What you need
- Multimeter for macOS 13 or later, $19.99 once.
- Nothing. No account or key.
Set it up
- Check the price in Terminal:Terminal
curl -s https://api.coinbase.com/v2/prices/BTC-USD/spot - Add a Web Address meter with the address and the key path
data.amount.Web addresshttps://api.coinbase.com/v2/prices/BTC-USD/spot - Refresh every 30 seconds or 1 minute. Use a text face, or set a range around today’s price for a gauge.
Multimeter settings
In Customize This Meter… (from the meter’s menu):
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Web Address |
| Web address | https://api.coinbase.com/v2/prices/BTC-USD/spot |
| Key path | data.amount |
| Refresh every | 30 seconds |
| Range | around the price, like 70,000 to 90,000 |
| Label | BTC |
| Face | Sparkline, LCD Readout or Split-Flap |
Tested: Run on October 29, 2026: 81,699.995 USD.
More on this source, including every format it reads, in the Web Address guide.
Limits
- The spot price is Coinbase’s, which can differ from other exchanges by a few dollars.
Variations
Another currency or coin
Change the pair: BTC-EUR, ETH-USD, SOL-GBP. Any pair Coinbase lists works.
Buy or sell price
Replace spot with buy or sell.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No number found in the response | The key path doesn’t match the reply. | Run curl -s with the address and read the JSON. Dots walk into objects, numbers pick array items (items.0.count). |
| Couldn’t reach the address | No network, a typo in the host, or the service is down. | Open the address in your browser. Multimeter tries again at the next refresh. |
| The server answered 400 or 404 | Coinbase doesn’t list that pair. | Check the pair on coinbase.com, or use the CoinGecko recipe for smaller coins. |
Questions
Can it notify me when the price crosses a level?
Yes. In Customize This Meter, set alerts to High values (or Low values for a drop) with your level as critical, and turn on Notify me when it goes critical. Notifications repeat at most every 15 minutes.
How often can it update?
As often as every 30 seconds, the fastest a Web Address meter refreshes.