costs.md Claude Code Docs, 2026-03-06 03:44 UTC → 2026-05-02 04:05 UTC

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7> Track token usage, set team spend limits, and reduce Claude Code costs with context management, model selection, extended thinking settings, and preprocessing hooks.7> Track token usage, set team spend limits, and reduce Claude Code costs with context management, model selection, extended thinking settings, and preprocessing hooks.

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9Claude Code consumes tokens for each interaction. Costs vary based on codebase size, query complexity, and conversation length. The average cost is \$6 per developer per day, with daily costs remaining below \$12 for 90% of users.9Claude Code charges by API token consumption. For subscription plan pricing (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), see [claude.com/pricing](https://claude.com/pricing). Per-developer costs vary widely based on model selection, codebase size, and usage patterns such as running multiple instances or automation.

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11For team usage, Claude Code charges by API token consumption. On average, Claude Code costs \~\$100-200/developer per month with Sonnet 4.6 though there is large variance depending on how many instances users are running and whether they're using it in automation.11Across enterprise deployments, the average cost is around \$13 per developer per active day and \$150-250 per developer per month, with costs remaining below \$30 per active day for 90% of users. To estimate spend for your own team, start with a small pilot group and use the tracking tools below to establish a baseline before wider rollout.

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13This page covers how to [track your costs](#track-your-costs), [manage costs for teams](#managing-costs-for-teams), and [reduce token usage](#reduce-token-usage).13This page covers how to [track your costs](#track-your-costs), [manage costs for teams](#managing-costs-for-teams), and [reduce token usage](#reduce-token-usage).

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15## Track your costs15## Track your costs

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17### Using the `/cost` command17### Using the `/usage` command

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19<Note>19<Note>

20 The `/cost` command shows API token usage and is intended for API users. Claude Max and Pro subscribers have usage included in their subscription, so `/cost` data isn't relevant for billing purposes. Subscribers can use `/stats` to view usage patterns.20 The Session block in `/usage` shows API token usage and is intended for API users. Claude Max and Pro subscribers have usage included in their subscription, so the session cost figure isn't relevant for billing purposes. Subscribers see plan usage bars and activity stats on the same screen.

21</Note>21</Note>

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23The `/cost` command provides detailed token usage statistics for your current session:23The `/usage` command provides detailed token usage statistics for your current session. The dollar figure is an estimate computed locally from token counts and may differ from your actual bill. For authoritative billing, see the Usage page in the [Claude Console](https://platform.claude.com/usage).

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25```text theme={null}25```text theme={null}

26Total cost: $0.5526Total cost: $0.55

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36<Note>36<Note>

37 When you first authenticate Claude Code with your Claude Console account, a workspace called "Claude Code" is automatically created for you. This workspace provides centralized cost tracking and management for all Claude Code usage in your organization. You cannot create API keys for this workspace; it is exclusively for Claude Code authentication and usage.37 When you first authenticate Claude Code with your Claude Console account, a workspace called "Claude Code" is automatically created for you. This workspace provides centralized cost tracking and management for all Claude Code usage in your organization. You cannot create API keys for this workspace; it is exclusively for Claude Code authentication and usage.

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39 For organizations with custom rate limits, Claude Code traffic in this workspace counts toward your organization's overall API rate limits. You can set a [workspace rate limit](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/rate-limits#setting-lower-limits-for-workspaces) on this workspace's Limits page in the Claude Console to cap Claude Code's share and protect other production workloads.

38</Note>40</Note>

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40On Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry, Claude Code does not send metrics from your cloud. To get cost metrics, several large enterprises reported using [LiteLLM](/en/llm-gateway#litellm-configuration), which is an open-source tool that helps companies [track spend by key](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/virtual_keys#tracking-spend). This project is unaffiliated with Anthropic and has not been audited for security.42On Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry, Claude Code does not send metrics from your cloud. To get cost metrics, several large enterprises reported using [LiteLLM](/en/llm-gateway#litellm-configuration), which is an open-source tool that helps companies [track spend by key](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/virtual_keys#tracking-spend). This project is unaffiliated with Anthropic and has not been audited for security.

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81### Manage context proactively83### Manage context proactively

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83Use `/cost` to check your current token usage, or [configure your status line](/en/statusline#context-window-usage) to display it continuously.85Use `/usage` to check your current token usage, or [configure your status line](/en/statusline#context-window-usage) to display it continuously.

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85* **Clear between tasks**: Use `/clear` to start fresh when switching to unrelated work. Stale context wastes tokens on every subsequent message. Use `/rename` before clearing so you can easily find the session later, then `/resume` to return to it.87* **Clear between tasks**: Use `/clear` to start fresh when switching to unrelated work. Stale context wastes tokens on every subsequent message. Use `/rename` before clearing so you can easily find the session later, then `/resume` to return to it.

86* **Add custom compaction instructions**: `/compact Focus on code samples and API usage` tells Claude what to preserve during summarization.88* **Add custom compaction instructions**: `/compact Focus on code samples and API usage` tells Claude what to preserve during summarization.

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100### Reduce MCP server overhead102### Reduce MCP server overhead

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102Each MCP server adds tool definitions to your context, even when idle. Run `/context` to see what's consuming space.104MCP tool definitions are [deferred by default](/en/mcp#scale-with-mcp-tool-search), so only tool names enter context until Claude uses a specific tool. Run `/context` to see what's consuming space.

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104* **Prefer CLI tools when available**: Tools like `gh`, `aws`, `gcloud`, and `sentry-cli` are more context-efficient than MCP servers because they don't add persistent tool definitions. Claude can run CLI commands directly without the overhead.106* **Prefer CLI tools when available**: Tools like `gh`, `aws`, `gcloud`, and `sentry-cli` are still more context-efficient than MCP servers because they don't add any per-tool listing. Claude can run CLI commands directly.

105* **Disable unused servers**: Run `/mcp` to see configured servers and disable any you're not actively using.107* **Disable unused servers**: Run `/mcp` to see configured servers and disable any you're not actively using.

106* **Tool search is automatic**: When MCP tool descriptions exceed 10% of your context window, Claude Code automatically defers them and loads tools on-demand via [tool search](/en/mcp#scale-with-mcp-tool-search). Since deferred tools only enter context when actually used, a lower threshold means fewer idle tool definitions consuming space. Set a lower threshold with `ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH=auto:<N>` (for example, `auto:5` triggers when tools exceed 5% of your context window).

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108### Install code intelligence plugins for typed languages109### Install code intelligence plugins for typed languages

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162### Move instructions from CLAUDE.md to skills163### Move instructions from CLAUDE.md to skills

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164Your [CLAUDE.md](/en/memory) file is loaded into context at session start. If it contains detailed instructions for specific workflows (like PR reviews or database migrations), those tokens are present even when you're doing unrelated work. [Skills](/en/skills) load on-demand only when invoked, so moving specialized instructions into skills keeps your base context smaller. Aim to keep CLAUDE.md under \~500 lines by including only essentials.165Your [CLAUDE.md](/en/memory) file is loaded into context at session start. If it contains detailed instructions for specific workflows (like PR reviews or database migrations), those tokens are present even when you're doing unrelated work. [Skills](/en/skills) load on-demand only when invoked, so moving specialized instructions into skills keeps your base context smaller. Aim to keep CLAUDE.md under 200 lines by including only essentials.

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166### Adjust extended thinking167### Adjust extended thinking

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168Extended thinking is enabled by default with a budget of 31,999 tokens because it significantly improves performance on complex planning and reasoning tasks. However, thinking tokens are billed as output tokens, so for simpler tasks where deep reasoning isn't needed, you can reduce costs by lowering the [effort level](/en/model-config#adjust-effort-level) in `/model` for Opus 4.6, disabling thinking in `/config`, or lowering the budget (for example, `MAX_THINKING_TOKENS=8000`).169Extended thinking is enabled by default because it significantly improves performance on complex planning and reasoning tasks. Thinking tokens are billed as output tokens, and the default budget can be tens of thousands of tokens per request depending on the model. For simpler tasks where deep reasoning isn't needed, you can reduce costs by lowering the [effort level](/en/model-config#adjust-effort-level) with `/effort` or in `/model`, disabling thinking in `/config`, or lowering the budget with `MAX_THINKING_TOKENS=8000`.

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170### Delegate verbose operations to subagents171### Delegate verbose operations to subagents

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193Claude Code uses tokens for some background functionality even when idle:194Claude Code uses tokens for some background functionality even when idle:

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195* **Conversation summarization**: Background jobs that summarize previous conversations for the `claude --resume` feature196* **Conversation summarization**: Background jobs that summarize previous conversations for the `claude --resume` feature

196* **Command processing**: Some commands like `/cost` may generate requests to check status197* **Command processing**: Some commands like `/usage` may generate requests to check status

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198These background processes consume a small amount of tokens (typically under \$0.04 per session) even without active interaction.199These background processes consume a small amount of tokens (typically under \$0.04 per session) even without active interaction.

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200## Understanding changes in Claude Code behavior201## Understanding changes in Claude Code behavior

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202Claude Code regularly receives updates that may change how features work, including cost reporting. Run `claude --version` to check your current version. For specific billing questions, contact Anthropic support through your [Console account](https://platform.claude.com/login). For team deployments, start with a small pilot group to establish usage patterns before wider rollout.203Claude Code regularly receives updates that may change how features work, including cost reporting. Run `claude --version` to check your current version. For specific billing questions, contact Anthropic support through your [Console account](https://platform.claude.com/login).