Claude Code Status Bar Secretly Burns Up to 26% of Tokens

Developers found Claude Code's status bar resends the full conversation context to the model every 30 seconds, wasting up to 26% of tokens ($5/hour); a one-line Bun preload script disables the hidden cost.

2026-10-29 ~ 2026-10-31 · 4 related posts

• Claude Code burns 15-20% of tokens on a status line — fix via Bun preload — jedisct1 · 2026-10-29
• Claude Code status bar reportedly burns up to 26% of your tokens just refreshing UI — HankYeomans · 2026-10-30
• Claude Code background agents burn ~$4.80/hour just writing status lines, dev calculates — arpit_bhayani · 2026-10-31
• Claude Code burns ~15-20% of your tokens on 3-word status lines; Bun preload turns it off — arpit_bhayani · 2026-10-31