OpenClaw Cost Guard

This skill should be used when the user asks to reduce OpenClaw token spend, audit model and cron cost risk, prevent denial-of-wallet incidents, add budget guardrails, review expensive agent defaults, or tighten AI-agent cost governance before wider rollout.

Use this skill to identify obvious cost leaks before they turn into a denial-of-wallet problem.

Goal

Move from “the agents work” to “the agents work within an intentional budget.”

Workflow

1. Identify the target OpenClaw config or workspace.
2. Run the bundled cost-guard script.
3. Review expensive defaults, missing budgets, and high-risk patterns.
4. If the result is FAIL, stop scaling usage until cost controls are tightened.
5. Apply the narrowest guardrails that reduce spend without breaking the workflow.

Command

node {baseDir}/scripts/cost-guard.mjs --config ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

The --config flag is optional. If omitted, the script checks the default OpenClaw config path.

What the script checks

• whether explicit budget signals exist
• whether default models look expensive for always-on usage
• whether browser/interactive tooling appears enabled without cost discipline
• whether token limits appear excessively large
• whether the config contains multiple high-cost patterns at once
• whether the setup needs a governance recommendation before scaling

Output format

The script returns JSON with:

• score
• verdict
• summary
• findings
• recommendations
• guardrails
• evidence

Verdicts

• PASS — no major lightweight cost-governance gap found
• WARN — spend risk exists and should be reviewed
• FAIL — denial-of-wallet risk is materially elevated

Important limits

• This is a lightweight static review, not a bill-reconciliation system.
• A low-risk config can still become expensive through user behavior or external automations.
• Always verify against real provider invoices and usage telemetry.

References

• {baseDir}/references/cost-playbook.md