Manavarya09

Manavarya09 / cost-guardian

Public

Real-time cost tracking and budget management for Claude Code. Zero setup. No Docker. No Grafana. Just install and go.

github.comManavarya09cost-guardian#readme ai-coding ai-tools anthropic budget claude
12
0
100% credibility
Found Mar 31, 2026 at 14 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
JavaScript
AI Summary

Cost Guardian is a plugin for Claude Code that provides real-time cost tracking, budget enforcement, pre-task estimates, and detailed spending reports based on estimated token usage from tool calls.

How It Works

1
👀 Hear about Cost Guardian

You discover this handy tool while frustrated with surprise bills from AI coding sessions, promising to track every penny spent.

2
🚀 Install with one command

You add it to your AI coding helper super simply, no hassle, and it's ready in seconds.

3
💰 Set your personal budget

You pick a spending limit like $5 per session or $25 a day, choosing if it warns or stops you when reached.

4
📊 Watch costs update live

As you code with AI tools, you see instant feedback like '+ $0.03 for reading files' and your total session spend right there.

5
🔮 Estimate costs for new tasks

Before tackling a big job like refactoring code, you ask for a quick prediction of how much it'll cost across different AI brains.

6
📈 Pull up spending reports

You check colorful charts showing breakdowns by tool, day, or even git branch, with trends and remaining budget bars.

✅ Master your AI spending

Now you work confidently, never overspending, exporting data if needed, and always knowing your burn rate.

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Star Growth

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AI-Generated Review

What is cost-guardian?

Cost Guardian is a JavaScript plugin for Claude Code that provides real-time cost tracking and budget management, estimating token usage and USD spend per tool call like Read or Agent. It hooks into sessions to display live feedback such as "+$0.03 (Read) | Session: $2.41", generates ASCII reports on burn rates and breakdowns, and offers pre-task estimates via `/cost-estimate "add OAuth"`. Users get zero-setup visibility into real-time cost monitoring, preventing surprise bills on Anthropic models.

Why is it gaining traction?

Unlike Grafana or Docker-heavy trackers, it installs instantly via Claude's marketplace with no config, delivering immediate per-tool costs, multi-model comparisons, and hard budget blocks that actually stop overspend. Slash commands like `/cost-report branch` reveal git-branch expenses, CSV exports, and session summaries hook developers craving real-time cost control without infrastructure. The local SQLite storage keeps data private, standing out for Claude Code power users tired of guessing.

Who should use this?

Claude Code devs on Pro/Max plans hitting daily limits during refactors or feature branches. Teams enforcing weekly budgets for AI-assisted coding marathons. Anyone estimating real-time costs for tasks like "fix auth bug" before committing tokens.

Verdict

Grab it if you're deep in Claude Code and need real-time cost awareness—docs are solid, features polished for v2.0. But with 12 stars and 1.0% credibility, it's early-stage; test in low-stakes sessions before production reliance.

(198 words)

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