ccstatusline vs ECC
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A customizable status line for Claude Code showing model, git branch, token usage and more.
Open source · MIT
A set of skills, memory, and security rules that makes AI coding agents work more carefully.
The short answer
Choose ccstatusline if you need…
- Developers who use Claude Code in the terminal every day
- People who want to see git branch or token usage while working
- Users comfortable editing settings through a terminal interface
- Those who like powerline-style status bars
Choose ECC if you need…
- Developers who already use Claude Code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review
- Teams that want consistent agent behavior across several coding tools
- People who want an agent to reuse past fixes through saved skills and memory
- Developers who care about security checks on agent-generated code
Side-by-side
| ccstatusline | ECC | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 13.5k | 295k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
ccstatusline
ccstatusline is a configurable status bar that appears in the Claude Code command-line tool. It shows information such as the model in use, the git branch, and token usage, and you can add, remove, reorder, and color these pieces through a terminal settings screen. It is aimed at people who use Claude Code daily and want more useful information on screen while they work.
ECC
ECC is an open-source add-on for AI coding agents such as Claude Code. It bundles reusable skills, workflows, memory and security checks so the agent plans before building, tests its changes, reviews its own work, and keeps useful notes between sessions. You install it once instead of writing the same process instructions into every prompt. The README says it works best with Claude Code and has native Codex and Qoder plugin paths, with more limited adapters for Cursor, OpenCode, Gemini and Zed.
Best for
ccstatusline
- Developers who use Claude Code in the terminal every day
- People who want to see git branch or token usage while working
- Users comfortable editing settings through a terminal interface
- Those who like powerline-style status bars
ECC
- Developers who already use Claude Code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review
- Teams that want consistent agent behavior across several coding tools
- People who want an agent to reuse past fixes through saved skills and memory
- Developers who care about security checks on agent-generated code
Strengths
ccstatusline
- Setup is started with a single command and no permanent install is required at first
- Settings are configurable through an interactive terminal UI with a live preview
- Settings are saved to a local file that can be backed up and exported
ECC
- MIT-licensed and open source, with a large public following on GitHub
- Installs as a plugin through a documented slug, so setup is mostly guided
- Explicit about which tools have full support and which have limited adapters
Not ideal for
ccstatusline
- People who do not use Claude Code, since it only works as a Claude Code status line
- Users who want a graphical app or a browser interface
- Anyone who needs a guaranteed fast startup, because the README notes that npx and bunx launches can be slow and suggests a pinned global install instead
ECC
- People who do not use any AI coding agent, since the project only adds value on top of one
- Users who need a single, simple tool with a short learning curve, because the README covers many harnesses and components
- Anyone who needs full feature parity across Cursor, Gemini or Zed, since the README describes those adapters as capability-limited
Trade-offs
ccstatusline
- Startup speed depends on the package runner and your platform, per the README
- Some features, such as Skills tracking, depend on specific command formats or Claude Code versions
- Requires familiarity with the terminal and Claude Code settings files
ECC
- The README describes a large system with many parts, which makes it hard to know what to use first
- Best support is for Claude Code; other tools get capability-limited adapters
- Some paid hosted features (ECC Pro GitHub App for private repos) are mentioned alongside the free project
Getting started
ccstatusline
Run the configuration TUI with npm
npx -y ccstatusline@latestOr run with Bun
bunx -y ccstatusline@latestECC
Install the npm package listed in the README (exact command not shown in the truncated text)
git clone https://github.com/affaan-m/ECCFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between ccstatusline and ECC?
ccstatusline: A customizable status line for Claude Code showing model, git branch, token usage and more. ECC: A set of skills, memory, and security rules that makes AI coding agents work more carefully. ccstatusline suits developers who use claude code in the terminal every day, while ECC suits developers who already use claude code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review.
Are ccstatusline and ECC free?
ccstatusline: Free and open source. ECC: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, ccstatusline or ECC?
ccstatusline is easier to get started with (rated beginner); ECC is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is ccstatusline or ECC more popular?
ECC has more GitHub stars (295k) than ccstatusline (13.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to ccstatusline and ECC?
Other options people compare them with include opencodex, Agentic Awesome Skills, codebase-memory-mcp, CodeBurn, Trail-code.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.