# Cost & Usage (/cli/reference/cost-and-usage)



The CLI tracks usage and cost as structured events flow in, then surfaces warnings when configured thresholds are crossed.

## Where you see it [#where-you-see-it]

| Surface                   | What it shows                                                                 |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Header**                | The active model and (when available) abbreviated usage                       |
| **Cost drawer** (`/cost`) | Per-agent and per-run breakdown: input/output tokens, cost, projection, model |
| **Priority alerts strip** | Warnings for crossed thresholds and approaching run limits                    |

## What gets tracked [#what-gets-tracked]

* **Tokens** — input and output, per agent and per run.
* **Cost** — derived from token counts and the model's pricing where known.
* **Run limits** — configurable caps that, when crossed, can trigger a pause or warning depending on policy.

Numbers come from structured `usage_*` events emitted by core. The CLI does not estimate or extrapolate beyond what it's told.

## Thresholds and crossings [#thresholds-and-crossings]

Thresholds are evaluated against incoming usage events. Crossing a threshold is itself an event that:

* updates the Cost drawer
* adds a row to the Priority alerts strip
* surfaces in the Timeline

Typical thresholds:

| Type         | Example                                 |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| Soft warning | Approaching 80% of a run's token budget |
| Hard warning | Crossed the configured cost ceiling     |
| Run limit    | Maximum number of agent steps reached   |

## What the cockpit does at a threshold [#what-the-cockpit-does-at-a-threshold]

By default, threshold crossings are informational — you see them, you decide. If your permission mode and rules are configured to gate on `run_command` or `change_model`, the agent's next action may also surface in the Approval drawer.

The cockpit never silently kills a run for crossing a soft threshold.

## Read next [#read-next]

* [Drawers](/cli/reference/drawers) — the Cost drawer
* [Concepts → Approvals](/cli/concepts/approvals) — gating on actions
* [Export](/cli/reference/export) — capture cost data with the run artifact