To get notified of new GitHub releases for the AI coding tools you use, watch each tool's repository for releases on GitHub, and add AyeWatch when you only want to hear about the updates that change how you work. Claude Code and Codex CLI both publish releases on GitHub, often several times a week, so the hard part is not getting notified but getting notified about the right ones.
This guide sets up both layers in about ten minutes.
Why AI coding tools need their own release watch
Coding agents change faster than most dependencies. A new release can rename a command, change a default model, add a permission prompt or alter how settings files are read. If your scripts, hooks or team docs rely on the old behaviour, you find out when something breaks.
A quick look at the release pages on 26 October 2026 shows the pace: anthropics/claude-code was on v2.1.310, and openai/codex was publishing alpha builds of its Rust CLI. Following that by hand is not realistic.
Layer 1: GitHub's release watch
For each tool's repository:
- Open it on GitHub, for example
github.com/anthropics/claude-codeorgithub.com/openai/codex. - Click Watch in the upper-right corner.
- Pick Custom, tick Releases and apply.
GitHub then puts each new release in your notifications inbox on the web and in GitHub Mobile, and sends an email if email notifications are on in your settings. If you prefer a reader, each public repository also serves a releases feed at /releases.atom, though GitHub does not document it.
This is free and reliable. It also sends every release, alphas and patch builds included, with the release notes exactly as written.
Layer 2: AyeWatch for the releases that matter
AyeWatch watches releases, CVEs and new model launches across GitHub, Hacker News and the labs' own sites, and alerts you with a short summary when something matches what you described. For coding tools, topics look like this:
- "Claude Code releases that change commands, hooks, settings or permissions"
- "Codex CLI stable releases with new flags or changed defaults, skip alpha builds"
- "New coding models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google"
The condition is the useful part. Instead of a notification for every build, you get the one that says a setting you rely on has changed, with links to the release notes and any announcement around it.
| GitHub watch | AyeWatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Per repository | One topic can cover several tools |
| What triggers an alert | Any published release | Releases that match your condition |
| Coverage | The repository | GitHub plus announcements and discussion |
| Delivery | Web, mobile, email | Push and feed on every plan; email, Slack, Discord and webhooks on paid plans |
| Cost | Free | Free preview, paid plans from $9 a month |
What to put in the condition
A good condition names the change, not just the tool. These tend to work well for coding agents:
- changes to slash commands, flags or config file formats
- a new default model or a change to how models are picked
- new permission prompts, sandbox rules or hook events
- security fixes, whatever the version number
Leave out anything you would happily read about next week.
Pair it with your usage data
Release changes often show up first in your numbers: a new default model or a change in how context is handled can move token use and cost estimates from one day to the next. If you track usage locally with UsageAtlas, a release alert gives you the reason when a chart jumps, and the chart tells you whether a release you were warned about changed anything for you.
When the GitHub watch is enough
If you use one coding tool, update it by hand and like reading the full notes, GitHub's release watch covers you at no cost. AyeWatch is worth adding when you run several tools across a team and want to hear about changes before a teammate's workflow breaks. You can start with the free preview and add Slack or webhooks on a paid plan later.