meta-statusline

name	meta-statusline
description	Installs, uninstalls, or checks the design-engineer status line. Copies the statusline script to ~/.claude/hooks/ and configures settings.json. Use when running /design-engineer:launch.
disable-model-invocation	true
model	sonnet
effort	medium
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires Node.js v18+ and write access to ~/.claude/hooks/

Design-Engineer Status Line

Interaction Method

If AskUserQuestion is available, use it for all prompts below.

If not, present each question as a numbered list and wait for a reply before proceeding.

---

Step 1: Detect Current Configuration

Read ~/.claude/settings.json. Check whether the statusLine field exists.

If it exists, extract the command value and determine the source:

• Contains de-statusline.js → design-engineer status line (already installed)
• Contains gsd-statusline.js → GSD status line
• Anything else → unknown third-party status line

Display what was found.

---

Step 2: Determine Action

If the command was invoked with an argument:

• install → go to Step 3
• uninstall → go to Step 4
• status → go to Step 5

Otherwise ask:

question: "What would you like to do with the status line?"
header: "Action"
options:
  - label: "Install"
    description: "Install the design-engineer status line (replaces any existing one)"
  - label: "Uninstall"
    description: "Remove the design-engineer status line from settings"
  - label: "Check status"
    description: "Show current status line configuration"

---

Step 3: Install

3a. Warn if replacing

If a different status line is currently configured, display:

A status line is already configured:
  {current command value}

Installing the design-engineer status line will replace it.
The previous script file will NOT be deleted – only the settings.json pointer changes.

Then ask for confirmation:

question: "Replace the existing status line?"
header: "Confirm"
options:
  - label: "Yes, replace it"
    description: "Install the design-engineer status line"
  - label: "Cancel"
    description: "Keep the current status line"

If cancelled, stop.

If the design-engineer status line is already installed, inform the user that it will be updated with the latest version from the plugin.

3b. Copy the script

Create directories if needed:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks ~/.claude/cache

Copy the statusline script from the plugin:

cp "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/de-statusline.js" ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js

3c. Update settings.json

Read ~/.claude/settings.json, set the statusLine field:

"statusLine": {
  "type": "command",
  "command": "node \"~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js\""
}

Replace ~ with the actual home directory path. Preserve all other settings. Write back with 2-space indentation.

3d. Confirm

Display:

Status line installed.

  Script:   ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js
  Settings: ~/.claude/settings.json (statusLine updated)

The status line will appear on the next Claude Code prompt.
Usage limits (5h/7d) will appear after the first background API fetch (~1 minute).

To update after a plugin update: re-run /design-engineer:launch and select "Install" from the status-line question.
To remove: re-run /design-engineer:launch and select "Uninstall" from the status-line question (or follow Step 4 below manually).

---

Step 4: Uninstall

4a. Remove from settings

Read ~/.claude/settings.json, delete the statusLine field entirely. Write back with 2-space indentation, preserving all other settings.

4b. Optionally delete the script

question: "Also delete the status line script file?"
header: "Cleanup"
options:
  - label: "Yes, delete it"
    description: "Remove ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js"
  - label: "No, keep the file"
    description: "Only remove the settings.json reference"

If yes, delete ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js.

4c. Confirm

Display: "Status line removed. Settings updated."

---

Step 5: Check Status

Read and display:

1. Current statusLine value from ~/.claude/settings.json (or "none configured")
2. Script file: whether ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js exists
3. Usage cache: whether ~/.claude/cache/de-usage.json exists, and how old it is

---

What the Status Line Shows

When installed, the status line displays below every Claude Code prompt:

Opus  my-project | context [██░░░] 30% | 5h: 12% | 7d: 8%

• Model + directory – shortened model name and project folder
• Context bar – context window usage with color coding (green/yellow/orange/red)
• Usage limits – 5-hour and 7-day utilization (read from stdin rate_limits, no external monitor needed)

---

Decision Hierarchy

1. User decisions always override – if the user wants to keep their existing status line, respect that.
2. Detected state informs – check what is currently configured before making changes.
3. AI suggestions fill gaps only when user provides no guidance.

Common Issues

Status line stale during long file generation

The status line refreshes at the end of each model turn. If a single tool call (for example, generating a long file or running a long-running script) takes minutes, the line may show stale numbers until that turn completes. This is Claude Code's update model, not a plugin bug. The numbers catch up after the long write finishes.

Status line not appearing

If the status line does not show after installation:

1. Verify ~/.claude/settings.json has the statusLine configuration
2. Check that the hook script exists at ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js
3. Restart Claude Code – status line changes require a session restart

Script permission denied

If you see permission errors during installation:

1. The hook script needs execute permission – check with ls -la ~/.claude/hooks/de-statusline.js
2. Verify write access to ~/.claude/hooks/ directory
3. Run the installation step manually if the automated install fails

Status line shows stale data

If the status line displays outdated information:

1. The status line reads from .design-engineer-plugin/config.yaml – verify this file is current
2. Rate limits come from Claude Code's stdin data – they update after each response
3. Restart Claude Code to force a fresh read