ccusage

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Configuration ​

ccusage supports various configuration options to customize its behavior and adapt to different Claude Code installations.

Environment Variables ​

CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR ​

The CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable specifies where ccusage should look for Claude Code data.

Single Directory ​

bash
# Set a single custom Claude data directory
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="/path/to/your/claude/data"
ccusage daily

Multiple Directories ​

bash
# Set multiple directories (comma-separated)
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="/path/to/claude1,/path/to/claude2"
ccusage daily

When multiple directories are specified, ccusage automatically aggregates usage data from all valid locations.

LOG_LEVEL ​

Control the verbosity of log output using the LOG_LEVEL environment variable. ccusage uses consola for logging under the hood:

bash
# Set logging level
export LOG_LEVEL=0  # Silent (errors only)
export LOG_LEVEL=1  # Warnings
export LOG_LEVEL=2  # Normal logs
export LOG_LEVEL=3  # Informational logs (default)
export LOG_LEVEL=4  # Debug logs
export LOG_LEVEL=5  # Trace logs (most verbose)

# Examples
LOG_LEVEL=0 ccusage daily       # Silent output, only show results
LOG_LEVEL=4 ccusage daily       # Debug output for troubleshooting
LOG_LEVEL=5 ccusage session     # Trace all operations

Use Cases ​

  • Clean Output: Use LOG_LEVEL=0 for scripts or when piping output
  • Debugging: Use LOG_LEVEL=4 or 5 to troubleshoot issues
  • CI/CD: Use LOG_LEVEL=1 to only see warnings and errors
  • Development: Use higher levels to understand internal operations

CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES ​

Configure custom display names for project directories using the CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES environment variable:

bash
# Set custom project aliases
export CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES="long-project-name=Short Name,uuid-project=My Project"
ccusage daily --instances

Format ​

Use comma-separated raw-name=alias pairs:

bash
export CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES="project1=Production API,project2=Dev Environment"

Use Cases ​

  • UUID Projects: Replace cryptic UUIDs with readable names
  • Long Paths: Shorten verbose directory names for better table display
  • Team Consistency: Standardize project names across team members

Example ​

bash
# Without aliases
ccusage daily --instances
# Shows: a2cd99ed-a586-4fe4-8f59-b0026409ec09

# With aliases
export CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES="a2cd99ed-a586-4fe4-8f59-b0026409ec09=My Project"
ccusage daily --instances
# Shows: My Project

Project Name Formatting ​

ccusage automatically formats complex project directory names into readable display names:

Automatic Cleanup:

  • Path Removal: Strips common directory prefixes like /Users/username/Development/
  • UUID Shortening: Reduces long UUIDs to last two segments for brevity
  • Feature Branch Parsing: Extracts meaningful names from complex paths

Examples:

bash
# Complex project paths → Formatted names
-Users-phaedrus-Development-adminifi-edugakko-api--feature-ticket-002-configure-dependabot
→ configure-dependabot

a2cd99ed-a586-4fe4-8f59-b0026409ec09.jsonl  
→ 8f59-b0026409ec09.jsonl

/Users/john/Development/my-app
→ my-app

Priority Order:

  1. Custom aliases (via CCUSAGE_PROJECT_ALIASES) take highest priority
  2. Automatic formatting applies intelligent parsing rules
  3. Original name used as fallback if parsing fails

Default Directory Detection ​

Automatic Detection ​

ccusage automatically searches for Claude Code data in these locations:

  • ~/.config/claude/projects/ - New default location (Claude Code v1.0.30+)
  • ~/.claude/projects/ - Legacy location (pre-v1.0.30)

Directory Change

The directory change from ~/.claude to ~/.config/claude in Claude Code v1.0.30 was an undocumented breaking change. ccusage handles both locations automatically for compatibility.

Search Priority ​

When CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR is not set, ccusage searches in this order:

  1. ~/.config/claude/projects/ (preferred)
  2. ~/.claude/projects/ (fallback)

Data from all valid directories is automatically combined.

Command-Line Options ​

Global Options ​

All ccusage commands support these configuration options:

bash
# Date filtering
ccusage daily --since 20250101 --until 20250630

# Output format
ccusage daily --json                    # JSON output
ccusage daily --breakdown              # Per-model breakdown

# Cost calculation modes
ccusage daily --mode auto              # Use costUSD when available (default)
ccusage daily --mode calculate         # Always calculate from tokens
ccusage daily --mode display           # Always use pre-calculated costUSD

# Sort order
ccusage daily --order desc             # Newest first (default)
ccusage daily --order asc              # Oldest first

# Offline mode
ccusage daily --offline                # Use cached pricing data
ccusage daily -O                       # Short alias

# Timezone
ccusage daily --timezone UTC           # Use UTC timezone
ccusage daily -z America/New_York      # Use New York timezone
ccusage daily --timezone Asia/Tokyo    # Use Tokyo timezone

# Locale
ccusage daily --locale en-US           # US English (12-hour time)
ccusage daily -l ja-JP                 # Japanese (24-hour time)
ccusage daily --locale de-DE           # German (24-hour time)

# Project analysis (daily command only)
ccusage daily --instances              # Group by project
ccusage daily --project myproject      # Filter to specific project
ccusage daily --instances --project myproject  # Combined usage

Timezone Configuration ​

The --timezone option controls how dates are calculated for grouping usage data:

bash
# Use UTC timezone for consistent reports
ccusage daily --timezone UTC

# Use specific timezone
ccusage daily --timezone America/New_York
ccusage monthly -z Asia/Tokyo

# Default behavior (no timezone specified)
ccusage daily  # Uses system's local timezone

Timezone Effect ​

The timezone affects how usage is grouped by date. For example, usage at 11 PM UTC on January 1st would appear on:

  • January 1st when --timezone UTC
  • January 1st when --timezone America/New_York (6 PM EST)
  • January 2nd when --timezone Asia/Tokyo (8 AM JST next day)

Use Cases ​

  • UTC Alignment: Use --timezone UTC for consistent reports across different locations
  • Remote Teams: Align reports to team's primary timezone
  • Cross-Timezone Analysis: Compare usage patterns across different time zones
  • CI/CD Environments: Use UTC for consistent automated reports

Locale Configuration ​

The --locale option controls date and time formatting:

bash
# Use US English locale (12-hour time format)
ccusage daily --locale en-US

# Use Japanese locale (24-hour time format)
ccusage blocks --locale ja-JP

# Use German locale (24-hour time format)
ccusage session -l de-DE

# Default behavior (no locale specified)
ccusage daily  # Uses en-CA (ISO date format, 24-hour time)

Locale Effects ​

The locale affects how dates and times are displayed:

  • Date Format:

    • en-US: 08/04/2025
    • en-CA: 2025-08-04 (ISO format)
    • ja-JP: 2025/08/04
    • de-DE: 04.08.2025

  • Time Format:

    • en-US: 3:30:00 PM (12-hour)
    • en-CA, ja-JP, de-DE: 15:30:00 (24-hour)

Use Cases ​

  • International Teams: Display dates/times in familiar formats
  • 12/24 Hour Preference: Choose between AM/PM or 24-hour time
  • Regional Standards: Match local date formatting conventions
  • ISO Compliance: Use en-CA for ISO 8601 date format

Debug Options ​

bash
# Debug pricing mismatches
ccusage daily --debug

# Show sample discrepancies
ccusage daily --debug --debug-samples 10

Cost Calculation Modes ​

ccusage supports three different cost calculation modes:

auto (Default) ​

Uses pre-calculated costUSD values when available, falls back to calculating costs from token counts:

bash
ccusage daily --mode auto
  • ✅ Most accurate when Claude provides cost data
  • ✅ Falls back gracefully for older data
  • ✅ Best for general use

calculate ​

Always calculates costs from token counts using model pricing, ignores pre-calculated values:

bash
ccusage daily --mode calculate
  • ✅ Consistent calculation method
  • ✅ Useful for comparing different time periods
  • ❌ May differ from actual Claude billing

display ​

Always uses pre-calculated costUSD values only, shows $0.00 for missing costs:

bash
ccusage daily --mode display
  • ✅ Shows only Claude-provided cost data
  • ✅ Most accurate for recent usage
  • ❌ Shows $0.00 for older entries without cost data

Offline Mode ​

ccusage can operate without network connectivity by using pre-cached pricing data:

bash
# Use offline mode
ccusage daily --offline
ccusage monthly -O

When to Use Offline Mode ​

✅ Ideal For ​

  • Air-gapped systems - Networks with restricted internet access
  • Corporate environments - Behind firewalls or proxies
  • Consistent pricing - Using cached model pricing for consistent reports
  • Fast execution - Avoiding network delays

❌ Limitations ​

  • Claude models only - Only supports Claude models (Opus, Sonnet, etc.)
  • Pricing updates - Won't get latest pricing information
  • New models - May not support newly released models

Updating Cached Data ​

Cached pricing data is updated automatically when running in online mode. To refresh:

bash
# Run online to update cache
ccusage daily

# Then use offline mode
ccusage daily --offline

MCP Server Configuration ​

ccusage includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for integration with other tools.

Basic Usage ​

bash
# Start MCP server with stdio transport (default)
ccusage mcp

# Start with HTTP transport
ccusage mcp --type http --port 8080

# Configure cost calculation mode
ccusage mcp --mode calculate

Claude Desktop Integration ​

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonWindows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

json
{
	"mcpServers": {
		"ccusage": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["ccusage@latest", "mcp"],
			"env": {
				"CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR": "/custom/path/to/claude"
			}
		}
	}
}

Or with global installation:

json
{
	"mcpServers": {
		"ccusage": {
			"command": "ccusage",
			"args": ["mcp"],
			"env": {}
		}
	}
}

Available MCP Tools ​

  • daily - Daily usage reports
  • monthly - Monthly usage reports
  • session - Session-based reports
  • blocks - 5-hour billing blocks reports

Each tool accepts since, until, mode, timezone, and locale parameters.

Terminal Display Configuration ​

ccusage automatically adapts its display based on terminal width:

Wide Terminals (≥100 characters) ​

  • Shows all columns with full model names
  • Displays cache metrics and total tokens
  • Uses bulleted model lists for readability

Narrow Terminals (<100 characters) ​

  • Automatic compact mode with essential columns only
  • Shows Date, Models, Input, Output, Cost (USD)
  • Helpful message about expanding terminal width

Force Display Mode ​

Currently, display mode is automatic based on terminal width. Future versions may include manual override options.

Configuration Examples ​

Development Environment ​

bash
# Set environment variables in your shell profile
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.config/claude"

# Add aliases for common commands
alias ccu-daily="ccusage daily --breakdown"
alias ccu-live="ccusage blocks --live"
alias ccu-json="ccusage daily --json"

CI/CD Environment ​

bash
# Use offline mode in CI
export CCUSAGE_OFFLINE=1
ccusage daily --offline --json > usage-report.json

Multiple Team Members ​

bash
# Each team member sets their own Claude directory
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="/team-shared/claude-data/$USER"
ccusage daily --since 20250101

Troubleshooting Configuration ​

Common Issues ​

No Data Found ​

If ccusage reports no data found:

bash
# Check if Claude directories exist
ls -la ~/.claude/projects/
ls -la ~/.config/claude/projects/

# Verify environment variable
echo $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR

# Test with explicit environment variable
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="/path/to/claude/projects"
ccusage daily

Permission Errors ​

bash
# Check directory permissions
ls -la ~/.claude/
ls -la ~/.config/claude/

# Fix permissions if needed
chmod -R 755 ~/.claude/
chmod -R 755 ~/.config/claude/

Network Issues in Offline Mode ​

bash
# Run online first to cache pricing data
ccusage daily

# Then use offline mode
ccusage daily --offline

Next Steps ​

After configuring ccusage:

Released under the MIT License.

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