OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook)

What this skill does

Track OpenClaw/Clawdbot token and cost usage from session JSONL logs (prefer real usage.cost when present), generate daily/weekly summaries and top expensive sessions, and run budget checks (exit code on breach). Use to monitor spend, enforce budgets via cron/alerts, and apply a token-saving playbook to reduce output/tool-call cost.

OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) is part of the Developer Tools category — developer tools that help your agent write, review, debug, and ship code. You can install it on its own or alongside other developer tools skills from the OpenClaw catalog.

How to install OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook)

The easiest path is via the OpenClaw Easy desktop app — one click, no terminal required:

1. Download OpenClaw Easy for macOS or Windows (free, one-click installer, ~30 seconds).
2. Open the in-app Skills panel.
3. Search for openclaw-cost-guard and click Install.
4. The skill activates automatically when an incoming message matches its description.

Install from the command line

If you already run the OpenClaw CLI, add OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) with a single command:

openclaw skills add openclaw-cost-guard

This pulls openclaw-cost-guard from ClawHub and installs it into ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-cost-guard/. Restart the OpenClaw gateway afterwards so the new skill is discovered.

How to use OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook)

Once installed, OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) activates on its own: when an incoming message on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Feishu or Line matches the skill's description, your OpenClaw agent loads it and runs the workflow. You can also trigger it explicitly by describing the task in chat. No extra configuration is required after install.

Manual install (advanced)

If you prefer manual installation:

1. Click the Download .zip button above to grab openclaw-cost-guard-0.1.0.zip directly from our S3 mirror.
2. Unzip into ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-cost-guard/ (create the directory if it does not exist).
3. Restart OpenClaw Easy (or the OpenClaw CLI gateway) so the new skill is discovered.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook)?

Install OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) in the OpenClaw Easy desktop app by opening the Skills panel, searching for openclaw-cost-guard, and clicking Install. From a terminal you can run: openclaw skills add openclaw-cost-guard. Either way the skill is placed in ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-cost-guard/.

Is OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) free?

Yes. OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) is free and open-source, distributed under the Apache-2.0 license through ClawHub. No account or payment is required to download or run it.

What does OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) do?

Track OpenClaw/Clawdbot token and cost usage from session JSONL logs (prefer real usage.cost when present), generate daily/weekly summaries and top expensive sessions, and run budget checks (exit code on breach).

Related: more developer tools skills

If OpenClaw Cost Guard (Budgets + Token-Saving Playbook) looks useful, you may also want to check out other developer tools skills in the OpenClaw catalog:

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