Real Time Cost Tracker - Statuslines

Features

• Real-time cost calculation
• 2025 model pricing (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini)
• Budget threshold alerts
• Color-coded spend warnings
• Session cost tracking
• Daily and weekly cost aggregation
• Cost per token breakdown by model
• Historical cost trend visualization

Use Cases

• Budget-conscious developers tracking API spending
• Team leads monitoring aggregate Claude Code usage costs
• Client billing for AI-assisted development work
• Cost optimization by comparing model pricing efficiency
• Real-time budget alerts to prevent unexpected charges
• Financial planning for long-term AI development projects

Requirements

• Claude Code CLI installed and configured
• Bash shell available (bash 4.0+ recommended for pattern matching, arithmetic operations, and string manipulation)
• jq command-line JSON processor (jq 1.6+ recommended for safe extraction with // defaults)
• awk command (for floating point cost calculation with printf - preferred method)
• bc calculator (required for floating point comparison and as fallback for cost calculation)
• Terminal with ANSI color code support (256-color mode recommended for color-coded budget alerts)

Configuration

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/real-time-cost-tracker.sh",
    "refreshInterval": 1000
  }
}

Examples

Enhanced Real-Time Cost Tracker with Daily Budget

Extended version tracking daily spending and budget limits

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Enhanced Real-Time Cost Tracker with Daily Budget

export LC_NUMERIC=C

read -r input

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.id // .model.display_name // "unknown"')
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_lines_added // .session.totalTokens // 0')

# Daily budget (configurable via environment variable)
DAILY_BUDGET=${COST_TRACKER_DAILY_BUDGET:-10.00}

# Session cost file
COST_FILE="${HOME}/.claude-code-daily-cost"
TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

# Read today's total cost
if [ -f "$COST_FILE" ]; then
  today_total=$(grep "^${TODAY}" "$COST_FILE" | cut -d'|' -f2 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
else
  today_total="0.0000"
fi

# 2025 Pricing
if [[ "$model" == *"claude-sonnet-4"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"sonnet-4"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=3.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"claude-opus"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"opus"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=15.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"gpt-4.1"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=5.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"gemini-2"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=3.50
else
  price_per_m=1.00
fi

# Calculate session cost
if command -v awk > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  session_cost=$(awk "BEGIN {printf \"%.4f\", ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m}" 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
else
  session_cost=$(echo "scale=4; ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
fi

# Update daily total
if command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  new_total=$(echo "$today_total + $session_cost" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo "$today_total")
else
  new_total="$today_total"
fi

# Write updated total
if [ -f "$COST_FILE" ]; then
  sed -i.bak "/^${TODAY}/d" "$COST_FILE" 2>/dev/null || true
fi
echo "${TODAY}|${new_total}" >> "$COST_FILE"

# Budget alert
if command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  budget_percentage=$(awk "BEGIN {printf \"%.1f\", ($new_total / $DAILY_BUDGET) * 100}" 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0")

  if (( $(echo "$new_total >= $DAILY_BUDGET" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[31m"
    icon="🚨"
    budget_status="BUDGET EXCEEDED"
  elif (( $(echo "$new_total > ($DAILY_BUDGET * 0.8)" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[33m"
    icon="⚠️"
    budget_status="${budget_percentage}%"
  else
    color="\033[32m"
    icon="💵"
    budget_status="${budget_percentage}%"
  fi
else
  color="\033[32m"
  icon="💵"
  budget_status=""
fi

# Format costs
if command -v printf > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  session_formatted=$(printf "$%.4f" $session_cost 2>/dev/null || echo "$${session_cost}")
  total_formatted=$(printf "$%.2f" $new_total 2>/dev/null || echo "$${new_total}")
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo "$tokens")
else
  session_formatted="$${session_cost}"
  total_formatted="$${new_total}"
  tokens_formatted="$tokens"
fi

RESET="\033[0m"

echo -e "${icon} ${color}${session_formatted}${RESET} │ Daily: ${total_formatted} (${budget_status}) │ ${tokens_formatted} tokens"

Real-Time Cost Tracker with Custom Pricing

Version with configurable pricing via environment variables

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Real-Time Cost Tracker with Custom Pricing

export LC_NUMERIC=C

read -r input

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.id // .model.display_name // "unknown"')
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_lines_added // .session.totalTokens // 0')

# Custom pricing via environment variables (defaults to 2025 pricing)
CLAUDE_SONNET_PRICE=${CLAUDE_SONNET_PRICE:-3.00}
CLAUDE_OPUS_PRICE=${CLAUDE_OPUS_PRICE:-15.00}
CLAUDE_HAIKU_PRICE=${CLAUDE_HAIKU_PRICE:-0.25}
GPT4_PRICE=${GPT4_PRICE:-5.00}
GEMINI_PRICE=${GEMINI_PRICE:-3.50}
DEFAULT_PRICE=${DEFAULT_PRICE:-1.00}

# Determine pricing based on model
if [[ "$model" == *"claude-sonnet-4"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"sonnet-4"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=$CLAUDE_SONNET_PRICE
elif [[ "$model" == *"claude-opus"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"opus"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=$CLAUDE_OPUS_PRICE
elif [[ "$model" == *"claude-haiku"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"haiku"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=$CLAUDE_HAIKU_PRICE
elif [[ "$model" == *"gpt-4"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=$GPT4_PRICE
elif [[ "$model" == *"gemini"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=$GEMINI_PRICE
else
  price_per_m=$DEFAULT_PRICE
fi

# Calculate cost
if command -v awk > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  cost=$(awk "BEGIN {printf \"%.4f\", ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m}" 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
else
  cost=$(echo "scale=4; ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
fi

# Budget alert
if command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  if (( $(echo "$cost > 0.50" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[31m"
    icon="⚠️"
  elif (( $(echo "$cost > 0.10" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[33m"
    icon="💰"
  else
    color="\033[32m"
    icon="💵"
  fi
else
  cost_int=${cost%.*}
  if [ $cost_int -gt 0 ] || [ "$(echo "$cost" | cut -d'.' -f2 | cut -c1-2)" -gt 50 ]; then
    color="\033[31m"
    icon="⚠️"
  elif [ "$(echo "$cost" | cut -d'.' -f2 | cut -c1-2)" -gt 10 ]; then
    color="\033[33m"
    icon="💰"
  else
    color="\033[32m"
    icon="💵"
  fi
fi

# Format output
if command -v printf > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo "$tokens")
else
  tokens_formatted="$tokens"
fi

RESET="\033[0m"

echo -e "${icon} ${color}$${cost}${RESET} │ ${tokens_formatted} tokens"

Real-Time Cost Tracker Installation Example

Complete setup script with bc calculator verification and locale configuration

#!/bin/bash
# Installation script for Real-Time Cost Tracker

# Check for jq (required for JSON parsing)
if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Installing jq for JSON parsing..."
    if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
        brew install jq
    elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
        sudo apt-get install -y jq || sudo yum install -y jq
    else
        echo "Please install jq manually: https://stedolan.github.io/jq/"
    fi
fi

# Check for bc (required for floating point comparison)
if ! command -v bc &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Installing bc calculator (required for cost calculations)..."
    if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
        brew install bc
    elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
        sudo apt-get install -y bc || sudo yum install -y bc
    else
        echo "Please install bc manually: https://www.gnu.org/software/bc/"
    fi
fi

# Check for awk (usually pre-installed)
if ! command -v awk &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Warning: awk command not found - cost calculations may not work"
    echo "Install awk: macOS (pre-installed), Linux (sudo apt-get install gawk or sudo yum install gawk)"
else
    echo "awk command available"
fi

# Test locale for decimal separator
if [ "$(locale -k LC_NUMERIC | grep decimal_point | cut -d'=' -f2 | tr -d '"')" = "." ]; then
    echo "Decimal separator verified: . (dot)"
else
    echo "Warning: Decimal separator may be comma - set LC_NUMERIC=C in script"
    echo "Script sets export LC_NUMERIC=C automatically"
fi

# Test bc calculator
if command -v bc &> /dev/null; then
    if echo "scale=4; 1000000 / 1000000 * 3.00" | bc -l 2>/dev/null | grep -q "3.0000"; then
        echo "bc calculator working: $(echo 'scale=4; 1000000 / 1000000 * 3.00' | bc -l)"
    else
        echo "Warning: bc calculator test failed"
    fi
fi

# Test awk for cost calculation
if command -v awk &> /dev/null; then
    test_cost=$(awk "BEGIN {printf \"%.4f\", (1000000 / 1000000) * 3.00}" 2>/dev/null)
    if [ "$test_cost" = "3.0000" ]; then
        echo "awk cost calculation working: $test_cost"
    else
        echo "Warning: awk cost calculation test failed"
    fi
fi

# Test emoji support
if echo -e '💵 💰 ⚠️ 🚨' &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Emoji characters supported: 💵 💰 ⚠️ 🚨"
else
    echo "Warning: Emoji characters may not display correctly"
fi

# Create statuslines directory
mkdir -p .claude/statuslines

cat > .claude/statuslines/real-time-cost-tracker.sh << 'SCRIPT_EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Real-Time Cost Tracker
# Calculate session costs based on token usage

export LC_NUMERIC=C

read -r input

model=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.model.id // .model.display_name // "unknown"')
tokens=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.cost.total_lines_added // .session.totalTokens // 0')

# 2025 Pricing (per 1M tokens)
if [[ "$model" == *"claude-sonnet-4"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"sonnet-4"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"Sonnet 4"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=3.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"claude-opus"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"opus"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"Opus"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=15.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"claude-haiku"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"haiku"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"Haiku"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=0.25
elif [[ "$model" == *"gpt-4.1"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"GPT-4.1"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=5.00
elif [[ "$model" == *"gpt-4o"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"GPT-4o"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=2.50
elif [[ "$model" == *"gemini-2"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"Gemini 2"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=3.50
elif [[ "$model" == *"gemini-1.5-pro"* ]] || [[ "$model" == *"Gemini 1.5 Pro"* ]]; then
  price_per_m=3.50
else
  price_per_m=1.00
fi

# Calculate cost
if command -v awk > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  cost=$(awk "BEGIN {printf \"%.4f\", ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m}" 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
else
  if command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
    cost=$(echo "scale=4; ($tokens / 1000000) * $price_per_m" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0000")
  else
    cost="0.0000"
  fi
fi

# Budget alert
if command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  if (( $(echo "$cost > 0.50" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[31m"
    icon="⚠️"
  elif (( $(echo "$cost > 0.10" | bc -l 2>/dev/null) )); then
    color="\033[33m"
    icon="💰"
  else
    color="\033[32m"
    icon="💵"
  fi
else
  cost_int=${cost%.*}
  if [ $cost_int -gt 0 ] || [ "$(echo "$cost" | cut -d'.' -f2 | cut -c1-2)" -gt 50 ]; then
    color="\033[31m"
    icon="⚠️"
  elif [ "$(echo "$cost" | cut -d'.' -f2 | cut -c1-2)" -gt 10 ]; then
    color="\033[33m"
    icon="💰"
  else
    color="\033[32m"
    icon="💵"
  fi
fi

# Format token count
if command -v printf > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  tokens_formatted=$(printf "%'d" $tokens 2>/dev/null || echo "$tokens")
else
  tokens_formatted="$tokens"
fi

RESET="\033[0m"

echo -e "${icon} ${color}$${cost}${RESET} │ ${tokens_formatted} tokens"
SCRIPT_EOF

chmod +x .claude/statuslines/real-time-cost-tracker.sh

# Add to settings.json
if [ ! -f .claude/settings.json ]; then
    echo '{"statusLine":{"type":"command","command":"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/real-time-cost-tracker.sh","refreshInterval":1000}}' > .claude/settings.json
else
    jq '.statusLine = {"type":"command","command":"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/statuslines/real-time-cost-tracker.sh","refreshInterval":1000}' .claude/settings.json > .claude/settings.json.tmp
    mv .claude/settings.json.tmp .claude/settings.json
fi

echo "Real-Time Cost Tracker installed successfully!"
echo "Note: Ensure LC_NUMERIC=C is set for correct decimal formatting"
echo "Test cost calculation: echo 'scale=4; 1000000 / 1000000 * 3.00' | bc -l"

Troubleshooting

Cost calculation shows wrong decimal format with comma separator

Set LC_NUMERIC=C at script start to enforce dot decimal separator. Some locales default to comma, breaking bc. Add: export LC_NUMERIC=C before math operations. Verify locale: locale -k LC_NUMERIC | grep decimal_point (should be '.'). Test: echo 'scale=4; 3.00' | bc -l (should return 3.0000, not 3,0000). Check script: Ensure export LC_NUMERIC=C is at the top of the script.

Pricing appears outdated or incorrect for current AI models

Update price_per_m values. Claude Sonnet 4 is $3/M (2025), Claude Opus is $15/M, Claude Haiku is $0.25/M, GPT-4.1 is $5/M, GPT-4o is $2.50/M, Gemini 2.0 is $3.50/M. Verify at provider docs before updating script. Check model detection: echo '$input' | jq .model.id (should match pattern in script). Update pricing: Modify price_per_m values in script for each model pattern. Test: Calculate manually: (tokens / 1000000) * price_per_m.

bc: command not found when running cost calculations

Install bc calculator: macOS (brew install bc), Linux (sudo apt-get install bc or sudo yum install bc). Verify installation: command -v bc (should return path). Test bc: echo 'scale=4; 3.00' | bc -l (should return 3.0000). Script has awk fallback: If bc unavailable, script uses awk for cost calculation. Verify awk: command -v awk (should return path). Check both: Script tries awk first, then bc as fallback.

Cost displays as $0.0000 despite high token usage

Check printf precision: use %.4f for micro-dollars. Verify tokens populated: echo '$input' | jq '.cost.total_lines_added' (should return number). If zero, test JSON parsing: echo '$input' | jq '.session.totalTokens'. Check field names: Script checks cost.total_lines_added and session.totalTokens. Verify calculation: echo 'scale=4; (1000000 / 1000000) * 3.00' | bc -l (should return 3.0000). Check model detection: If model not recognized, default price is 1.00 - verify model name matches patterns.

Budget alert colors not changing or always showing same color

Verify bc comparison works: echo '0.60 > 0.50' | bc -l (should return 1 for true). Check cost value: echo $cost (should be decimal like 0.1234). Verify thresholds: Script uses > 0.50 (red), > 0.10 (yellow), else (green). Test comparison: echo 'scale=4; 0.60 > 0.50' | bc -l (should return 1). Check if bc unavailable: Script uses integer fallback if bc not found - may not work correctly for decimal comparisons.

Token count not displaying with thousands separator

Verify printf supports thousands separator: printf "%'d" 12345 (should return 12,345). Check locale settings: locale (should include thousands separator). Set locale if needed: export LC_NUMERIC=en_US.UTF-8 (but keep LC_NUMERIC=C for calculations). Test formatting: printf "%'d" 1234567 (should return 1,234,567). If not supported, script falls back to plain numbers. Alternative: Use awk for formatting: awk '{printf "%'"'"'d", $1}' <<< 12345.

Model pricing not detected correctly for new model variants

Add patterns to model detection logic. Common patterns: claude-sonnet-4, claude-opus, claude-haiku, gpt-4.1, gpt-4o, gemini-2, gemini-1.5-pro. Update with: [["$model" == "pattern"]]. Check model name format: echo '$input' | jq .model.id. Test pattern matching: [["test-claude-sonnet-4" == "claude-sonnet-4"]] && echo "Matched". Add new model variants to appropriate pricing block. Verify pricing: Check provider documentation for current pricing.

Cost calculation precision too low or rounded incorrectly

Increase precision in awk: awk 'BEGIN {printf "%.4f", ...}' (4 decimals). For bc: echo 'scale=4; ...' (4 decimal places). Verify calculation: echo 'scale=4; (1000000 / 1000000) * 3.00' | bc -l (should return 3.0000). Check printf format: printf "$%.4f" 0.1234 (should return $0.1234). Higher precision: Use %.6f for 6 decimals (micro-dollars). Note: Higher precision may slow execution slightly.