Next Notify is a free app that sends a desktop notification when your AI coding agent finishes a task, asks for permission or waits for your reply. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and OpenCode. Click the notification and you are back in the editor window or terminal where the agent is running.
Next Notify is one of the tools we have built ourselves as part of our desktop app development work. This article covers the problem it solves, when it notifies you, which agents it supports and how it keeps your data on your own computer.
Why do you need notifications during long agent runs?
Coding agents are no longer limited to one-line suggestions. Give an agent a task that changes several files, runs the tests and reports back, and the job can take minutes. During that time you have two options, and neither is efficient:
- Wait at the terminal: you watch the screen while the agent works, and your time goes nowhere.
- Switch to something else: this looks more productive, but you may not notice when the agent finishes or stops to ask for approval on a command.
Most agents can be set to ask for approval before running a command or changing a file. That is right for safety, but every minute you miss the prompt is a minute the agent sits idle, and with agents on several projects, tracking which one is waiting gets harder.
Next Notify closes that gap: you move on to other work while the agent runs, and a notification arrives the moment it needs you. To see how agents fit into a wider workflow, read our article on autonomous AI agents.
What does Next Notify do?
When an agent sends an event, a notification card appears in a corner of the screen. The card shows the agent's name, the project folder and a short summary of the last response, and you choose how long that summary is. If you work on several projects, the project name tells you right away which one needs you.
- Click to return: clicking the notification takes you back to the editor's project window or the terminal where the agent runs, detected automatically.
- Does not steal focus: notifications open on whichever screen the mouse is on and stack on top of each other. They never take focus from the window you are typing in.
- Waits quietly in the tray: it starts when you sign in and waits in the tray or menu bar. You can pause and resume notifications with one click.
- Updates itself: it downloads new versions in the background, verifies the SHA-512 hash and installs quietly when the settings window closes.
We explain why always-on tools like this live on the desktop rather than in the browser in Do You Still Need a Desktop App?
Which three events trigger a notification?
Next Notify tells three moments apart, each with its own color, icon and sound:
- Done: arrives with a summary of the last response when the task completes and closes on its own after a few seconds. The summary lets you decide from the card whether you need to go back to the terminal at all.
- Permission: arrives when the agent is waiting for your approval on a command or a file, and stays on screen until you close it.
- Waiting: reminds you when the agent is waiting for your reply. This event is sent by Claude Code.
The title, message, icon, accent color and sound can be set separately for each event, and you can turn off any event you do not want. Staying on screen until closed can also be switched on with one click for events other than permission.
Which coding agents does it support?
All five agents share the same design, settings and sounds. Each one connects through its own hook or plugin mechanism and passes events to Next Notify locally. Here is which agent sends which event:
- Claude Code: done, permission and waiting. It can run in the terminal, VS Code, Cursor or Antigravity, and connects with the commands /plugin marketplace add ntofuture/next-notify and /plugin install next-notify@next-notify.
- Codex: done and permission. Add two hooks to ~/.codex/hooks.json and approve them in Codex with /hooks.
- Cursor: done only. Add a single hook to ~/.cursor/hooks.json.
- Gemini CLI: done and permission. Add it to the hooks section of ~/.gemini/settings.json.
- OpenCode: done and permission. Drop a small plugin file into the ~/.config/opencode/plugins folder, and it loads at startup.
You do not need to memorize any of this. The setup panel in the settings window shows the right command or file content for each agent on your system, with a copy button. The same panel shows whether the app is listening and which agents are connected. A recent events list shows every incoming hook with the agent's name, so when a notification does not arrive, you can see why. If you use Claude Code only through the VS Code extension, you can install the Next Notify plugin from /plugins.
How can you customize the notifications?
In the settings window, every change shows up instantly in a live preview and is saved automatically. A button shows a real notification card on your screen. Here is what you can change:
- Theme: five ready-made themes, or your own colors for the background, title, text and border.
- Position and look: six positions, plus duration, width, corner radius, opacity, font and a slide or fade animation.
- Sound: built-in synthesized sounds, your system's sounds or any sound file you choose, with your own volume.
- Text: rewrite the title and message with variables: {agent} gives the agent's name, {project} the project folder name, {summary} the summary of the last response, {message} the agent's notification text, {time} the time and {cwd} the full working directory. For example, a title of "{project} is ready" puts the project name in the title.
The settings window itself comes with dark and light themes and a Turkish or English interface. Inside Claude Code, /next-notify:test shows a sample notification with your saved settings, and /next-notify:dashboard opens the settings window, starting the app if it is closed.
Where does Next Notify send your data?
Nowhere. Next Notify runs only on your computer. Agents pass events to the app over 127.0.0.1; no content is sent to the internet and no usage data is collected.
- Local only: the app listens only on 127.0.0.1:47821 and rejects requests coming from web pages.
- No scripts: the Claude Code plugin consists of just two HTTP hooks and two commands; no shell script runs on your computer.
- Never slows the agent: if the app is closed, the hooks fail silently and your agent keeps working.
- One connection: it goes online only at startup, to check for a new version.
Next Notify is MIT-licensed. The source code, release notes and Linux packages are on GitHub; if you find a bug or a missing agent, you can open an issue.
How do you install it, and where does it run?
Installation takes four steps:
- Download: NextNotify-Setup.exe for Windows, NextNotify-Setup.dmg for macOS, and an AppImage or .deb package for Linux on GitHub.
- Install: if Windows says "Windows protected your PC," choose More info › Run anyway. On macOS, right-click the app on first launch and choose Open.
- Connect: copy your agent's command or file content from the setup panel in the settings window.
- Try it: start a new session and see your first notification with /next-notify:test or the Real notification button.
System requirements: Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. macOS 12 or later on Intel and Apple silicon; because the app is not notarized yet, new versions on macOS have to be downloaded manually for now. On Linux, a 64-bit AppImage or .deb; the card's transparent corners need a compositor, which GNOME and KDE include. On Windows, Settings › Apps › Next Notify › Uninstall removes the app along with its settings.
Let your agent finish, and let yourself know.
Frequently asked questions
Does Next Notify cost anything?
No, Next Notify is free. It is an open-source app under the MIT license, and its source code is publicly available on GitHub.
Does my agent keep working when Next Notify is closed?
Yes. If the app is closed, the hooks fail silently and your agent carries on as if nothing happened; you just do not get a notification.
I use Cursor. Why do I only get task-done notifications?
Cursor only reports that a task has finished. Permission notifications come from Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, and the waiting notification comes from Claude Code.
What should I do if notifications do not arrive?
Check in the setup panel that the app is listening and your agent is connected. Then look at the recent events list and try a sample notification with /next-notify:test.
Do updates install automatically on macOS?
Not yet. Because the app is not notarized yet, you need to download new versions manually on macOS. On Windows, updates download, get verified and install on their own.
Where to start?
Download Next Notify for free from the product page, connect your agent from the setup panel and try your first notification in a new session. A few minutes later, you will have stopped waiting at the terminal.
If you are thinking about a similar desktop tool for your team or an app built around your own workflow, get in touch.