Common issues

The most frequent errors and stuck states, with their cause and immediate fix.

API and tokens

"Rate limited" or "API unavailable"

Your OAuth token has hit its request limit.

Run claude /login in your terminal for a new token. TokenEater detects it automatically.

The error persists for hours

The app waits ~6h after token exhaustion.

Click Retry now in the menu bar popover after running claude /login.

Keychain popup every few hours

macOS re-validates signatures after updates.

Click Always Allow. If it persists, run a full clean.

Widgets

Widget stuck or not updating

macOS aggressively caches widget extensions.

Remove the widget, run a full clean, re-add the widget.

App flagged as malware in widget gallery

xattr -cr was used instead of System Settings approval.

Run a full clean, reinstall, and approve via System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Open Anyway.

Widget empty after an update

macOS keeps the old widget binary in cache.

Remove the widget, restart your Mac (or run killall NotificationCenter chronod), re-add the widget. If still nothing, see full clean.

For really stuck states (ghost binary in WidgetKit, broken keychain ACL, corrupt plist), the full clean is the zero-residual-state guarantee.

Missing usage data

0% or no data

Token not found or plan without access to the usage API.

See Verify install for the full checklist.

Session metrics not in the menu bar

No active session in the past 5 hours, or Free plan, or missing Keychain helper.

Details and likely causes in Verify install.