Kickbacks CLI

Overview

Kickbacks CLI is a developer-focused terminal and macOS menu bar utility designed as a native companion for the Kickbacks.ai monetization platform. It displays real-time ad revenue, active status, and ad history accumulated while waiting for AI coding agents like Claude Code to finish tasks. By bringing metrics directly into the terminal shell and menu bar, it removes the need to keep web dashboards open.

What it does

• • Displays real-time earnings, daily revenue breakdowns, and active connection status directly in the command line
• • Integrates with the macOS menu bar to provide ambient, background monitoring of accumulated ad payouts
• • Logs and renders recent ad history and sponsored status impressions seen across terminal sessions
• • Eliminates context switching by bringing account telemetry directly into the developer's primary shell workspace.

Who it's for

• Software Engineers
• AI Agent Developers
• macOS Power Users
• Terminal Power Users

Why it works

• Provides lightweight, two-line terminal views that present revenue telemetry without cluttering active screen space
• Runs an ambient background daemon in the macOS menu bar to keep metrics synchronized without manual refreshes
• Eliminates the productivity loss caused by repeatedly switching to web browser tabs during development
• Integrates directly into existing shell workflows for developers using AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor.

Founder story

Kickbacks CLI was created in 2026 by developer Gabe Perez. Tired of constantly switching context to open web dashboards just to check active connection status and earnings on Kickbacks.ai, Perez built a lightweight CLI and native macOS menu bar app to bring those live metrics directly into the developer's local shell environment.

Alternatives

• Codync
• Agent Bar
• AgentNotch
• BitBar

Comparison overview

• Kickbacks CLI renders ad revenue and connection telemetry directly inside terminal sessions and the macOS menu bar.
• Alternative developer telemetry tools like Codync or Agent Bar focus on monitoring agent execution states or LLM token usage rather than ad monetization metrics.