claude-devtools

Debug Claude Code sessions.

Read session transcripts, inspect logs, and track token usage. The complete guide to everything Claude Code's terminal hides.

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FAQ · 07

Questions,
answered.

Common questions about claude-devtools, session transcripts, and Claude Code logs on disk.

  1. claude-devtools is a free, open-source debugging tool for Claude Code. It reads Claude Code logs from ~/.claude/ and reconstructs full session transcripts — every file path, tool call, thinking step, and token — in a structured, searchable interface. It does not wrap or modify Claude Code.

  2. Claude Code saves session transcripts as JSONL logs to ~/.claude/ on your machine. On macOS: /Users/<you>/.claude/, on Linux: /home/<you>/.claude/, on Windows: C:\Users\<you>\.claude\. These logs exist whether or not you use claude-devtools.

  3. Open claude-devtools and select the session from the sidebar. You'll see the full session transcript with every tool call expanded, thinking steps visible, token usage broken down per turn, and subagent execution rendered as a tree. It is the alternative to --verbose that developers have been asking for.

  4. Claude Code transcripts are stored as JSONL files in ~/.claude/projects/. Raw transcripts are unreadable (escaped JSON with system prompts). claude-devtools parses them and renders a chronological conversation view with specialized renderers for each tool and cross-session search.

  5. claude-devtools provides per-turn token attribution across 7 categories: CLAUDE.md files, skill activations, @-mentioned files, tool call I/O, extended thinking, team overhead, and user text. This replaces the terminal's three-segment progress bar with actual numbers.

  6. No. claude-devtools is read-only. It reads the session logs that already exist on your machine and has zero interaction with Claude Code itself. It works with every session you've ever run.

  7. macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux, and Docker. Install via Homebrew (brew install --cask claude-devtools) or download directly from GitHub releases.