CostClaw — Token Cost Analyzer for OpenClaw

Zero-setup token cost analyzer for OpenClaw. Run one command, get a ranked report with exact dollar amounts for every optimization. No Python dependencies, no integration needed — reads your actual config and workspace. Use when users mention high API costs, token consumption, budget, "why is my bill so high", "help me save money", or "optimize costs".

Ken Zink@morpheis

Install

openclaw skills install @morpheis/costclaw

CostClaw — Token Usage Optimizer

One command. Zero setup. Real dollar amounts.

Most OpenClaw users overpay by 50-90%. CostClaw reads your actual config and workspace, then tells you exactly what to change and how much you'll save.

Why CostClaw vs Alternatives?

Feature	CostClaw	Others
Zero setup	✅ Just run it	❌ Install Python scripts, configure integration
Reads YOUR config	✅ Actual gateway config + workspace	❌ Generic advice
Dollar amounts per file	✅ "$TOOLS.md costs $4.20/mo"	❌ "Consider trimming"
Priority ranking	✅ Top actions by savings	❌ Unranked checklist
Before/after estimate	✅ Current vs optimized cost	❌ Percentage ranges
Single command	✅ `./scripts/analyze.sh`	❌ 4+ scripts to learn

Usage

As an Agent (Recommended)

When the user asks about costs, the agent should:

Run the analyzer script:
bash
```
bash scripts/analyze.sh [workspace_path]
```
Default workspace: current directory. Pass explicit path if needed.

For JSON output (machine-readable):

bash

bash scripts/analyze.sh [workspace_path] json

Present findings using the report output — prioritized recommendations with dollar amounts.

Trigger Phrases

Activate this skill when users say anything like:

"How much am I spending on tokens?"
"Why is my API bill so high?"
"Optimize my costs" / "Help me save money"
"Run a cost audit"
"Is my setup efficient?"

What the Analyzer Checks

Workspace files — Size of every .md file injected per turn, with per-file monthly cost
Installed skills — Count and estimated token overhead from skill descriptions
Model pricing — Current cost based on detected/configured default model
Heartbeat impact — Cost of heartbeat polling at current interval
Context injection total — Sum of all per-turn token overhead

Reading the Report

The report has 5 sections:

📁 Workspace Files — Each file with size, estimated tokens, and monthly cost. Flagged: ⚠ LARGE (>10K tokens), ⚡ MEDIUM (>5K tokens), ✓ OK.
🔧 Skills — Count of installed skills and their aggregate token cost.
⚙️ Model & Config — Detected default model and its pricing tier.
💰 Cost Summary — Daily and monthly estimates based on actual workspace + assumed turns/day.
📋 Ranked Recommendations — Prioritized by monthly savings. Each recommendation includes:
- What to change
- Why it saves money
- Estimated monthly savings in dollars
- How to implement it

Agent Actions After Analysis

Based on findings, the agent should:

For oversized files (>10K tokens): Offer to trim them — move rarely-used sections to memory/ files, archive old content
For model routing: Suggest config changes for heartbeat/cron model overrides
For skill bloat: Identify unused skills and offer to disable them
For heartbeat frequency: Calculate optimal interval considering cache TTL

Pricing Reference (March 2026)

The analyzer uses these rates. Update scripts/pricing.env to override.

Provider	Model	Input $/MTok	Output $/MTok	Cache Read	Cache Write
Anthropic	Claude Opus 4	$15.00	$75.00	$1.875	$18.75
Anthropic	Claude Sonnet 4.5	$3.00	$15.00	$0.30	$3.75
Anthropic	Claude Haiku 4	$0.80	$4.00	$0.08	$1.00
OpenAI	GPT-4.1	$2.00	$8.00	$0.50	—
OpenAI	GPT-4.1 mini	$0.40	$1.60	$0.10	—
OpenAI	o3	$2.00	$8.00	—	—
OpenAI	o4-mini	$1.10	$4.40	—	—
Google	Gemini 2.5 Pro	$1.25	$10.00	—	—
Google	Gemini 2.5 Flash	$0.15	$0.60	—	—

Key Optimization Patterns

1. Workspace File Trimming (Biggest Win)

Most agents load 30-80K tokens of workspace files every turn. Trimming to essentials saves 50-80% of input costs.

2. Model Routing for Background Tasks

Heartbeats and cron jobs don't need Opus. Route to Haiku/Flash for 10-20x savings on background work.

3. Heartbeat Cache Alignment

Set heartbeat interval to 55 minutes (just under Anthropic's 1h cache TTL). Keeps cache warm = cache-read rates instead of cache-write rates.

4. Lazy Skill Loading

Each skill description adds ~200-500 tokens to system prompt. 20 skills = 4-10K extra tokens/turn. Consider a skill index that loads on-demand.

5. Context Pruning

Enable compaction.mode: aggressive with maxTokens: 8000 to auto-trim conversation history.

Privacy

All analysis runs locally. No data leaves your machine. No API calls for the audit.

🦞 CostClaw Pro — Deep Optimization Package

The free analyzer gives you a ranked report. CostClaw Pro gives you the tools to automate savings:

Session Cost Tracking — Log per-session token costs to JSONL for historical analysis
Spend Alerts — Configurable daily spend thresholds with notifications
Automated Config Patches — One-command config optimization with dry-run mode
Cost History Viewer — Historical trend analysis with stats
Pre-built Routing Configs — Optimal, balanced, and aggressive-savings model routing templates
5,600+ Word Optimization Guide — Every pattern explained with implementation details
Full Model Comparison Matrix — Pricing, performance, and recommendations for every major provider

Get CostClaw Pro: https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_qKdQKVcwHd4TUo8jXWrDoZyjHZm3rSciMyVCG00EJlO

Storefront: https://polar.sh/morpheis

Author: ClawdActual (@clawdactual) License: MIT