Set up, toggle, and test push notifications via ntfy.sh — get iPhone/Android alerts when any coding agent finishes. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Set up, toggle, and test push notifications via ntfy.sh — get iPhone/Android alerts when any coding agent finishes. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
argument-hint
[setup|toggle|on|off|test|status|sound]
license
MIT
compatibility
Requires Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, or any terminal-based coding agent. Requires ntfy app on phone (free, iOS/Android). qrencode for QR setup.
Get push notifications on your phone when any coding agent finishes a turn — Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex, aider, or any CLI agent. Uses ntfy.sh (free, open-source). Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
A single notify.sh script is the engine. It reads the topic from ~/.push-notifications-topic and fires the curl. Each agent is wired to call this script — the mechanism varies by agent but the script is the same.
One toggle controls all agents:chmod -x notify.sh (off) / chmod +x notify.sh (on).
Platform support
Feature
macOS
Linux
Windows
Local sound
afplay
paplay / aplay
powershell Media.SoundPlayer
VS Code log path
~/Library/Application Support/Code/logs/
~/.config/Code/logs/
%APPDATA%/Code/logs/
QR code tool
brew install qrencode
apt install qrencode
winget install qrencode
Shell rc file
~/.zshrc
~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc
PowerShell $PROFILE
UUID generation
uuidgen
uuidgen
[guid]::NewGuid() (PowerShell)
Watcher daemon
✅ native
✅ native
⚠️ requires Git Bash or WSL
Agent integration strategies
Agent
Method
Mechanism
Claude Code CLI
Native Stop hook
~/.claude/settings.json → calls
notify.sh
Claude Code (VS Code)
Log watcher daemon
watch-vscode.sh --daemon tails extension logs for time_to_response events
GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code)
Log watcher daemon
Same watcher — best-effort log activity detection
OpenAI Codex (VS Code)
Log watcher daemon
Same watcher — best-effort log activity detection
GitHub Copilot CLI
Shell wrapper
copilot() function in shell rc file
Any CLI agent
Shell wrapper
agent-name() function in shell rc file
Cursor / Windsurf
OS notifications
Use the IDE's built-in notification settings
State detection (run first)
Check if ~/.push-notifications-topic exists
Check ~/.claude/settings.json for a Stop hook calling notify.sh
Check the shell rc file for wrappers:
macOS/Linux: ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc
Windows (PowerShell): run echo $PROFILE to find the profile path
Windows (Git Bash): ~/.bashrc
Check for VS Code extension: look for Claude Code extension in the extensions directory
Detect installed CLI agents: which claude copilot codex aider
Check watcher daemon: watch-vscode.sh --status
Determine mode:
State
Action
No ~/.push-notifications-topic
→ Setup mode
Topic exists, no integrations configured
→ Partial setup — configure integrations
Topic + at least one integration active
→ Manage mode
Setup mode
Step 1: Generate a topic
macOS / Linux (Git Bash on Windows):
uuidgen | tr'[:upper:]''[:lower:]' | tee ~/.push-notifications-topic
The QR encodes https://ntfy.sh/<topic> — when scanned with an iPhone camera, it opens the ntfy app and auto-subscribes to the topic. Android users: install ntfy from Google Play and use the + button to subscribe or scan.
Step 3: Present the setup card
Show the user:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Push Notifications for Coding Agents ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Topic: <uuid> ║
║ ║
║ [QR CODE DISPLAYED ABOVE] ║
║ ↑ Scan with your phone camera ↑ ║
║ ║
║ 1. Install ntfy on your phone (iOS/Android) ║
║ 2. Open ntfy, tap + to subscribe ║
║ 3. Scan the QR code (or paste the topic) ║
║ 4. I'll detect your agents and configure each ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Step 4: Detect agents and configure
Run which claude copilot codex aider to detect installed CLI agents.
Check for the VS Code Claude extension at the platform-appropriate path:
Merge with any existing settings keys (env, permissions, theme, etc.). If hooks.Stop already exists, add the notify entry to the array — never remove existing hooks.
If Claude Code is running, tell the user to run /hooks to activate.
Windows (Git Bash): Same as macOS/Linux — add to ~/.bashrc.
If a copilot alias/function already exists, warn the user and show both versions — let them choose.
OpenAI Codex CLI (shell wrapper)
Same pattern as Copilot above — replace copilot with codex.
aider (shell wrapper)
Same pattern — replace with aider.
Any other CLI agent
Offer the same pattern — a shell function wrapping the binary.
Claude Code VS Code Extension (log watcher daemon — all platforms)
The VS Code extension logs a "time_to_response" event every time Claude finishes a turn. The watcher tails the logs and fires notify.sh on each match.
# Start the watcher as a background daemon
~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --daemon
# Check status
~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --status
# List discovered AI extensions
~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --list
# Stop it
~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --stop
The daemon writes its PID to ~/.push-notifications-vscode-watcher.pid and logs to ~/.push-notifications-vscode-watcher.log. It auto-discovers the most recent VS Code log directory for your platform.
The watcher covers all three major AI VS Code extensions:
Windows note: The watcher requires Git Bash or WSL (tail, find, pkill are POSIX tools). It won't run under native cmd.exe or PowerShell. Users on Windows should install Git for Windows (includes Git Bash).
To auto-start the watcher on login, offer to add to the shell rc file:
# macOS/Linux: add to ~/.zshrc
~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --daemon
# Windows: add to PowerShell $PROFILE or Git Bash ~/.bashrc
bash ~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/watch-vscode.sh --daemon
Cursor / Windsurf / IDE agents
These are GUI apps with no terminal lifecycle hook to intercept. Tell the user:
Cursor: Settings → Features → enable "Show notifications"
Copilot in VS Code: Already has built-in notifications in the Copilot Chat panel
IDE notifications can't be mirrored to phone via this mechanism — they stay on desktop
Step 5: Confirm and test
After configuring all agents, tell the user:
Which agents were configured and how (hook vs wrapper vs watcher)
"The next time you use <agent>, you'll get a push notification when it finishes"
"To test now: /push-notifications test"
"To toggle all push notifications off: /push-notifications off (disables notify.sh for all agents at once)"
If Claude Code was configured via Stop hook: "This very response will trigger your first notification — the Stop hook fires now."
Manage mode
Toggle on/off
Off (/push-notifications off): chmod -x ~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/notify.sh
This makes the script a no-op for ALL agents simultaneously. Hook commands and shell wrappers still run, but notify.sh exits silently.
On (/push-notifications on): chmod +x ~/.agents/skills/push-notifications/notify.sh
Linux: Can change the paplay or aplay sound path in notify.sh.
Windows: Only the default Windows Notify.wav is configured. Users can change the path in notify.sh.
Edit notify.sh to update the sound command for the detected platform.
Customization (offer when relevant)
Priority levels
ntfy supports: default (respects DnD), high (bypasses DnD), urgent (bypasses DnD + repeated alerts). Edit notify.sh to change -H "Priority: default" to high or urgent.
Self-hosted ntfy
Replace ntfy.sh with the user's server URL in notify.sh. A single edit — all agents use the same script.
Custom messages
Edit the -d body in notify.sh. Variables: $DIR (current directory name), $1 (agent label).
Apple Watch haptic-only / Android silent
In the ntfy app, set the topic's notification sound to "None." Notifications still arrive but silently.
Edge cases
settings.json has syntax errors: Validate JSON before editing. Use python3 -m json.tool to check (works on all platforms).
Shell wrapper conflicts: If a function/alias already exists for the agent, show both versions and let the user decide. Never overwrite without asking.
User runs agent in a different terminal: Shell wrappers only work when the agent is invoked by name. The Claude Code Stop hook is immune to this — it fires regardless of how Claude was launched.
IDE-based agents: Can't be intercepted from the terminal. Don't promise what can't be delivered.
Multiple shell rc files: Check the platform-appropriate file. macOS/Linux: ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc. Windows PowerShell: $PROFILE. Windows Git Bash: ~/.bashrc.
notify.sh permissions during toggle: chmod -x is the atomic off switch. On Windows (Git Bash), chmod works on NTFS too. Verify with ls -l.
Windows watcher not starting: The watcher script requires Git Bash or WSL. If neither is available, the VS Code log watching feature is unavailable — but CLI integrations (Stop hook, shell wrappers) still work.
Platform-specific VS Code log paths: The watcher auto-detects the platform and finds the correct log directory. If it fails, the --list command shows what it found.
