Got Claude Scatter Brain?
Too many Claude tasks, and some get left behind. Critter Crew is the cure: a free Mac app that keeps them all in your notch.
Free and open source, for macOS 14 or later. How to open it the first time.
On your phone? It's a Mac app, so open this page on your Mac to download it.
One look tells you which task needs you.
Working
Bouncing along. Hover it to see what it's doing right now, like “Running the test suite”.
Your turn
It's finished and you haven't looked yet, so it pops out of the notch and taps you.
Needs you
The red exclamation mark means it's waiting on an approval or an answer from you.
Asleep
Eyes shut, zzz. Nothing has happened in that task for a few hours.
Every project gets its own critter, in a hard hat, shades, a crown, a nightcap or one of nine others, so you can tell them apart at a glance.
Hover to peek. Click to jump in.
Hover the notch
The crew drops down. Hover a task to see what it's doing and the last thing it said.
Click a task
In the Claude desktop app, Open goes straight to that task, so you can pick it up where it stopped.
Tuck it away
The minus button folds the crew back into the notch until you hover it again.
Right-click the notch for the rest: Mark all as seen, Edit critters (a short text file of colours and accessories) or Quit Critter Crew.
Opening it the first time.
Critter Crew isn't notarised by Apple yet, so macOS stops it the first time you open it. You approve it once, and after that it opens like any other app.
Unzip it
Open CritterCrew.zip in your Downloads. Safari may have unzipped it for you already.
Move it to Applications
Drag Critter Crew into your Applications folder.
Open it, then click Done
macOS says it can't check the app for malware. Click Done, not Move to Bin.
Allow it in Privacy & Security
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to Critter Crew. Confirm, and it opens.
On macOS 14Sonoma it's quicker: Control-click the app, choose Open, then click Open again.
To start it with your Mac, add it under System Settings → General → Login Items.
It only reads files already on your Mac.
~/.claude/sessions/Which Claude tasks are running, and whether each one is busy or waiting.- The Claude app's task listTitles, last activity, and when you last looked.
~/.claude/projects/Each task's transcript, for the live “what it's doing” line.
Nothing leaves your Mac. There's no account, no tracking and no network requests. These are Claude's own files rather than a public API, so a Claude update could change them. The code is open if you want to check what it reads.
View the code on GitHubWhat you need
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.
- Claude Code, in the Claude desktop app or the Claude Code CLI.
- A MacBook with a notch shows it off best, but it works on any Mac.
Cure your Claude Scatter Brain.
Free, with an MIT licence. How to open it the first time.
Critter Crew is made by 7 Days To Launch, a Melbourne studio. We build tools like this for businesses, alongside their strategy and website. Briefed Monday. Live by Sunday.
Talk to the studioNot affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic.