Argus: Open-Source VS Code Extension for Real-Time Claude Code Observability

Running Claude Code in the terminal feels like a black box — you don't see what the agent is doing until it finishes (or gets stuck in an infinite loop). To solve this, someone built Argus, an open-source (MIT) VS Code extension that provides real-time observability into Claude Code sessions.

Key Features

• Real-Time Timeline: Streams the JSONL transcript as it's generated, showing each agent step (Bash, Read, Write, WebFetch) with no delay.
• Dependency Graph: Automatically maps which files the agent touches and how they connect — useful for understanding impact on the codebase.
• Cost & Loop Detection: Identifies duplicate reads and retry loops that burn tokens. The author reports catching several such inefficiencies already.

The extension is lightweight and works entirely inside VS Code — no external dashboard or service needed. Source is available on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who It's For

Developers who use Claude Code in their terminal and want to avoid surprise token costs or wasted time on stuck agent loops.