setup

ClaudeMeter Setup

Install ClaudeMeter as the user's statusline. Follow the steps in order — each one exists for a reason that is stated inline. Talk to the user in whatever language they are using.

1. Locate the runtime and the plugin

node -e "console.log(process.execPath)"

Take the absolute path to Node. Never write a bare node into settings.json: the statusline runs as a child process of Claude Code, whose PATH may not include an nvm- or Homebrew-managed Node. A bare command fails silently on many machines — the statusline simply never appears, with no error anywhere.

If that command fails, Node is not on PATH. Tell the user ClaudeMeter needs Node.js 18 or later, then stop.

The plugin root is ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}; the launcher source is at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/launcher.mjs.

2. Install the launcher at a stable path

CONFIG_DIR="${CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:-$HOME/.claude}"
mkdir -p "$CONFIG_DIR/claudemeter"
cp "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/launcher.mjs" "$CONFIG_DIR/claudemeter/launcher.mjs"
echo "installed: $CONFIG_DIR/claudemeter/launcher.mjs"

Why the extra indirection: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} is not expanded inside the statusLine command in settings.json, and the plugin cache path contains a version number (plugins/cache/<marketplace>/claudemeter/<version>/), so it changes on every upgrade. The launcher resolves the highest installed version at runtime, which means plugin upgrades take effect without re-running setup.

3. Check for and back up an existing statusline

CONFIG_DIR="${CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:-$HOME/.claude}"
node -e "
const fs=require('fs'), p=process.argv[1];
try { const s=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(p,'utf8'));
  console.log(JSON.stringify(s.statusLine ?? null, null, 2)); }
catch (e) { console.log('null'); }
" "$CONFIG_DIR/settings.json"

• Output is null → nothing configured, go straight to step 4.
• Output mentions claudemeter → this plugin installed it before, overwrite without asking.
• Anything else → the user already runs a different statusline. Show them the current value, then use AskUserQuestion to confirm the replacement. If they decline, stop and change nothing.