home directory

Verify HOME environment variable: echo $HOME. Check sed replacement: echo '/Users/username/project' | sed "s|$HOME|~|". Verify workspace path extraction: echo '$input' | jq '.workspace.current_dir'. Check path format - script expects absolute paths. Verify directory exists: ls -d "$dir".

Token count not displaying or showing 0

Check JSON input structure: echo '$input' | jq .. Verify cost.total_tokens exists: echo '$input' | jq .cost.total_tokens. Check alternative field: echo '$input' | jq .session.totalTokens. Verify jq is installed: which jq. Test with sample JSON: echo '{"cost":{"total_tokens":1234}}' | jq -r '.cost.total_tokens // 0' (should return 1234). Check thousands separator: printf '%'d 1234 (should return 1,234 on systems with locale support).