CostClaw: Free Local Cost Tracking Dashboard for OpenClaw Agents
What CostClaw Does
CostClaw is a free, local cost tracking dashboard for OpenClaw agents that requires no account. It captures every LLM call via OpenClaw's native hooks with zero configuration needed. All data stays local in SQLite with nothing sent anywhere.
Features
- Live dashboard at localhost:3333 with model breakdown, per-session costs, and hourly spend chart
- Shows cost split by trigger: user message / heartbeat / cron / subagent
- Generates specific recommendations based on your actual usage
- Developer is happy to add model pricing if yours shows $0.00
Installation
Install takes 60 seconds with these commands:
git clone https://github.com/Aperturesurvivor/costclaw-telemetry.git
cd costclaw-telemetry && npm install && npm run build
openclaw plugins install -l . && openclaw gateway restartReal-World Impact
The developer discovered their heartbeat agent was running Claude Sonnet every 3 minutes 24/7 even when they weren't using it, burning $60/month doing nothing. Switching it to Haiku for the keep-alive check cut their bill by approximately 65%.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
👀 See Also
Using a Local LLM as a Claude Code Subagent to Reduce Context Usage
A developer shares a method to use Claude Code to delegate tasks to a local LLM via LM Studio's API, keeping file content out of Claude's context. The approach uses a ~120-line Python script with tool-calling to read files locally and return summaries.
OpenClaw as Infrastructure-as-Code Interface for Home Lab Management
OpenClaw transforms from AI gadget to primary computer interface for home lab management, executing tasks like configuring Traefik containers, creating Dashy configurations, and setting up Tailscale access with direct machine access.
Local LLM Performance Benchmarks on Mac Mini with OpenClaw and LM Studio
A Reddit user posted performance figures for running the Unsloth gpt-oss-20b-Q4_K_S.gguf model locally on a Mac Mini with 32GB RAM, achieving 34 tokens/second with a 0.7 second time to first token using OpenClaw 2026.3.8 and LM Studio 0.4.6+1.
Two New Open Source Tools for AI Agent Security and Optimization
Two open source tools are available for AI agent developers: AI Agent Defense Kit provides runtime security skills, and AgentGuard (in development) offers cost tracking, security scanning, and activity monitoring.