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Claudetop – htop for Claude Code sessions (see your AI spend in real-time)

GitHub - liorwn/claudetop: htop for your Claude Code sessions — real-time cost, cache efficiency, model comparison, and smart alerts

github.com

March 14, 2026

5 min read

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43/100

Summary

claudetop provides real-time tracking of token usage and costs for Claude Code sessions, allowing users to monitor their expenses effectively. It displays metrics such as cache efficiency, model comparisons, and smart alerts to optimize spending.

Key Takeaways

Claudetop provides real-time visibility into token usage and costs for Claude Code sessions, helping users track their spending effectively.
The tool offers smart alerts for cost milestones, budget limits, and cache efficiency, allowing users to optimize their usage and avoid unexpected charges.
Users can compare costs across different models (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) and receive automatic pricing updates based on changes from Anthropic.
Every session is logged, enabling users to analyze their spending patterns and project costs over time.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

Claudetop provides real-time visibility into AI spending, addressing the common issue of unexpected charges by revealing hidden token usage.
The plugin system for claudetop allows for extensibility, enabling users to integrate various tools like Spotify and CI status, enhancing its utility.

Concerns

Users express frustration with Anthropic's billing practices, highlighting issues with unexpected charges and the need for frequent API key regeneration.
The installation process for claudetop has limitations, such as assumptions about file locations, which could hinder user experience and accessibility.