Show HN: I built a tool to un-dumb Claude Code's CLI output (Local Log Viewer)
matt1398 Friday, February 13, 2026
Hi HN,
I built this because I got tired of the Claude Code CLI hiding details from me.
Recent updates have replaced critical output with summaries like "Read 3 files" or "Edited 2 files". To see what actually happened, I was forced to use `--verbose`, which floods the terminal with unreadable JSON and system prompts.
I wanted a middle ground: *Full observability without the noise.*
`claude-devtools` is a local Electron app that tails the session logs in `~/.claude/` to reconstruct the execution trace in real-time.
*Unlike wrappers, it solves the visibility gap in your native terminal workflow:* 1. *Real Diffs:* It shows inline diffs (red/green) the moment files are edited, instead of just a checkmark. 2. *Context Forensics:* It breaks down token usage by File vs Tool Output vs Thinking (so you know exactly why your context window is full). 3. *Agent Trees:* It visualizes sub-agent execution paths which are usually interleaved and confusing in the CLI.
It’s 100% local, and works with the logs already on your machine. No API keys required.
Repo: https://github.com/matt1398/claude-devtools (Screenshots and diff viewer demo are in the README)