HN Showcase
Back to browse
TokenWatch – Real-Time AI API Cost Monitor for OpenAI/Anthropic/Gemini

TokenWatch – Real-Time AI API Cost Monitor for OpenAI/Anthropic/Gemini

by avolcoff·Mar 13, 2026·1 point·0 comments
Visit ProjectView on HN

AI Analysis

●MidShip ItSolve My Problem

Multi-provider cost dashboard when LangFuse and Helicone already do this.

Strengths
  • •Duplicate call detection identifies wasted spend from redundant API requests specifically.
  • •Free tier with no credit card removes friction for indie developers testing quickly.
  • •Unified dashboard aggregates OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini spend in single view.
Weaknesses
  • •Built in 2 days suggests MVP without deeper optimization or caching intelligence.
  • •LLM observability space has well-funded competitors like LangFuse, Helicone, Portkey.
Target Audience

Developers building LLM applications, startup engineering teams

Similar To

LangFuse · Helicone · Portkey

Post Description

Hey HN! Built this after watching engineering teams repeatedly get surprised by AI API invoices — no visibility into spend until the bill landed.

TokenWatch connects to your OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini keys and gives you: - Real-time spend dashboard across projects - Budget thresholds with proactive alerts - Anomaly detection for unusual cost spikes - Duplicate call detection (biggest source of wasted spend I've seen)

Free tier supports up to 3 AI systems. Built this in ~2 days as a solo project. Happy to answer anything about the build or the problem space.

Similar Projects

Developer Tools●●●Banger

Dashboard for monitoring multiple Claude Code sessions

Cross-session visibility Claude Code should have built in.

Solve My ProblemShip It
Stargx
353mo ago
Developer Tools●●Solid

Token Cost Guard – Track AI API Costs Locally (Python CLI)

One-line instrumentation (client = track(OpenAI())) that logs every call to ~/.token-guard/guard.db is the simple, practical win here — you get per-model/day reports, CSV export and webhook alerts without shipping telemetry. It's a tidy, privacy-minded tool that nails the common pain of runaway bills, though it doesn't reinvent the space (a small GUI or automatic pricing sync would push it into 'banger' territory).

Solve My ProblemNiche Gem
AlexCalderAI
123mo ago
AI/ML●●Solid

Translate LLM API Calls Across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini

Hub-and-spoke IR translates LLM APIs without N^2 adapter hell.

Big BrainNiche Gem
Oaklight
201mo ago