Zellij Attention

zellij-attention

Know which Zellij tab needs your attention — without checking each one.

A standalone Zellij WASM plugin that adds notification icons directly to tab names. Works with both the default Zellij tab bar and zjstatus. When an external process (like Claude Code) needs your attention, the tab is renamed with an indicator — e.g., terminal becomes terminal ⏳. Focusing the pane clears the notification automatically.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/646effc0-1c24-413d-bef3-3d85591cd89b

Features

- Tab-level notifications — icons appended to tab names, visible at a glance
- Auto-clear on focus — switch to the pane and the notification disappears
- Two notification states — ⏳ waiting (needs input) and ✅ completed (task done)
- Memory-only state — lightweight, no disk I/O; stale icons cleaned up automatically on restart
- Configurable icons — use any character or emoji as notification indicator
- Standalone plugin — works independently, no zjstatus or other status bar plugins needed

Installation

Download the plugin and add it to your Zellij config:

Add to ~/.config/zellij/config.kdl:

The plugin loads in the background with no visible pane — it won't consume any screen space.

Quick Start

After installing, restart Zellij and test with a pipe command:

Switch to the tab — the icon should appear. Focus the pane to clear it.

Claude Code Integration

Automate notifications with Claude Code hooks. Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

Configuration

All configuration is optional — the plugin works out of the box.

Icons are appended to the end of tab names (e.g., terminal ⏳).

Pipe Message Format

- EVENT_TYPE — waiting or completed (case-insensitive)
- PANE_ID — numeric pane ID from $ZELLIJ_PANE_ID
Important: Always use --name (broadcast pipe), never…