---
id: colcon-notification
version: "0.3.1"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# colcon-notification — Extension for colcon to provide status notifications.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 184.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

colcon-notification is a plugin for colcon-core that intercepts build events and sends them as desktop notifications to your system. It works across Windows, macOS, and Linux by delegating to platform-specific notification libraries (pywin32 on Windows, notify2 on POSIX systems). When you run a colcon build, instead of watching the terminal, you can receive system notifications about build progress and completion status.

The package is designed as a colcon-core extension, so it integrates directly into the colcon workflow without requiring changes to your build commands. It has been in active development since 2018 and is currently in Alpha status, meaning the notification behavior and API may still evolve. The low install friction and minimal dependencies make it a lightweight addition to an existing colcon setup.

Use it for:

- Get desktop alerts when a long colcon build finishes, so you don't have to monitor the terminal
- Receive notifications on build failures or warnings without keeping the build window in focus
- Integrate colcon status into your system notification center on macOS or Windows
- Monitor multiple parallel builds via system notifications instead of terminal tabs

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Adds desktop notifications to colcon build system status updates, displaying build progress and completion messages on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Yes, if you use colcon and want build notifications. The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and zero known vulnerabilities make it a safe addition. The Alpha status means notification behavior may change, but that's unlikely to break existing workflows. Install it if desktop notifications would improve your build workflow; skip it if you prefer terminal-only feedback.

## Install

pip install colcon-notification
uv add colcon-notification
poetry add colcon-notification

## Installing colcon-notification

Before you install: Low friction install with a pure Python wheel. Actively maintained with recent commits. Depends on colcon-core, notify2, and pywin32—platform-specific notification libraries that are lightweight.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in most contexts without restriction.

Quickstart:

pip install colcon-notification

Then run colcon as normal:
colcon build

Notifications will be sent automatically via your system notification daemon.

Requires colcon-core to be installed and configured; notify2 on Linux/macOS and pywin32 on Windows must be available on your system.

Verify before relying:

- Whether notify2 and pywin32 are automatically installed on all platforms or require manual setup
- Specific notification behavior differences across Windows, macOS, and POSIX systems
- Whether the extension requires colcon-core to be already installed and configured

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 184.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

colcon build notifications, desktop notifications for colcon, build status alerts, colcon extension notifications, system notifications colcon, build completion alerts, colcon-plugin, notifications, build-tools

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