Claude Code PushNotification tool: what it does and how to use it

Claude Code now includes a native PushNotification tool that allows the AI assistant to send alerts to a user's phone or Claude app when long-running tasks complete or require attention. The tool is designed for background workflows, enabling Claude to notify users of state changes such as task completion, blocking issues, failures, or decisions needed, rather than routine progress updates.

PushNotification is a native Claude Code tool you can call to send PushNotification to your phone or Claude app. The obvious use case is long-running tasks: "Run the full test suite, fix what you can, and notify me using the PushNotification tool when the suite is green or blocked."" But the more interesting cases are background workflows: Useful examples: This is especially useful with Monitor Tool, /loop, Crons. /config with "Push when Claude decides."On my Claude Code Always-on Agents claude-code-hermit plugin , the notification policy is: PushNotification PushNotification as fallbackThat keeps the signal clean. Push should not duplicate every Discord/Telegram message. It should cover the cases where the normal path is absent, broken, or too slow. Keep the message short: CI failed on api-tests: 3 auth regressions. Open session for details. Put the actionable bit first: Decision needed: choose migration strategy before Claude edits schema. Do not push for routine progress. Push for state changes: done, blocked, failed, needs decision. If you need to answer Claude, use Remote Control or a two-way channel. Push only gets your attention. Tools reference: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference My take: PushNotification is a small tool, but it changes the workflow. Claude Code no longer has to sit silently in a terminal while you periodically check whether it finished. It can now tap you when the work is done, blocked, or worth opening again.