To get a notification when Claude Code is done, run it inside AgentVera: you get a desktop notification when a turn ends, an error stops the agent or it waits for your approval, and the same events can reach your phone through Telegram or the AgentVera mobile app. You do not need to write a hook script or keep the terminal in view. The alerts work the same way for Codex, Copilot CLI and every other CLI agent in the app.
This post covers what triggers each notification, how to set up desktop and phone alerts, how approval reminders work and how to keep the noise down.
Why you need notifications for coding agents
A coding agent spends minutes on a task, then stops for one of two reasons: it is done, or it needs you. If you are in another window, both look the same: nothing happens. The agent waiting for a yes to npm install is the expensive one, because it does no work until you notice.
Good notifications answer three questions without opening the terminal:
- Which agent stopped?
- Did it finish, fail or ask for permission?
- Can I answer from here?
What triggers a notification
AgentVera watches each agent’s terminal and its state, so it knows when an agent is working, waiting for a reply or waiting for an approval.
| Event | Desktop | Telegram | Mobile app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approval needed | Yes | Yes, with Approve, Deny and Always allow buttons | Yes, push |
| Agent turn finished | Yes, turns longer than 15 seconds | Yes, minimum turn length you set | Yes, push |
| Agent finished and exited | Yes (“Task completed”) | ||
| Error | Yes | Yes (“Agent failed”) | Yes, push |
| Important code review finding | Yes, medium or high | ||
| Account and limit alerts | Yes | Usage limits past 90% | |
| Scheduled task failed | Yes |
Every desktop and Telegram event can be switched on or off on its own.
Set up desktop notifications
Open Settings → Notifications. The On this computer part has:
- Desktop notifications, with the four events: Approval needed, Agent turn finished, Task completed and Error. All are on by default.
- Dock badge, the number of agents waiting for an approval or a reply on the app icon.
- Keep the computer awake, on by default. While AgentVera is open the computer will not sleep, like
caffeinate; the display can still turn off. This matters for long runs: an agent cannot finish if the laptop is asleep.
Desktop notifications appear while AgentVera is in the background. Click one and the app opens that agent, ready for your reply.
Inside the app, the status bar shows how many approvals are waiting, and ⇧⌘A jumps to the agent that has waited longest.
Get notified on your phone with Telegram
Telegram is the fastest way to get agent alerts on your phone, and it needs only a free AgentVera account.
- Go to Settings → Notifications → Phone notifications.
- Press Connect Telegram and open the link or scan the QR code. The link works once and is valid for 10 minutes. If you prefer, you can use your own bot instead; its token is kept encrypted in your keychain.
- Under When to notify, choose the events. For finished turns, set the minimum turn length (60 seconds by default) so short answers do not ping you.
- Press Send test to check it arrives.
Two options shape what you receive. Include a short excerpt of the agent’s reply adds the end of the answer; turn it off and only “finished its turn” is sent, with no code or project content. A separate topic per agent gives each agent its own topic in the bot chat, and anything you write there goes straight to that agent.
Telegram does far more than notify: you can start agents, send messages, photos and files. That is covered in control Claude Code from Telegram; this post sticks to alerts.
Push notifications in the mobile app
The AgentVera mobile app for iOS and Android sends push notifications for approval requests, finished turns, failures, task reminders and usage limits past 90%. The notifications carry no code or message text. To link it, sign in on both sides and turn on Control from your phone in the desktop app’s settings. The apps are not in the App Store or Google Play yet.
Without the app, the phone view in your phone’s browser shows each agent’s status, its last reply and the diff of what it finished. More on the app in our Claude Code mobile app post.
Never miss an approval
An approval nobody answers is a stalled agent. AgentVera has a reminder for exactly that: Settings → Orchestration → Pending approval alert, with Remind me about agents waiting for approval on by default.
- The first reminder comes after 5 minutes without an answer, as a desktop notification and a Telegram message with approval buttons.
- It repeats every 15 minutes until you answer, up to three times.
- Each reminder is more noticeable than the last (Dock bounce or taskbar flash).
Both times are adjustable. If you keep approving the same safe commands, reduce the prompts at the source with auto approval rules (Pro and Team) instead of answering them all by hand. Our guide to Claude Code permissions explains the trade-off.
Notifications vs Claude Code hooks
Claude Code can run a script on events through its hooks, and you can build a notifier that way. The difference is scope.
| Claude Code hooks | AgentVera notifications | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | A script per event in your settings | Switches in Settings |
| Agents | Claude Code only | Every CLI agent in the app |
| Phone | You wire it up yourself | Telegram and mobile app built in |
| Answer an approval remotely | Only if you build it | Approve and Deny buttons |
Hooks are still the right tool for checks that must run on every edit. See the Claude Code hooks guide for those.
Keep the noise down
- Raise the minimum turn length for Telegram if quick answers keep buzzing your phone.
- Leave errors and approvals on. Those are the alerts that unblock work.
- Use one topic per agent so a busy agent does not bury the others.
- Let the night shift report in the morning. During a night shift (Pro and Team), the morning report arrives as a desktop notification and a Telegram summary instead of one ping per task; see run Claude Code overnight.
Get started
Download AgentVera, open a project and start Claude Code or any other agent. Desktop notifications work right away; connect Telegram in Settings when you want them on your phone. Notifications and approvals are part of the free plan; see pricing for what Pro and Team add.