Quick answer
The Claude desktop app shares the account's session and weekly windows with Claude Code, but it does not write local token logs the way Claude Code does. For app usage, the account usage panel is the source. For Code usage, local logs add detail.
Two sources
| Usage | Source | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop chat | Account usage panel | Percentage and reset |
| Claude Code | Local JSONL logs | Tokens per message |
| Shared windows | Account usage panel | Both combined |
| Billing | Account billing | Invoices and credits |
What a tracker can do
- Mirror the reported windows in the tray.
- Track Claude Code tokens locally.
- Keep history across days.
- Alert once per window per cycle.
It cannot break desktop chat down by conversation, because that data is not written locally in a readable form.
Understand the split
If your weekly limit disappears faster than your Claude Code logs suggest, the desktop app is probably the reason. Compare the two before assuming the logs are wrong.
Desktop usage is not Claude Code usage
Claude Desktop reads from the same account allowance as Claude Code, but it does not write the same local session logs. That means a desktop conversation consumes your limits without appearing in a local coding history unless you count it separately.
| Source | Local history | Counts against limits |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code CLI | Yes, session files | Yes |
| Claude Desktop | No | Yes |
| Web chat | No | Yes |
| API key | Via your own logs | Billed separately |
Expect the account panel to show more usage than your local history, and do not treat the difference as a bug. See the chat vs code guide.
Questions, answered
Does the Claude desktop app store usage locally?
It does not expose per-message token logs like Claude Code. Use the account usage panel.
Do desktop chat and Claude Code share limits?
Yes. They draw on the same account allowance.
Can a tracker separate chat from Code?
It can separate Code because of local logs. Chat attribution requires the provider's own reporting.