Let’s get Pipkin going.

Three steps, about a minute. You’ll need Codex or Claude signed in on your computer.

  1. Step 1: Install the CLI

    On your computer, open a terminal and run the command for your system. It reads your allowance from the apps you already use and starts on its own each time you sign in to your computer.

    $ curl -fsSL https://pipkin.io/install.sh | sh

    Apple silicon and Intel. If pipkin isn't found afterwards, add ~/.local/bin to your PATH. If macOS asks to use “Claude Safe Storage”, enter your Mac password and choose Always Allow.

    Read the script

  2. Step 2: Plug Pipkin in

    Connect Pipkin to your computer with its USB cable. Pip holds on to the loading bar while Pipkin looks for your computer.

    Pipkin's start-up screen: Pip holding the loading bar, looking for your computer

  3. Step 3: Glance, then get back to work

    When your first reading arrives, Pip hops and your allowance takes over the screen. From then on it keeps itself up to date.

    Pipkin's overview: Codex and Claude Code session and weekly allowance left
    • Swipe, or tap an app on the overview, to move between the overview and each app’s page.
    • Hold the clock for a status page.
    • When no new readings arrive for a while, as when your computer is off or asleep, the screen dims and then goes dark. It lights up again as soon as a new reading arrives, or for a minute at a touch.

If something’s not right

Stuck on “Looking for your computer”
Use the cable from the box. Many USB cables carry power but not data, so the screen lights up but your computer never sees it. Then run pipkin status in a terminal; it shows whether the CLI is running and whether it can see the display. On Linux, your user needs the dialout group (uucp on Arch): run sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER, then sign out and back in.
“Waiting for usage”
Pipkin can see your computer but has nothing to show yet. Sign in to Codex or Claude Code on this computer.
pipkin not found
On macOS or Linux, run it as ~/.local/bin/pipkin, or add ~/.local/bin to your PATH. On Windows, open a new terminal.

More commands and details are in the CLI documentation.