When I'm running three or four agent sessions in parallel, each working on different parts of a project, I kept missing the moment when one would stop and wait for approval. By the time I noticed, 20 minutes had passed.

The sessions were making progress, but I was the bottleneck.

TL;DR

1. Enable push notifications in Settings → Notifications
2. Enable permission request notifications
3. Use the Inbox to see all pending requests in one place
4. Notification actions (Allow/Deny) let you respond without opening the app
5. For many sessions: check Inbox periodically, not individual sessions

The problem

Running multiple agents means:

• Each session can block on a permission prompt
• You can't watch all sessions at once
• Switching between sessions to check status wastes time
• By the time you notice a blocked session, the delay compounds

The bottleneck isn't the agents. It's you noticing they're waiting.

What I tried first (and where I bounced off)

• Check each session manually: Tedious. I'd forget which ones I already checked.
• Keep multiple terminal windows open: Hard to see which one has a pending prompt.
• SSH and run status checks: Better, but still requires me to remember to check.

Happier's Inbox and notifications solved this:

• One place to see all pending requests
• Push notifications when any session needs attention
• Notification actions for quick responses

If you're new to Happier

Happier is an open-source companion app for AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.

The workflow here: run multiple agents in parallel while Happier tracks which ones need your attention and notifies you on your phone.

Get set up:

• How to run Happier from your phone
• GitHub: https://github.com/happier-dev/happier
• Install: https://github.com/happier-dev/happier#how-it-works
• Discord: https://discord.gg/W6Pb8KuHfg

Step-by-step: enable notifications for waiting agents

1) Enable push notifications

From the Happier app:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications
2. Enable Push notifications
3. Grant notification permissions when prompted (iOS/Android)

This allows the app to send notifications even when it's not open.

2) Configure notification types

In the same settings screen, enable:

• Permission requests: Notifies when an agent asks for tool permission
• Ready notifications: Notifies when a turn finishes and the agent is idle

These are the two main "agent is waiting" states.

3) Configure notification detail level

Choose Request previews:

• On: Notifications include the command/file being requested (more context)
• Off: Generic "Permission needed" notifications (more private)

From Notifications setup docs:

With previews enabled, permission notifications include the requested command or file path and any supplied explanation.

For parallel sessions, I recommend On so you can triage without opening every session.

4) Test it works

1. Start a Claude Code or Codex session
2. Let it hit a permission prompt
3. You should receive a notification on your phone

From the notification:

• Tap to open the session
• Or press Allow / Deny to respond immediately

Use Inbox to triage multiple waiting sessions

When you have many parallel sessions, Inbox becomes your triage view.

What Inbox shows

From the Happier app:

1. Tap Inbox (home screen or bottom nav)
2. You'll see all items that need attention:
   • Permission requests
   • Approval requests
   • User-action requests (like "Exit Plan Mode")
   • Shared session activity

Why Inbox matters for parallel sessions

Instead of:

Session 1 → check for prompts → back
Session 2 → check for prompts → back
Session 3 → check for prompts → back
Session 4 → check for prompts → back

You do:

Inbox → see 2 pending requests → handle them → done

From Inbox and approvals docs:

Inbox is the action center for approval requests, pending permission requests, and incoming friend-related attention items.

Responding from Inbox

Tap an inbox item:

• Opens the session with the request in focus
• Shows the request context
• Lets you Allow/Deny/Approve

Inbox items disappear once handled.

Notification actions: respond without opening the app

On iOS and Android, permission notifications support actions:

• Allow: Approve the request immediately
• Deny: Reject the request immediately

These actions work when:

• The notification targets a server already active in the app
• Or the notification targets a saved server profile

From Notifications routing docs:

Happier only auto-sends a permission response when the notification's server is already active or already saved on the device.

For safety: if the notification targets an unknown server, Happier routes you to add/switch servers instead of silently approving.

A workflow for many parallel sessions

Morning setup

1. Start all your agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex, etc.)
2. Each session gets its first prompt or starts working
3. Open Happier Inbox: empty (good)

During the day

1. Notifications arrive when agents need decisions
2. Check notification preview:
   • If straightforward: press Allow or Deny
   • If needs context: tap notification → open session → review → respond
3. Periodically check Inbox (every hour or when switching tasks)
4. Respond to pending requests in batch

End of day

1. Open Inbox: see any remaining blocked sessions
2. Triage: approve legitimate requests, deny exploratory ones
3. Sessions continue overnight (or stop them if done)

When to use notifications vs polling Inbox

Use notifications when:

• You want real-time awareness
• Each decision is time-sensitive
• You're mobile and can't check frequently

Use Inbox polling when:

• You batch-process approvals every hour
• Notifications would be too noisy
• You prefer scheduled check-ins

Use both when:

• Notifications alert you to urgent requests
• Inbox shows the full picture when you're ready to triage

Notification routing across multiple servers

If you're running self-hosted relays or multiple relay profiles:

• Notifications include which server the request came from
• Tapping routes you to the correct server
• If the server isn't saved yet, Happier prompts you to add it

From Notifications routing docs:

If the notification targets a saved server profile that is not currently active, Happier auto-switches to that profile so the deep link works.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: Not receiving notifications

Likely cause:

• Push notifications disabled in app settings
• Notification permissions not granted to the app
• The device doesn't have an active push token

Fix:

1. Check Settings → Notifications → Push notifications is enabled
2. Check device settings: Notifications → Happier → Allow Notifications
3. Restart the app to register a new push token
4. Test with one session to verify

Symptom: Notifications arrive but actions don't work

Likely cause:

• The notification targets an unknown or inactive server
• The app version is too old to support notification actions

Fix:

1. Ensure the server profile is saved in Settings → Server
2. Update the Happier app to the latest version
3. Try tapping the notification instead of using actions

Symptom: Inbox is empty but I know sessions are waiting

Likely cause:

• The sessions are on a different relay/server
• You're looking at the wrong account/profile
• The requests were already handled

Fix:

1. Verify which server is active: Settings → Server
2. Switch to the correct server if needed
3. Open each session manually to check their status
4. Requests disappear from Inbox once handled

Symptom: Too many notifications (overwhelming)

Likely cause:

• All notification types are enabled
• Many sessions hitting prompts frequently

Fix:

1. In Settings → Notifications, disable less urgent types
2. Set Request previews to Off to reduce lock screen noise
3. Consider setting In-app notifications to Silent or Off
4. Rely more on Inbox polling and less on push

Common questions

Do notifications work with self-hosted relays?

Yes. The relay routes notifications through Expo's push service.

Your self-hosted relay needs internet access to reach Expo's API, but no special firewall rules.

Can I get notifications on desktop too?

The desktop app shows in-app notifications but does not currently support system push notifications.

Use the mobile app for push, or check Inbox from desktop periodically.

What if I miss a notification?

Missed notifications don't disappear. The request remains in Inbox until you handle it.

You can also:

• Check Inbox manually
• Open the session directly

Can I send approval requests to a webhook instead?

Yes. From Settings → Notifications → Webhook notifications, you can send the same events to an HTTP endpoint.

This is useful for:

• Internal dashboards
• Slack/Discord bots
• Home automation triggers

See Notifications setup docs for webhook configuration.

Does this work when running 10+ sessions?

Yes, but consider:

• Inbox scales better than individual session checking
• Notification previews help you triage without opening each session
• You may want to tune notification types to reduce noise

Related guides

• How to approve Claude permissions from your phone
• How to fix "waiting for approval" in Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode
• How to run multiple Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode sessions in parallel
• How to queue messages from your phone while an agent is busy