Argus: A VS Code Extension to Debug Claude Code Session Costs and Behavior
Claude Code session costs can spike without obvious reasons—retry loops, repeated file reads, or context filling up before compaction. The JSONL files at ~/.claude/projects/ contain all the data, but raw inspection is painful. A developer built Argus, a VS Code extension that parses those transcripts and lays the session out as a timeline with granular metrics.
Key Features
- Timeline view of every tool call: Read, Write, Edit, and subagent calls.
- Per-step token and USD cost breakdown.
- Cache hit ratio for each step.
- Subagent attribution—see which subagent did what.
- Rule-based flagging for duplicate reads, retry loops, and context pressure.
- Cost breakdown tab and dependency graph of file operations.
- Context window usage visualization.
How It Works
Argus runs entirely locally—no login, no upload. It reads the JSONL files that Claude Code already writes, so no extra setup is needed. The developer built it originally for personal use after noticing unpredictable cost spikes across sessions.
Who It's For
Developers using Claude Code in agent mode who want to understand exactly what their agent did and why costs vary across sessions.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
👀 See Also
OpenClaw Codex-GPT5.4 Task Validation Loop Issue
A developer reports Codex-GPT5.4 through OpenClaw gets stuck in a task validation loop during autonomous project work, repeatedly identifying and confirming tasks without executing them. They've implemented workspace controls including TASKS.md, heartbeat rules, and persona files to address the issue.
Microsoft BitNet: 1-bit LLM inference framework for CPU and GPU
Microsoft released BitNet, an inference framework for 1-bit LLMs that achieves 1.37x to 6.17x speedups on CPUs and reduces energy consumption by 55.4% to 82.2%. It can run a 100B parameter model on a single CPU at 5-7 tokens per second.
the-knowledge-guy: Turn Your Bookshelf Into a Tutor With Claude Code Skills
A Claude Code skill set that ingests your PDF/EPUB books locally and lets you ask questions, get taught topic-by-topic, or pull cheatsheets — all with citations across your library.
AxonFlow Plugin for OpenClaw: Pre-Run Tool Approval & PII Redaction
A self-hosted OpenClaw plugin that checks tool arguments before execution, pauses risky calls for human approval, and redacts PII from outbound messages. Uses OpenClaw lifecycle hooks — no agent code changes needed.