Claude Code notifications not working on Mac: how to fix them

Updated October 31, 2026 · 4 min read

Most missing Claude Code notifications come from one of three causes: you were still typing, your terminal doesn't show them (only Ghostty, Kitty and iTerm2 get desktop notifications), or macOS is blocking the app that posts them. Start with the table below.

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Find your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Nothing in VS Code, Cursor, Warp or other terminals	No built-in desktop notification there	Use a hook or the terminal bell
Nothing in Apple Terminal	No desktop notification, and at most a silent bell	Use a hook, or the bell with Audible bell on
Nothing in iTerm2	Alerts are off by default	Turn them on in iTerm2
Nothing in Ghostty or Kitty	macOS is blocking the app	Allow notifications for it
Nothing inside tmux	tmux swallows the alert	Add `allow-passthrough`
An `osascript` hook does nothing	Script Editor has no permission	Allow notifications for Script Editor
Alerts arrive late, or not while you type	The alert waits until you look away	Use `Stop` and `PermissionRequest` hooks

Check the timing first

Claude Code only alerts you when you appear to be away, and that's based on typing. A permission alert waits until you haven't typed for about six seconds, and each keystroke pushes it back. An idle alert comes about 60 seconds after Claude finishes, if you haven't typed since. For an alert the moment something happens, use a PermissionRequest or Stop hook. The permission guide shows how.

Use a terminal that shows them

Ghostty, Kitty and iTerm2 get a desktop notification. Other terminals get nothing by default, or in Apple Terminal, at most a silent bell. To send the bell in any terminal, add this to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "preferredNotifChannel": "terminal_bell"
}

In Apple Terminal, also turn on Audible bell under Settings → Profiles → Advanced. If this setting is notifications_disabled, change it back: that turns off the alert, though hooks still run.

Turn on alerts in iTerm2

Go to Settings → Profiles → Terminal and check Notification Center Alerts. Then click Filter Alerts and enable Send escape sequence-generated alerts.

Allow notifications in macOS

Open System Settings → Notifications, find your terminal app and turn on Allow Notifications. Also check that Focus or Do Not Disturb isn't hiding them.

Let them through tmux

Add set -g allow-passthrough on to ~/.tmux.conf and run tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf. The tmux setup guide has the full config.

Fix a silent osascript hook

osascript posts notifications through Script Editor. Without permission it fails silently, and macOS doesn't ask. Run this once so Script Editor appears in your settings:

osascript -e 'display notification "test"'

Nothing shows yet. Open System Settings → Notifications, find Script Editor and turn on Allow Notifications, then run the command again.

Check that the hook loaded

Type /hooks at the Claude Code prompt and look for your hook under its event. If it's missing, check that ~/.claude/settings.json is valid JSON, and that the new event sits beside your existing events inside the single hooks object.

Or skip the setup

Ambient installs its own hooks and shows every session at the notch, in any terminal or editor, with no notification settings to line up. Click the island to go back to the exact tab or pane.

Stop babysitting terminals.

Free for macOS 14 and later. Works with Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI.

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Common questions

Why do Claude Code notifications not show up on my Mac?

Usually because you were still typing, your terminal doesn't show desktop notifications, or macOS is blocking the app. Only Ghostty, Kitty and iTerm2 get desktop notifications by default.

Why don't I get notifications in the VS Code terminal?

Claude Code doesn't send a desktop notification there. Use a Notification hook, or set preferredNotifChannel to terminal_bell.

Why does my osascript notification hook do nothing?

osascript posts through Script Editor, and it fails silently without permission. Run it once, then allow Script Editor in System Settings → Notifications.

Sources

Get a terminal bell or notification, Claude Code docs
Notification hook, Claude Code docs
Automate actions with hooks, Claude Code docs
Debug your configuration, Claude Code docs

More guides: Claude Code notifications on Mac · Claude Code permission notifications