Cost Tracking
affaan-m/ECC
Track and report Claude Code token usage, spending, and budgets from the local ECC cost-tracker metrics log.
Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts. An agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Hermes Cost Audit
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-audit --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .claude/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .claude/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-auditType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-audit --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .agents/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .agents/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-audit --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .cursor/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .cursor/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git --path skills/hermes-cost-audit--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-audit --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .gemini/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .gemini/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-auditInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .github/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .github/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide hermes-cost-audit --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hermes-cost-audit .opencode/skills/hermes-cost-audit && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "hermes-cost-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/tree/main/skills/hermes-cost-audit into .opencode/skills/hermes-cost-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "hermes-cost-audit", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
hermes-cost-audit- GitHub stars
- 688
- Token cost
- ~985 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 450 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 4
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts. An agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.
- Works in 6 steps: Measure the fixed prefix that every… → Measure real spend over time → Read the settings that drive cost. auto… → …
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, Procedure, Verification and Pitfalls
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Hermes Cost Audit is an agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide. Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts.
Its SKILL.md is about 990 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
The repository describes itself as: Hermes Agent setup, migration, LightRAG, Telegram, and skill creation guide. The licence is MIT.
Example prompts
- “/hermes-cost-audit”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Measure the fixed prefix that every model call carries, per surface actually in use
- Measure real spend over time
- Read the settings that drive cost. auto on an auxiliary task means the main model
- Check for these patterns and estimate the saving of each from the step 1 numbers (roughly 4.2–4.5 bytes per token)
- Report a table ordered by estimated impact: finding, current value, proposed value, estimated tokens saved per call (or per day), and the…
- After approval, apply each change with hermes config set or hermes tools disable, then re-run step 1 and show the before and after.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f865f8a. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Hermes Cost Audit loads about 985 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 15 tokens; SKILL.md has 450 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide at commit f865f8a, republished under its MIT licence (© OnlyTerp). 450 words, ~985 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/hermes-cost-audit/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- hermes-cost-audit
- description
- Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts.
- version
- 1.0.0
- author
- Terp AI Labs
- license
- MIT
Hermes Cost Audit
Find where this Hermes install spends tokens and propose the cuts with the best payoff, backed by measurements taken on this machine.
When to Use
- The user asks why Hermes is expensive, where tokens go, or how to spend less.
- As a weekly cron job that reports spend and new savings opportunities.
Procedure
Run every command with the terminal tool. Read, measure, and report. Do not change any setting until the user approves the specific change.
Measure the fixed prefix that every model call carries, per surface actually in use:
bash hermes tools --summary # which platforms have which toolsets hermes prompt-size --json # CLI hermes prompt-size --platform telegram --json # repeat for each platform in useRecord system prompt bytes, skills index bytes, tool schema bytes, and the three largest toolsets per platform.
Measure real spend over time:
bash hermes insights --days 7 hermes insights --days 30Read the settings that drive cost.
autoon an auxiliary task means the main model:bash hermes config get model hermes config get auxiliary.compression.model hermes config get auxiliary.title_generation.model hermes config get auxiliary.approval.model hermes config get auxiliary.background_review.model hermes config get delegation.model hermes config get cron.model hermes config get agent.disabled_toolsets hermes config get prompt_caching.cache_ttlCheck for these patterns and estimate the saving of each from the step 1 numbers (roughly 4.2–4.5 bytes per token):
Pattern Proposal Auxiliary tasks on autowhile the main model is expensiveRoute compression, titles, approvals, and background review to a cheap model. Leave auxiliary.visionunset when the main model can see images: an explicit vision backend makes every image go through a text description.A toolset enabled on a platform that never uses it (for example browserorttson a chat bot)hermes tools disable --platform <platform> <toolset>Heavy delegation with delegation.modelunsetA cheaper model for subagents Several cron jobs with cron.modelunsetA cheap default for unpinned cron jobs A large project context file where the user usually works Shorten it. Move detail into subdirectory files or skills. Long pauses between turns on a Claude model with cache_ttl: 5mConsider 1h(cache writes cost 2x, but pauses stop re-reading at full price)Report a table ordered by estimated impact: finding, current value, proposed value, estimated tokens saved per call (or per day), and the exact command. Ask which changes to apply.
After approval, apply each change with
hermes config setorhermes tools disable, then re-run step 1 and show the before and after.
Show full SKILL.md (106 more words)Show less
Verification
hermes prompt-sizeshows fewer bytes after toolset changes.hermes doctorreports no unresolvable auxiliary routes. An unresolvable route silently falls back to the main model and saves nothing.
Pitfalls
image_genandcomputer_useare already deferred behind tool search by default. Disabling them does not shrink the prompt.- Model switches and tool changes break the prompt cache for the running session. Apply changes, then start a new session.
- Don't propose capping
agent.max_turnsas a cost fix. It is unlimited by design, and loop guardrails already stop runaway loops in unattended runs. - Don't quote model prices from memory. Point the user at the provider's current pricing page.
© OnlyTerp, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/hermes-cost-audit of OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit f865f8a
Compare with similar skills
Hermes Cost Audit next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermes Cost Audit this skillOnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide | 688 | — | ~985 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cost Trackingaffaan-m/ECC | 276k | 1 repos | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cloud Cost Optimizationwshobson/agents | 40k | 14 repos | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cost Summaryruvnet/ruflo | 74k | — | ~594 | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Cost Conversationruvnet/ruflo | 74k | — | ~407 | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Cost Reportruvnet/ruflo | 74k | — | ~830 | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
Similar skills
Cloud Cost Optimization
wshobson/agents
Cuts cloud spend across AWS, Azure, GCP and OCI with cost tagging, rightsizing, commitment and spot pricing models, and architecture changes.
Cost Summary
ruvnet/ruflo
Single-shot programmatic dump of all cost data — total spend, per-tier, top session, budget status, federation aggregate.
Cost Conversation
ruvnet/ruflo
Per-conversation cost view — list every session in cost-tracking with started-at, message count, top model, and total cost
Cost Report
ruvnet/ruflo
Generate a cost report showing token usage and USD costs by agent and model
- Official
Exploring LLM Costs
PostHog/posthog
Investigate LLM spend in PostHog — total cost over time, cost by model, provider, user, trace, or custom dimension, token and cache-hit economics, and cost regressions.
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Diagnose a Hermes install and report fixes. An agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.
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Review Hermes settings for security risks. An agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide.
Questions about Hermes Cost Audit
What does Hermes Cost Audit do?
Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts. An agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide. Hermes Cost Audit is an agent skill from OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide. Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts.
How do I install Hermes Cost Audit in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hermes-cost-audit in OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide) into .claude/skills/hermes-cost-audit in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Hermes Cost Audit in Codex?
Run `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hermes-cost-audit in OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide) into .agents/skills/hermes-cost-audit in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Hermes Cost Audit in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/hermes-cost-audit, .gemini/skills/hermes-cost-audit, .github/skills/hermes-cost-audit and .opencode/skills/hermes-cost-audit in your project.
What does Hermes Cost Audit need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Hermes Cost Audit is instructions for the agent only.
Does Hermes Cost Audit access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Hermes Cost Audit safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Hermes Cost Audit use?
Hermes Cost Audit is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Hermes Cost Audit use?
About 985 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.9k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Hermes Cost Audit?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Hermes Cost Audit: Cost Tracking (affaan-m/ECC, 276k stars), Cloud Cost Optimization (wshobson/agents, 40k stars), Cost Summary (ruvnet/ruflo, 74k stars) and Cost Conversation (ruvnet/ruflo, 74k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Hermes Cost Audit?
OnlyTerp (a GitHub user) maintains it in OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide, which has 688 GitHub stars. The repository holds 4 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 24, 2026.
Source: OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.