Crest
Crest is a macOS app that surfaces Claude Code and Codex permission requests on the MacBook notch (or a pill on non-notch Macs), letting developers tap Allow or Deny from the notch so agent runs don't idle while waiting for terminal input.
Crest is developer tools software teams evaluate for developer tools. Use this page to review pricing, integration signals, and the best alternatives before you commit.
Profile facts come from the vendor source. AiMatch labels unknown pricing or API details instead of estimating them.
Review official source →Used in These Packs
Quick Overview
Best for: Developer Tools
What it does
Developer Tools software for decision-makers comparing workflow fit and alternatives.
Best fit
Developer Tools
Pricing snapshot
Freemium from Free
Next step
Compare Crest with similar tools before you shortlist it.
Compare this tool before you shortlist it
Review alternatives, pricing posture, and workflow fit side by side.
Crest
Crest is a native macOS app designed to surface permission requests and agent approvals from AI coding tools (Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex) on the MacBook notch so developers don't lose time while CLIs wait for input. When an agent needs a decision (Allow/Deny or option choices), Crest shows a persistent pill at the notch (or a small pill on non-notch Macs) that stays visible across displays and fullscreen apps, plays a chime, and can unfold a detailed sheet showing the full command or edit before you respond. Crest also provides a panel that shows live sessions, GitHub PRs and CI status, system stats, SSH hosts, clipboard history, and a Claude co-pilot that works with your own Claude subscription.
You start a run, tab away, and Claude Code sits waiting on one Allow. Crest puts the prompt on the notch: tap to answer, the reply lands in your terminal.
Own this listing?
Claim this page for a one-time $29 to add pricing, features, screenshots, verified owner details, and a clearly labeled 30-day category position after the profile is live.
Claim this listing for $29Key Features
Notch approvals for Claude Code
When Claude Code needs a permission or option answer, Crest shows a persistent Allow/Deny pill at the notch and relays the tap back to the CLI via Claude Code hooks.
Codex support
If OpenAI's Codex CLI exists on the Mac, Crest adds Codex hooks so Codex permission requests appear at the notch; sessions with bypassPermissions are auto-allowed per Codex behavior.
Persistent, cross-display UI
The pill appears on every display (including over fullscreen apps) and remains until answered; it is backed by a chime, macOS notification and an amber menu-bar icon.
Detailed preview sheet
Hovering the pill unfolds a sheet under the notch that shows the full command, file edits with changed lines, or a fetch URL and the agent prompt; nothing is sent until you press Allow or Deny.
In-terminal handoff
An In-terminal button returns the prompt to the terminal if you prefer to answer there; Crest does not stall runs if closed.
Uses official hooks (no injection)
Crest installs and uses Claude Code and Codex hook files (~/.claude/settings.json and ~/.codex/hooks.json) and keeps backups; nothing is patched or injected and read-only tools are not intercepted.
Live sessions and jump-to-terminal
Live Claude Code and Codex sessions show status in the notch and a click jumps back to the exact terminal tab or tmux pane running the session.
Panel modules: PRs, CI, system stats, SSH, clipboard shelf
The Crest panel (Code mode) carries GitHub pull requests and CI info, system stats, saved SSH hosts and ~/.ssh/config hosts, a file shelf with clipboard history, and more.
Claude co-pilot (Pro)
Crest 5's panel includes a Claude co-pilot you can use by voice or text to add calendar items, todos and notes using your own Claude subscription (no API key required).
Signed, notarized macOS app
Crest is signed and notarized by Apple and designed to install without warnings on macOS.
Pricing
Free to download with no account required; some features (Now Playing, Shelf) never expire.
Free
Free- Free to download, no account required
- Now Playing and the Shelf with clipboard history and window snapping never expire
Pro (one-time)
$19.99 (one-time, tax included)- Unlocks AI Coding and the other Pro modules (15 Pro modules total)
- 7-day full-Pro trial available when signing in (no card required)
- 7-day refund policy mentioned
Use Cases
Prevent idle agent runs while away from terminal
Developers running Claude Code or Codex can tab away and still receive permission prompts on the notch so agent runs don't stay idle waiting for input.
Quickly approve or deny CLI actions
Tap Allow or Deny from the notch for Bash commands, file edits outside allowed paths, or multi-option questions and have the choice sent back to the session.
Manage AI coding workflows
Monitor live agent sessions, jump back to the exact terminal/tmux pane, review full commands before approving, and keep workflows moving without constantly checking the terminal.
Use a local Claude co-pilot
Ask the Crest co-pilot to perform tasks (voice or text) that integrate with your calendar, todos, and notes using your Claude subscription—no API key to paste.
Access developer utilities in one panel
View GitHub PRs and CI status, system stats, SSH hosts, and a clipboard/file shelf alongside agent approvals for a compact developer overlay.
Integrations
Claude Code (Anthropic)
Installs a PreToolUse hook (~/.claude/settings.json) so Claude Code permission requests surface on the notch and replies are relayed back to the CLI.
OpenAI Codex
Adds Codex hooks (~/.codex/hooks.json) when Codex exists on the machine so Codex permission requests appear on the notch; respects Codex's one-time trust prompt.
GitHub (Pull Requests) & CI
Displays GitHub pull requests and CI status in the Crest panel alongside live sessions.
SSH (~/.ssh/config)
Shows saved SSH hosts and hosts discovered in ~/.ssh/config in the Crest panel.
tmux and terminal tabs
SessionStart handler records the terminal/tmux pane for jumping back to the exact tab or pane running the session.
Benefits
Limitations
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an API key?
What happens if Crest isn't running?
Does it work with Codex?
Is this free?
Will I see prompts over fullscreen apps or on a second display?
Can I still answer in the terminal?
Can I see the full command before I allow it?
Getting Started
- 1 Download Crest for macOS (app is signed and notarized).
- 2 Open the AI Coding module and flip on the hooks toggle to install the Claude Code (and Codex if present) hooks.
- 3 Start a Claude Code or Codex run and switch away from the terminal; permission prompts will appear on the notch when needed.
- 4 Optionally sign in to start a 7-day Pro trial (no card) or purchase Pro for a one-time $19.99 to unlock AI Coding and other Pro modules.
Support
Contact the developer at [email protected] (a person answers).
docs
FAQ, changelog and comparison pages are available on the Crest website (links shown on the product site).
API
Compare Crest with similar tools
See how it stacks up against alternatives
Related Tools
View all 129 →
Copperhead
Copperhead is an open-source AI engineering platform and CLI that helps hardware teams design, verify, and ship printed circuit boards by editing KiCad files, running KiCad checks (ERC/DRC), and producing gerbers, firmware, and documentation in a gated, auditable pipeline.
Docs.dev Your Own Hosted Docs Platform in Minutes
Docs.dev is a deployable documentation template that runs as a Cloudflare Worker in your account, using your GitHub repo as the source of truth and agent-powered drafting (e.g., Claude Code or Codex) to generate reviewable docs branches that your team publishes via commit.
statuslin.es
statuslin.es is a community gallery of Claude Code status lines—copyable, previewed scripts and themes for terminal/status-bar displays that show Claude model stats (tokens, cost, limits), git info, and other runtime metrics.
Bullet · Fast, by design.
Bullet is a fast coding agent and developer tool that routes, searches, and executes code-focused tasks with a tight loop to minimize latency — offered as a macOS download and currently available in private beta.
Premium Alternatives
OTP Inspired actor supervisor based full stack templates
ShipStacks provides production-grade, OTP-inspired full-stack SaaS templates that include supervisors/actor patterns, auth, payments, uploads, AI chat and agent playbooks, and Docker-ready deployment in multiple languages and frameworks.
TokenDelivery.ai
TokenDelivery.ai (Token Delivery Network) is an OpenAI-compatible model API and playground that offers reproducible, deterministic model outputs, streaming responses, multimodal inputs (images and short videos), and exposed sampling parameters. It is free during preview and provides API keys, a playground, and a documented base URL for developers.
Servers for AI, not another AWS
RAW offers dedicated GPU and CPU servers specifically built for AI workloads — provision real metal with root access and CUDA via a single API. It emphasizes low cost (claims up to 100× cheaper than AWS), $0 egress, fast provisioning, and enterprise features for inference, training, agents, and vector databases.
runpod
Runpod is an AI Developer Cloud that provides on-demand GPU infrastructure—Pods, Serverless endpoints, and multi-node Clusters—enabling teams to experiment, train, fine-tune, deploy, and scale AI workloads across 31 global regions with support for 30+ GPU SKUs.
startkit-ai
StartKit.AI is a purchasable, production-focused Node.js boilerplate that provides a complete SaaS app and pre-built AI modules to help developers ship AI startups quickly, including demos for chat, PDF, images, RAG, authentication, payments, and integrations with AI providers.
builderkit
BuilderKit is a modular Next.js AI boilerplate and starter kit that provides deployable TypeScript code, pre-built AI apps, UI components, auth, payments, and integrations to accelerate building and shipping AI SaaS products.