context-guardian vs statusbar
context-guardian is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Ricky-Stevens. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). statusbar is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by SYM1000. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-16. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  context-guardian |  statusbar |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 2.3.3 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 5 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 12 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | context-guardian | statusbar |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 5 (worse) | 12 (better) |
| Forks (GitHub) | 0 | 0 |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs | Installs as a plugin bundle | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport | Not stated | Not stated |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 4 | 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 9 | 3 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/ricky-stevens/context-guardian | github.com/sym1000/claude-statusbar |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-12 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
context-guardian
Automatic context window monitoring and smart compaction for Claude Code. Zero dependencies. Context Guardian (cg) watches your context window usage in real time via a statusline and provides on-demand compaction tools. When usage crosses a configurable threshold, the statusline turns red and recommends compaction - preserving your work and keeping Claude sharp.
statusbar
Customizable status bar for Claude Code that displays real-time session metrics at the bottom of the terminal. Shows model name, thinking effort level, context usage with visual bar, session cost, duration, git branch, rate limits, token counts, cache hit rate, and more.
How to run each
context-guardian As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install context-guardian@claude-communitystatusbar As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install statusbar@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: context-guardian · What it can do: statusbar · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.