git:20260615.ad47f11 to git:20260916.2ca1ddb

---

description: Customize Howl statusline with fine-grained metric toggles and priority ordering

disable-model-invocation: false

---

# Howl Customize

Advanced configuration for Howl statusline: choose a base preset, toggle individual metrics, and set display priority for Line 2.

## Configuration Structure

```json

{

"preset": "developer",

"features": {

"quota": true

},

"priority": ["quota", "git"],

"thresholds": {

"context_danger": 90

}

}

```

- **preset**: Base configuration (`full`, `minimal`, `developer`, `cost-focused`)

- **features**: Override specific metrics from the preset base (optional)

- **priority**: Reorder Line 2 metrics by importance (optional, max 5)

- **thresholds**: Override color/behavior breakpoints (optional, see `/howl:threshold`)

## Process

### Step 1: Choose Base Preset

**Use AskUserQuestion to present preset choices:**

- **Question**: "Which base preset would you like to start with?"

- **Header**: "Choose Base Preset"

- **Options** (4):

- Label: **"full (default)"**

- Label: **"minimal"**

Description: "Model + Context + Cost + Duration only (1 line)"

- Label: **"developer"**

- Label: **"cost-focused"**

**Store the user's selection as `chosenPreset`.**

### Step 2: Toggle Individual Metrics

**Pre-check based on `chosenPreset`:**

**Store selections as `selectedFeatures` array.**

### Step 3: Set Display Priority (Line 2 Only)

**Use AskUserQuestion with multiSelect for priority:**

- **Question**: "Choose which metrics should appear first on Line 2 (max 5, ordered by selection)"

- **Header**: "Display Priority (Optional)"

- **Subtitle**: "Only Line 2 metrics can be prioritized. Selected order = display order."

- **Options** (4 checkboxes, only Line 2 metrics):

1. **account** - Account email

2. **git** - Git branch + status

3. **line_changes** - Code additions/deletions

4. **quota** - Usage quota visualization

**Constraints:**

- Max 5 selections

- Selection order determines display order

- Only show metrics that are **enabled** in the feature toggles from Step 2

- If user selects 0 metrics, omit `priority` from config.json

**Store selections as `priorityOrder` array (preserving order).**

### Step 4: Generate and Apply Configuration

**Build the config object:**

```json

{

"preset": "<chosenPreset>",

"features": {

// Only include if different from preset base

// Format: "metric_name": true/false

},

"priority": [

// Only include if user selected 1+ metrics

// Format: ["metric1", "metric2", ...]

]

}

```

**Apply configuration:**

```bash

mkdir -p ~/.claude/hud

cat > ~/.claude/hud/config.json << 'EOF'

{JSON_CONTENT_HERE}

EOF

```

**Show a configuration summary:**

```

✅ Configuration Applied

Preset: developer

Overrides: quota (enabled)

Priority: quota → git

Preview (example):

[Sonnet 4.5] | ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 21% (210K/1M) | $32.7 | 2h46m

(2h)5h: 55%/42% :7d(3d6h) | user@example.com | main* | +2.7K/-120 | Cache:96% | I

Changes will apply on next refresh (~300ms).

```

## Examples

### Example 1: Preset + Feature Override

User wants `developer` preset but also wants quota visualization:

```json

{

"preset": "developer",

"features": {

"quota": true

}

}

```

### Example 2: Full Customization with Priority

User wants `full` preset but prioritizes git and quota on Line 2:

```json

{

"preset": "full",

"priority": ["git", "quota"]

}

```

### Example 3: Minimal + Selective Additions

User wants `minimal` but adds git and cache:

```json

{

"preset": "minimal",

"features": {

"git": true,

"cache_efficiency": true

}

}

```

### Example 4: Cost-focused with Custom Priority

User wants `cost-focused` and reorders Line 2:

```json

{

"preset": "cost-focused",

"priority": ["quota"]

}

```

## Reset to Default

To reset to `full` preset with no overrides:

```bash

rm ~/.claude/hud/config.json

```

Or set explicitly:

```bash

echo '{"preset":"full"}' > ~/.claude/hud/config.json

```

## Current Configuration

To view current config:

```bash

cat ~/.claude/hud/config.json

```

## Important Notes

### Danger Mode Override

**When context usage reaches the danger threshold (default 85%), Howl automatically switches to full information mode regardless of your configuration.** This ensures complete visibility during critical situations.

This override cannot be disabled - it's a safety feature. The trigger point can be adjusted via `/howl:threshold` or the `context_danger` field in config.json.

### Configuration Validation

- Invalid preset names fall back to `full`

- Feature toggles only accept known metrics (others ignored silently)

- Priority only accepts **Line 2 metrics** (others ignored)

- Priority is capped at **5 metrics maximum**

- Duplicate entries in priority are removed

- Config file size limited to 4KB (DoS protection)

### Line Placement Rules

- **Line 1**: Model badge, context bar, cost, duration (always shown)

- **Line 2**: account, git, line_changes, quota (prioritizable)

- **Line 3**: tools, agents (only in `full` preset or danger mode)

- **Line 4**: cache_efficiency, api_wait_ratio, cost_velocity, vim_mode, agent_name (only in `full` or danger mode)

- **Optional** (default off): effort, thinking, session_name, pull_request, worktree

### Refresh Rate

Configuration changes apply on the next statusline refresh (~300ms). No restart needed.

### Quick Switch Between Presets

If user just wants to switch presets without customization, recommend using `/howl:configure` instead - it's faster for simple preset changes.

### Color Thresholds

To customize when colors change (e.g., danger mode trigger, cost warning levels), use `/howl:threshold` instead. This skill focuses on **which** metrics are displayed; `/howl:threshold` controls **when** they change color.

## Example Dialogue

```

User: I want more control over what's shown

Agent: I can help customize that! Let's walk through it.

[Step 1] Which base preset?

> developer

[Step 2] Customize metrics (pre-checked based on developer):

☑ account, git, line_changes, cache_efficiency, vim_mode

☐ quota, tools, agents, api_wait_ratio, cost_velocity, agent_name, effort, thinking, session_name, pull_request, worktree

> User also checks: quota

[Step 3] Priority for Line 2 (max 5):

> User selects: quota, git (in that order)

Applying configuration...

✅ Config applied: developer + quota, priority: quota → git

Preview: (2h)5h: 55%/42% :7d(3d6h) | user@example.com | ...

Changes will apply in ~300ms.

```