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Claude Code can alert you when a task finishes or when it pauses for a permission prompt while you appear to be away from the terminal. Ghostty, Kitty, and iTerm2 support desktop notifications by default; in other terminals, you can use a terminal bell or a custom notification hook. If you use tmux, enable passthrough so notifications can reach the outer terminal.
Anthropic’s terminal configuration guide does not specify the exact timing thresholds for deciding when you are away, so an alert is not necessarily sent for every completion.
Choose how Claude Code should alert you
| Option | Where the alert appears | Setup | Customization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal bell | In your terminal; sound depends on terminal and OS settings | Add one setting in Claude Code | Limited to your terminal’s bell behavior |
| Desktop notification | Operating system notification center | Built in by default for Ghostty and Kitty; iTerm2 requires alert settings | Uses the terminal’s notification support |
| Notification hook | Whatever the command you configure does | Add a hook in Claude Code settings | Can play a sound or run a command |
Claude Code’s notification event can be triggered by task completion or a permission prompt when you appear to be away. A hook runs alongside the built-in notification; it does not replace it.
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Use this option if you want Claude Code to request a bell rather than rely on your terminal’s desktop-notification support. Add the following to ~/.claude/settings.json:
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{
"preferredNotifChannel": "terminal_bell"
}The setting selects the terminal bell as the notification channel. Whether you hear a sound depends on the terminal application’s bell configuration and your operating system.
Use desktop notifications
Ghostty or Kitty
Anthropic lists Ghostty and Kitty as terminals that forward Claude Code’s desktop notifications to the operating system notification center without additional setup. Confirm that your operating system allows notifications from the terminal app.
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iTerm2
- Open Settings → Profiles → Terminal.
- Enable Notification Center Alerts.
- Under Filter Alerts, enable Send escape sequence-generated alerts.
- Check that macOS allows notifications from iTerm2 in system settings.
Add a custom sound or command with a hook
A Notification hook can run a command when Claude Code needs your attention. Anthropic’s macOS example plays the system Glass sound:
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{
"hooks": {
"Notification": [
{
"hooks": [{
"type": "command",
"command": "afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Glass.aiff"
}]
}
]
}
}This example uses macOS’s afplay command and sound-file path; it is not a cross-platform command. The hook runs alongside Claude Code’s built-in notification. Anthropic’s guide links to platform-specific commands for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
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Make notifications work over SSH or tmux
SSH
Claude Code sends the desktop notification back to the local machine over SSH. Whether it appears depends on the local terminal’s notification support and settings. Ghostty and Kitty forward notifications to the OS notification center automatically; iTerm2 needs the alert settings described above.
tmux
By default, notifications in tmux do not reach the outer terminal. Add this to ~/.tmux.conf:
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set -g allow-passthrough onApply the configuration with:
tmux source-file ~/.tmux.confThis enables passthrough for notifications to reach the outer terminal.
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Troubleshoot missing alerts
- Confirm the notification path. Ghostty, Kitty, and iTerm2 are listed for default desktop notifications. In another terminal, select the terminal bell or configure a
Notificationhook. - Check operating system permissions. Make sure notifications are allowed for the terminal application.
- Check iTerm2 alert settings. Both Notification Center Alerts and Send escape sequence-generated alerts must be enabled for this path.
- Check tmux passthrough. Add
set -g allow-passthrough onand reload the tmux configuration. - For SSH, check the local terminal. The desktop notification is delivered to the local machine, so verify its terminal forwarding and OS notification settings.
- Remember when events are triggered. Claude Code notifies on completion or a permission prompt when you appear to be away; Anthropic does not state an exact idle-time threshold in its terminal guide.
For the official configuration details, see Configure your terminal for Claude Code.
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